When we moved next to the wetlands, it was a very different
place. There were three ponds: one full of cattails, red-wing blackbirds and
bullfrogs; a deep one surrounded by ancient cottonwoods; and a wide one where
kingfishers, pelicans, and blue herons caught their lunch. Bats and mud
swallows darted about after dusk, keeping the mosquito population in check. The
cattail pond is gone now; a victim of invasive species and drought. A pair of
beavers wiped out the old cottonwoods. For the past few summers, yellow algae
have killed off most of the fish. I guess the fisher birds found other places
to grab lunch. Even the swallows seem to be dining elsewhere. But we still have
bats. You spot them well after sunset, just as it begins to get too dark to
see. I, for one, am really glad they’re still feasting on our mosquitos. If
not, the chief item on the menu here would be me.
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