Water Finally in the Wetlands

Jeanette with umbrella at lower pond

The first significant storms of the year this weekend brought in enough rain to recreate ponds at the Fairview Drive Wetlands in Salem.  A long time favorite hang out of ours for birding, the wetlands have been completely dried up this summer and fall, the ponds exposing their bare cracked clay bottoms.  We have been watching them with each small storm only to witness the small amount of moisture instantly absorbed in the parched soil. But today was different, finally we had enough rainfall to have water back in the wetlands.  As we had hoped for, some ducks had already found the the now usable bodies of water.  We only saw Mallards, 30 in the lower pond and 20 in the upper, but soon other varieties of water fowl will find their way here and once again we will be seeing the large variety of birds that we have come to enjoy here at the Fairview Wetlands.

Mallards in flight from upper pond