The Wild Life
Here is a short list of the residents - permanent and transient, Flora or Fauna- that might be found on or around the shores of Brady's Pond throughout the year..
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Swans.....
2017 BIRTHS.....
OUR RESIDENT SWANS PROVE TO BE WONDERFUL PARENTS. THEIR BROOD.,4 CYGNETS, ARE CURRENTLY HAPPILY SWIMMING AROUND BRADY'S POND. THEY ARE ALMOST AS BIG AS THEIR PARENTS AND WILL SOON SHED THEIR GREY PLUMMAGE OF YOUTH AND BECOME ADULTS.
RESIDENTS AROUND THE LAKE HAVE SEEN THE PARENTS TEACHING THE YOUNGSTERS HOW TO FLY.
As of December 2017, All 4 cygnets survived to adulthood, learned how to fly and left their Brady's Pond birthplace.
It is the FIRST TIME WE HAVE HAD ALL OF OUR SWAN"BABIES" SURVIVE TO BECOME ADULTS.
Why? Snapping turtles love to eat baby swans and ducks, raccoons, dogs and cats can also kill babies, Other swans coming from outside can attach and kill babies. Infection, getting tangled in fishing line or swallowing a hook can all lead to premature deaths.
It's not easy growing up a wild mute swan.
This year we were lucky... 4 cygnets, 4 surviving to adulthood.
We hope that Brady's Pond will continue to be a safe breeding ground for mute swans.
The benefit of having Swans on Brady's Pond ?
Mute swans are very protective of their broods. They are particularly protective in the presence of Canada Geese. In an effort to keep the lake cleaner and free from duck/goose droppings we encourage the nesting swans to stay on the lake for the summer. The parenting instincts of the swans lead them to chase the Canada geese off of the water to the shore line. They can be aggressively protective and can attach both Canada goose adults and goslings. The swans do not seem to go after other species who summer with us.like ducks... like mallards, grebes or cormorants. Our water is cleaner because the swans are here.
Sadly, in 2018 we had no swans residing on Brady's Pond .
Unfortunately, we cannot predict if a swan or mating pair of swans will summer over on Brady's Pond but we keep the welcome mat out for any who will come and stay with us.
Other visitors to our shores.... and some "locals"
COMMON NAME...LATIN NAME
BIRDS AND DUCKS
Mallard ducks....anas platyrhynchos
Horned grebe...Podiceps auritus
Pied billed grebe...podilymbus podiceps
Black duck...Anas rubripes
Hooded merganser...Loplodytes cucullatus
Green winged teal...anas crecca
Buffle head... Bucephala albeola
Ring Necked Duck...Aythya collaris
Eared Grebes...Podiceps auritus
Muscovy...Cairina moschata
American coot...Fulica americana
Wood duck...Aix sponsa
Canada goose...Branta canadensis
Mute swan...cygnus olor
Ruby Throated hummingbird..Archilochus colibres
Double breasted cormorant--Phalacrocorax auritus
Red Tailed hawk...Buteo ponaicensis
Great egret-...Casmerodius albus
Black crowned night Heron...Nycticorax nycticorax
Great Blue Heron...Ardea
Green heron...Butorides striatus
Osprey...Pandion halicietus
TURTLES
Red-eared slider (turtle)...Chrysemys scripta
Snapping turtle...Chelydra serpentina
Painted Turtle...Chrysenys picta
Eastern Box Turtle-Terrapene carolina
Easter Mud Turtle... Kinosternon subrabruin
FISH
Sunfish- Centrarchidae
include...
Large mouth bass...Microppterus salmoides
Blue Gill Sunfish... Lepomis macrochirus
Pumpkinseed ....Lepomis gibbosus
Yellow Perch... Perca Flavescens
Catfish-...Ictaluridoe
Carp-Cyprinus carpio
Pickerel
eel
Others..
Eastern Newt ( red eft)... Notophtalmus viridenscens
salamanders
Common Plants..in and around the lake
Rough Horsetail /Scouring Rush- Equistum hyemale
Hedge Bindweed...Convolutus arvensis
Arrowheads...Sagettaria latifolia
Waterweed-Elodea canadensis
Common Cattail-Typha latifolia
Yellow Flag- Iris pseudacorus
Cinnamon Fern...Osmunda cinamonmea
Bracken...Pteridium equilinum
Sensitive Fern... Onoclea sensibilitis
Chufa...Cyperus esculentus
Poison Ivy... Toxicondendraon radicans
Climbing Bittersweet... Celastrus scandens
Under the water...
Potamogeton crispus...curly leaf pondweed...an invasive
Spatterdock or Cow Lily ( our local water lilies)-nuphar advena
