Some quibble about the name, but regardless of what you call it, Scalloptown Park and Nature Preserve (otherwise known as "the old dump") is a natural treasure.

On a walk there Monday late morning, I noticed a swan pushing through the ice, making its way to the open water beyond. The swan would rise up and push, then rest for a bit, then do it again. 

Swans are not casual flyers. They do fly, of course, but as a friend reminded me, it liftoff takes effort. Perhaps that's why this swan decided cutting through the ice was the path of least resistance.