Thawing ponds, Boulder County

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Tom Wilberding

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Feb 22, 2013, 10:50:14 PM2/22/13

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In Alaska as winter turns to spring Yukon River ice suddenly starts to flow. Trappers call that special event “breakup.” As John McPhee describes it, “The ice goes out. The birds come in.”

In Boulder County the change is more gradual, two steps forward, one back. The other day Union Reservoir, McIntosh Lake, and most other county ponds were frozen shore to shore. But Erie Lake was open with Canvasback, Bufflehead, and Ring-necked Ducks. Clover Basin Reservoir was about half open with Common Mergansers. It was reported that Panama Reservoir No. 1 was open, too, but today mostly frozen, which did not bother the eight or so Bald Eagles perched on the ice. It did bother one of the American White Pelicans, who landed on the ice with a crash.

Why are some reservoirs open and others frozen? Thoreau believed that Walden Pond stayed frozen longer due to its greater depth. http://tiny.cc/5i3wsw Boulder County’s Walden Pond, (named after county commissioner Walden Toevs, who perhaps was named after Thoreau’s pond) is shallow and mostly open today, in a slushy sort of way,

Firestone Reservoir mostly frozen. Firestone gravel pits open today with lots of waterfowl, but St. Vrain State Park ponds-- one frozen, others open with lots of Common Merganser and a few Hooded. Saw a beautiful swan at St. Vrain State Park today, asked if I could count her, but she was Mute. Red tails out in force, copulating, flying to a nest, hunting, perched, soaring everywhere. Western Meadowlarks singing, American Kestrels pairing up. Goldeneye males throwing their heads back like laughter.

As Thoreau observed, “Thaw with his gentle persuasion is more powerful than Thor with his hammer. The one melts, the other but breaks in pieces.”

Suddenly or gradually, no matter, spring’s coming.

A few recent photos: http://bit.ly/ZoMzrW