I ventured out this morning with my
camera, to show you the current River conditions. It was breezy, brisk, sunny
and bright. The sun this time of year can be a grand deceiver; she keeps her
heat to herself. The wind cut through my gloves and stung my fingers so I
limited my exposure to just a few minutes. Any snow that remains is crusted,
crystallized and crunchy. It easily held my over laden stature without yielding
a millimeter. I have been spending too much time inside as indicated by my
digital scale. Each day it shows me an increase in body mass from the previous day
(dang scale).
I could see that ice is beginning to
grasp the River surface, in the sheltered area between Carleton drive and
Burnham Point State Park. Overnight the ice pad grew three fold in size
extending to a fingerlike point. The River is reluctant to concede the
inevitable. A west wind defies the long outstretched ice pad tearing at the
seams. The pad looks to be firmly established staving off the continual assault,
but time and temperature will tell. Fragments of ice are surrounded in slurry
of slush pushing against the shoreline, below me. It sounds like a margarita
being prepared in a blender and then poured. Like a cake that has been properly
cooled, the river is ready for its icing. With the weather forecast being
predicted for next week, I expect to see the transformation expand to the shores
of Carleton Island.
The bird feeder has welcomed a number
of new visitors. A tit mouse made an appearance last week for just a day and
then traveled on. At least four different wood peckers have settled in today, both
hairy and downy. I will have to add another suet basket to give them all an
equal chance to dine. I snuck down to my dock to get a photo of a pair of
common golden eye ducks. The drake saw me and took flight; he was striking in
color as he flew above the river surface. The drake golden eye has such a
distinctive face. I have not seen an eagle this week but expect the sightings
of them to grow with the coming ice.
I received a phone call from a friend
last week inviting me to join him on an eagle watch. He thought that I might be
interested in joining a group from TILT (Thousand Island Land Trust) to observe
some of the big raptors. As you might expect I will jump at any chance to get
outdoors, particularly when it is next to this River. I am excited about joining the group on
February 3rd at Thousand Islands Park. I have taken a number of
trips to Wellesley Island in past winters to enjoy her unique solitude. I have
watched deer feeding, eagles soaring or resting and numerous other creatures.
It is one of the many treasures that make this a premier place for an
outdoors-person to live.
With the first snow pack gone I am
finally able to get back into the fields and woods. There in lies my problem
with the previously mentioned (evil) weight scale. My lack of outdoor activity
directly impacts the growing girth of my waistline. I know that exercise is
good, but I find it boring and mundane. Give me a decent day and a good pair of
boots and I can put miles behind me without regret. With some coaxing, my Britt
Zoey was willing to join me on a bird hunt. To be honest, all I had to do was
bring my canvas pants up from the basement and she went into frenzy. She put on
her happy face and exhibited a lack of patience while I dressed. Her little
tail danced on her behind while she crouched with her face on the floor. Little
miss attitude tells me off at any given opportunity.
I took her over to the Ashland
Wildlife area and set her free. She raced over the open field taking pause to
relieve her intestinal contents several times. Every dog I have ever owned has
always done the same routine. That is all except one, a water spaniel named
Bow. He preferred to do it in the back of the Mazda station wagon while in
transit. I could not open enough windows or get to my destination fast enough!
Zoey sized up the area and took to
the thickest brush that she could find. I could hear her bell clanking as she
slipped out of sight. What a perfect day to do some exploring, it was sunny and
relatively warm too. I soon unzipped my coat and dropped the hood that covered
my ears. I wondered in and out of thick overgrowth, seeing one rabbit that
escaped undetected by the dog. This is also an area where I like to setup and
call tom turkeys in the spring. I took note of some excellent looking spots for
that upcoming season.
On my way into some good looking
grouse cover I noticed some fresh blood on the snow. Zoey came zipping past and
I took a look at her for any sign of a wound. She seemed unaffected and
continued into more thick growth. When next I saw her she was favoring her
front left wheel and began to chew on the top of her foot. She gnawed on it,
got up and stopped to gnaw on it again. I called her over and flipped her to
her side finding a two inch thorn protruding from the pad of her paw. With a
quick jerk I removed the annoyance and she let out a soft yip. I figured that I
was going to carry her back to the truck. She jumped up and proceeded about her
business. Next time I’ll try her out on some leather boots to prevent any
further problem.
During her exploration of a tight
patch of bushes she became aware of some scent. She circled the area in tighter
and tighter circles closing in on a reluctant ruffed grouse. I then heard the
wing beats of a frantic grouse break the silence. It had some trouble breaking
free of the brush, but it knew exactly where I was. I followed the sound and
watched as it broke free of the cover almost, forty yards away. There was no
way that my 20 gauge was going to catch that rocket! If I was carrying my long
gun, dimes to doughnuts it would have risen at my feet. You have heard of
Murphy’s Law? Well LaDue’s law goes like
this; “No matter the situation the fool with the gun will not be prepared or in
the right location.” It’s genetic and follows me like my Pap’s shadow. I travel
in good company and can hear his laughter still…
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