"Chamlis Pond....my personal wildlife preserve" Miccosukee Travelogue by 850prc

We live in a rural area. I suffer with dialup and have to haul off my own garbage.

But, I have land and space and can be myself. We can share our space with migratory fowl, deer, rabbits and other critters. They make much better neighbors than I ever had when I lived in town. ; )

Chamlis Pond is at the eastern boundary of my land. It rises and falls with precipitation, as rain is its only real source of water. It is not spring-fed. However, it remains very popular with all sorts of waterfowl, not to mention some unfriendly reptiles too. (water moccasins and the occasional small alligator)

I do love spending quiet time in the afternoon, especially in the spring and fall, down by MY pond in MY woods. Peace and solitude. : )

Chamlis Pond, looking Southeast

Back when I was a young teenager, we used to camp a at this edge of the pond in winter. We used to call the site "Camp Funky Chicken" for some ridiculous reason.

Chamlis Pond, NNE view

I was standing at the edge of a very dense thicket of trees when I took this photo. We don't spend as much time walking in this area because it can get kind of marshy, depending on the rains. It's a great view for birds, though... There are a mating pair of red tail hawks that are always swooping in from the north.

Chamlis Pond, ENE view

Just another pleasant look at our little pond.

IMHO, if everyone had their own little quiet pond in the woods, the Zoloft people would be out of business.

Chamlis pond, WSW view

This is a look at our pond from the eastern shore. At this point, we are looking WSW. The previous ENE picture was taken with me stanading almost totally in the middle of THIS picture on the western shore.

Swamp thicket at southern edge of Chamlis Pond

At the southern end of Chamlis pond, there is a substantial area of very dense trees and brush mixed into the wetlands. This seemingly bulletproof thicket provides cover for all sorts of wildlife, including the occasional deer. I love to get a glimpse of a young fawn and its mother in this thicket.

Sure, this is Florida swampland, and I'd never part with it.... at any price. : )

Reflecting result of recent rain, Chamlis Pond

One of my favorite Supremes' songs is "Reflections". Not that it matters much for this travelogue, I suppose... but....

This photo, taken in early April of 2005, shows Chamlis Pond's glassy surface reflecting the trees surround it. The pond is even larger and deeper than it is in the earlier photos in this travelogue. This "reflects" a huge series of rainstorms we've had recently. (See my rainy travelogue on this Miccosukee page)