Despite the ominous rise in temperatures where I live (to about 45 degrees), I headed back up the mountain to check out Burnett's Pond again, and was encouraged by what I saw.
Although there was less snow along the side of the road on the drive up, the snowcover "held on" better the further uphill I went - - and the amount immediately adjacent to the pond seemed almost as thick as yesterday, with temps about 5 degrees cooler down in the valley, and a noticeably stiffer breeze that made it seem even colder.
Also promising was the ice on the pond itself. The hole I chopped yesterday was frozen over, so I had to chop it out again, and it appeared to still be about an inch thick. Moreover, the ice further out seemed to be even thicker - - with the only discordant note being a faint sheen of water blowing across the top.
I drove back down the mountain and fiished a brook trout stream at the Greylock Glen that usually produces, but this time without success. (Although I did manage to reel in a 1" x 2" rock, which is only the fourth or fifth time I can recall doing that in nearly five decades of fishing).
As I walked back to check out the Gazebo Pond, I saw a great blue heron walk (well, really more hop) across the road and perch on a guardrail until (as I approached) it flew downstream away from the road.
The Gazebo Pond was ice free, but one of the smaller ponds next to it had skim ice across it.
I drove to a private pond in the hope of catching some stocked brookies to make up for the wild ones that I was unable to entice at the Glen, but was foiled again because there was a skim of ice covering it. Not enough to walk on, but too much to actually get my bait in the water.
On the plus side, I did see a mink at the upper end of the private pond - - which is only the second time I can recall seeing one in the wild.
