Day 4.216: Swift visit

We're rather busy with our preparations for our trip - especially because as soon as we get back we need to be ready for getting back to school. We expected rain today, but it took its time arriving and took even longer to get going with any conviction, so we managed to fit in a quick visit to another Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy site. The rather surprising Swift Wetland. It's surprising because from the outside, it looks like it occupies about two vacant house-plots opposite the Bethlehem Central High School in Delmar. In fact it is a little larger than that. Here is my attempt to superimpose the trail map on Google Earth's view of the area:

Inside the intricate loops of trails there were plenty of surprises too - boardwalks and ponds, vultures and squirrels, dragonflies and oak apples, open spaces and fallen trees. We had a rather wonderful little walk there.

Photos on Flickr

Apparently it was created to preserve a wetland habitat that was largely lost when the homes were built in this area and it is used by the High School as an outdoor classroom. Of course, like its sister Phillipinkill Preserve, it is rather overshadowed by Five Rivers just up the road, but this is a lovely little surprise nestled in the edge of suburbia.