Prospect Lake is not big and imposing. It covers just some 55 acres and is about 15 feet in depth at its deepest. But it attracts a full complement of wildlife. Hawks and eagles soar above it, occasionally dropping to grab a fish dinner. Abundant fish dapple the water as they feed – sunnies, bluegills, bass. Turtles ranging in size from pancakes to sewer covers raise their heads, climb on logs to sun themselves next to water snakes doing the same. Birds of all sorts flit around the lake, making nests, feeding babies, encouraging fledglings. Two kinds of heron – one large and blue, the other smaller and green – grace the lake on occasion, the latter sometimes with very visible nests and babies. And every year for a couple of days -- we must be a stopover on its journey – a lone cormorant pays the lake a visit, resting on one of the floating docks. Muskrats make their nests, racoons, skunks, groundhogs, rabbits and squirrels all live in the forested lake edges. Bullfrogs serenade the lake with basso profundo concerts. Beavers build imposing lodges, and both deer and (believe it or not) bears have been seen swimming across the water. And this year, a new and surprising visitor: a river otter. In the late winter, a solitary river otter was seen at the lake’s northern end, in the water and sitting on Neil and Nina DeLuca’s dock.
Then, to tickle even more interest, Genis and Chet Delaney were sitting an on their deck one evening when they spotted a family of otters hustling along the lake’s edge in front of their house. They think – emphasize think – they saw a mother and 4 little ones: the sighting was brief – they were very quick. No picture to back up the story and no sight of the family since. But it’s nice to know we have exotic visitors.
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