Savin Lake

 Savin Lake 6-14-13

A late spring day

Late in the day

Shadows falling long, deep and green

Across the banks of Savin Lake

Brimming from the recent rains

With water pouring over the dam

Pounding to the creek below.

I watch the writhing, frothing water

A churning mess that would pound me to death

If given the chance,

But I turn away to the glassy lake

Cool, calm, and serene

Where a kayak cuts through the water

In silent strokes

—And geese serenely sit and float

—And swallows slice the evening air,

Then dip and drip and fly again

—and in the brush the catbird sings

—and in the trees the waxwings feed

As I stand on green and grassy banks

As a yellow warbler calls my heart

With notes so sweet and pure,

“Sweet, sweet, sweet, so sweet!”

I breathe in this rich, cool scene,

I drink in this serenity—

The flat, calm water—

The lush green trees—

The world reflected

In Savin Lake

~kathie adams brown (June 16, 2013)

Savin Lake lies east of Colchester on the Old Norwich Road in Lebanon, CT. I used to stop by here to count birds on my way back to Andover, MA after visiting my Mom in Connecticut. It wasn’t an eBird Hotspot then, but it is now. I would say you can easily find it by driving out of Colchester Center on Norwich Ave, but shortly after I stopped here they took the bridge out over the brook that runs from the dam and the road is closed. You have to go all the way around if you are coming from the west. If you are coming from Norwich, then it is no problem. You can just get off the Fitchville exit and travel west to the parking area which is right alongside the road. It is a calm and peaceful place frequented by fishermen and kayakers. During migration you can see all kinds of waterfowl. My sister has seen Bald Eagles in the trees across the road from the lake. I have seen pheasants and wild turkeys in the surrounding fields and in 2012 a wayward Harris Sparrow showed up around an old barn across the street. This was the only day I made it to Savin Lake while I was home for the month. I was going to go back out at least one more time until I heard they took out the bridge and closed the road. Now I’m glad I took these photos and wrote the above poem. It will be a long time until I can go back again.

For more scenes and stories from Savin Lake just click on the links below:

• Birding my Way Home
• Colchester Country

The Old Oak Tree