ENCHANTED PONDS IN SUMMER EVENINGS

     Some years ago, I occasionally visited a six-acre pond in a woods in southeastern Pennsylvania from mid-June to about the middle of July to observe nature during summer evenings.  Although I don't visit that pond anymore, I have fond memories of being there during summer evenings to experience certain kinds of wildlife.  And I know there are other ponds in this area with the same kinds of twilight wildlife that can be enjoyed.  

     As the sun sets each evening, courting male wood thrushes, veeries (another kind of thrush) and eastern wood pewees sing lovely vesper songs.  The thrushes sound like flutes in the woods, while the pewees chant a gentle, melancholy "peee-a-weeee" time after time.

     While those birds sing beautifully, green frogs and bull frogs begin to twang and bellow respectively from muddy shorelines under overhanging vegetation.  The choristers of both these types of amphibians are males coaxing females to spawn in the shallows.  

     Sometimes, while the frogs are calling, I heard a screech owl whistling descending whinnies back in the woods.  Though a small, harmless owl, I still thrill to hear one calling at dusk to proclaim territory.

     While the thrushes and pewees continued to sing and the frogs croak, I was excited to see up to three dozen little brown bats swooping and diving, without collision, over the pond after flying insects to ingest.  I never saw so many bats in one place in southeastern Pennsylvania at one time.  And their aerial ballets at dusk are interesting to watch.    

     Meanwhile, multitudes of male fireflies climbed grass stalks, took flight like tiny helicopters and repeatedly flashed their cold, abdominal lanterns from leafy trees.  As darkness deepened, the voices of the birds fell silent and the bats flew on.  But the frogs continued croaking raucously and the fireflies' thousands of twinkling lights were as charming as a fairy tale in an enchanted woodland.  

     The wildlife of many local ponds during summer evenings are enjoyable and inspiring to observe.  They help make life more worthwhile.   

     

          

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