Another walk from our Hiking in Bermuda book. Blue Hole Park seems to be unknown to many people, including residents and visitors. But it is a very cool park, just across the causeway from airport. Great hiking trails and caves to explore (bring a flashlight - we didn't).
After a short walk, you get to see a little hidden cove where there are several caves to go into a look at. You can see where a cave had collapsed and where the stalagmites were exposed.
From Audubon Society website:
When Government acquired 14.58 acres at Blue Hole Park in 1992, they faced three major clean-up tasks: the demolition of a derelict house at the entrance to the park; the removal of old bleachers from the former dolphin show; and the restoration of a former mangrove pond which was filled in as garbage dump between the 1930's and 1970's.
The Audubon Society has considerable experience in restoring former garbage sites to wetland habitat (Somerset Long Bay and Stokes Point reserves being good examples). So we offered to assist the Parks Department with the planning and financing of the project. In late September a contract was signed with Island Construction Services for the use of their large track-hoe which is normally used for rock-breaking in Wilkinson Quarry. This machine was rarely available. Heavy rain and high water levels caused further delays. However, with the machine's huge bucket capacity and reach, it was able to dig out the old dump site and reopen a half acre pond in only eight working days between 19th August and 7th January 1995. The excavation produced a large quantity of useful rubble and peat soul mix. It also exposed and released thousands of glass bottles into the water, which had to be collected by boat afterwards. The plan is to create a low bank between the park entrance trail and the pond which will be densely covered with vegetation except for a small bird blind. This will enable park users to view the pond without disturbing and bird life on it.
The new pond adjoins a small grove of very tall red mangroves in a drowned sinkhole which was not encroached upon by the dump. In time the mangrove will self-seed around the edge of the pond to create a fringing mangrove swamp. The pond is saltwater and tidal via submerged caves and averages about three feet deep at medium tide. A large species of mullet has already been seen in it and the Parks Conservation Division plans to introduce and endemic Killifish Fundulus sp. from a population recently discovered in the West Walsingham ponds. Other plant and invertebrate introductions such as wigeon grass and pond snails should attract herons, egrets, waterfowl and kingfisher.
Here are a few photos:
