The Heronry: A stroll through Perth

Wed. 1 April:  The Heronry:   A stroll through Perth

Return of the first herons

It was just too nice a day NOT to get out of the house.  And a hiking colleague had alerted me that herons were arriving back in the area after the long winter.

So I grabbed my backpack and headed out of the door for a stroll through Perth, and then out of town towards the wildlife reserve.

Along the way, I took photos of the town, the skies being cloudless.  In the fields beyond South Street, where Perth abruptly ends, the snow was rapidly melting, although there were a few sections of ice to look out for.

My first stop was at the heronry, in an open field in the woods beyond the lagoon sign.  Many of the nests were still empty, but I counted four herons up in the branches, standing motionless on one leg, with their heads pointing southwards, as if on the lookout for friends or family.

The ice was melting off the lagoons, making this a decidedly smelly place.  I strode across the causeway to take a look at two geese, which took off across the water just ahead of me.  Turning right, then left, I followed the access road to a gate, leading to the Perth Wildlife Reserve road.  I strolled along this muddy road for a good kilometre to the parking area, across from a farmhouse. 

There is a nice trail which goes from here to the edge of the Tay River, but the route was still snow and ice covered, and might have needed more energy than I had today.  I retraced my steps back into town.

There’s a certain satisfaction in being able to stride out of one’s front door and walk to special places like this.  There is no better way to get to know your home town.

Note:  single-click on the first picture above to scroll through the photos separately

Statistics:

Total Distance:         10.0 km (hike)

Height Gain:             None

Time on Trail:           2 hrs. 44 mins.

Dep. home:              1.25 pm

Lagoons:                  2.16 pm

Wildlife Res.:            2.56 pm

Ret. home:               4.09 pm

Temp:             Zero C rising to plus 2 C

Weather:        Cloudless, cool NW breeze

Stewart Park:  just round the corner from home

Library and old firehall

Two different spires;  St. James and Crystal Palace

Tay canal basin

St. James Anglican church

Lanark County Courthouse

Heading south towards the lagoons

The heronry...

...where the first herons are just returning

The sewage lagoons (a bit smelly today, as the ice melts)

A big goose honking

The geese taking flight

Here the sewage lagoons exit to the Tay River

Exiting onto the Wildlife Reserve road

The Perth Wildlife Reserve

Reflections

Early Spring conditions on the Reserve's trails

Beckwith St. bridge and old shoe factory

Back at Stewart Park...

...where Big Ben appears to be flying free