Otsego Marsh & Goose Pond

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The forecast was for a sunny fall day, but as we made our way out of the city north on Hwy 51 toward our destination in Columbia County, we found ourselves enveloped in a dense fog due to a hard freeze the night before.  The fog persisted throughout our 50 minute ride to our first stop, Otsego Marsh (A on the map), a Madison Audubon Society sanctuary that was new to us. After leaving the main highway we threaded our way along the back country roads past miles of cornfields that by now had been mostly harvested.

Though visibility had improved somewhat by the time we arrived, we almost missed the entrance to the small parking area for the marsh. There is a diminutive sign marking the entrance that says Goose Pond Sanctuary (used here as the generic term for the cluster of Audubon properties in the area) while a placard for Otsego Marsh stands at the back of the parking area.  Two trailheads lead into the woods adjacent to the marsh.

We could hear the loud cackling of geese coming from the northeast and, though we couldn't see the marsh through the fog, we assumed that setting out through the woods would take us to it. It was an easy walk along the wide, leaf-covered trail. Tom had little difficulty with his rolling walker. As the fog started to lift we could begin to see slivers of the marsh pond to our left between the trees. As time wore on we began to wonder why the trail never got any closer than a hundred feet or so to the edge of the pond. Then the trail suddenly curved off to the right, and we realized that it would loop back to the parking area and that we had come as far as we could go.

Trail through the woods at Otsego Marsh, November 2013

Turning around we could now see clearly through the trees and realized that the western edge of the pond was adjacent to the road! If we had driven about fifty feet further, we would have been right at the edge of the marsh and able to look out over its quite considerable expanse. So that is what we did. The fall landscape was spectacular in the early morning light. The geese, though, were little specks in the far northeast corner, and we couldn't be certain that they were joined by other waterfowl. A Great Blue Heron perched briefly on the shore and flew away to the interior of the marsh. We had to park mostly on the road due to a narrow and steep shoulder, so we did not want to linger.

Otsego Marsh looking east from Old County Rd F, Columbia County, November 2013

After stopping for breakfast at The Owl's Nest in Poynette (excellent French toast) we proceeded to our final stop, Goose Pond near the town of Arlington.  Goose Pond actually consists of two ponds separated by Goose Pond Road. At the times that we have visited, all the action has been on the western pond. One can park on the dead-end access road to this pond and be quite close to the water. The birds, of course, typically cluster on the opposite side, so a scope is almost mandatory.

Goose Pond looking east from the access road, Columbia County, September 2011

Today we saw a number of Trumpeter Swans, a refreshing departure from the predominant geese and coots.

Trumpeter Swans, GPD, 3 November 2013, 11:37 AM

Had it not been for a helpful birder with a keen eye, we might have missed the American Widgeon swimming a great distance away among a large number of Canada Geese that also included some Cackling Geese.

American Widgeon barely visible at upper middle, GPD, 3 November 2013, 12:04 PM

One can also go up and down the country roads in this area and find other small ponds and muddy fields that host bird life. The several prairies restored by Madison Audubon in the area are also worth exploring. We have reserved these for a future trip. An easy ride from Madison, the Madison Audubon sanctuaries in Columbia County are great places to spend a fall morning.