Woods walking

[Don P]

There was an article in a paper south of here last week stating there had been a number of Bald Eagle deaths on man made lakes in the south. The autopsies apparently showed brain lesions. They are looking at algae, the article seemed to be hinting at a Pfisteria type outbreak. Anyone heard more?

[Jeff]

I got the signs done today. The last one was the one along the Houghton Lake marsh. I took 4 steel fence posts with me thinking I could drive them in, and anchor the sign to them so it would not keep floating out of it's post holes. The sign sits inches outside of the expressway fence. That close to the Highway, and the steel posts went clear to there top with about 8 smacks of the post driver. I ended up getting it anchored, but will have to go back with lumber to nail across the sign posts to keep it from sinking more and loosening my cables.

The Osprey are already on thier platforms, and there are Blue Heron in the rookery! I will go back in a week or two for pictures. We are creating a virtual tour for MFRA that will change seasonaly. I need some spring photos, so I will wait till it looks a little more like spring. Maybe some of the tour locations will have trilium, thats a sure sign it's spring and not just a snowless winter!

[Gordon]

Sounds like you did a great job on the signs Jeff and yes I do remember where Houghton Lake is. Pretty contry, then again the upper two thrids of Mi really is beautiful.

Don I hope thats an isolated problem. That is all we need is another problem with the eagles. Seems like that they start to recover to good healthy numbers and get hit with another blow.

About signs of spring I cut grass for four hours this afternoon on the small John Deere. I hate cutting grass, glad the wife likes to do it or the kids would get lost in the back yard.

The bad news around here the ticks are out hot and heavy already. Before the shower tonight I picked off four of the little buggers. I hate them worse than snakes!!

Oh to spring and wonderful mother nature--she sure could have left the ticks out.
Gordon

[Tom]

Don,

I have not heard of Bald Eagle deaths this far south.  Bald Eagles are on the uprise in north Florida especially close to the Ocean and the intercoastal waterway.  Mullet schools are thick with thousands being in one school and schools following each other up and down the rivers and inlets.

Bald Eagles will spot a single and swoop down to water level, reach below the water with their talons and fly away with a 3 or 4 pound mullet.  If they were to grab more than they could handle their life would be in jeapordy because the water is deep and the currents swift.  Somehow they know what to do.  

This isn't an everyday occurance but is getting frequent enough that most fisherman have seen them lately and can talk about the experience.

[Jeff]

Tom, Done won't be able to reply until probably November. He is in Illinois building a log home and will be away from him computer until it is done.

[Tom]

That's cool.  I remember reading his post about that I think.  Doesn't matter. I like ospreys, Eagles and Kites too and just wanted to join in some of this conversation and also bring what I thought was an interesting thread, back to the surface.

I have been watching a  couple of Swallow Tailed Kites soaring over my place for the past 3 or 4 days and stop whatever I'm doing while they visit.
Man, they're pretty.

[Jeff]

We have a pair of Red Tailed Hawks that nest very close to our home. In fact they hunt our neighbor hood.

We only have one reservation about them. We have an ankle biter that my wife inherited when her dad died. He is a Yorky that weights about 5 pounds. We do not let him stay out by himself!

[Tom]

Yeah,  I bet a Red Tailed Hawk would give a Yorky a bad time. Have you ever seen the dog hunted or is it just a concern?

We have a couple of big ol' Hoot Owls courting in our front yard a couple of times a week. One puts its face on the ground and spreads its wings out flat and the other sits in a little sweet gum tree and watches. We have a big, solid black, "fixed" cat that my wife worries might get caught.  I would like to see the fight if it happened.  That owl better not miss.

Have you ever seen a soaring Swallow Tail Kite?  They are beautiful.

[Jeff]

Never seen them hunt the dog, but the concern comes from watching one actually get one of the neighbors tame rabbits as we stood in the mouth of his garage drinking a "beverage". The rabbit was on the lawn to the front and left of the garage, and the hawk came right over the garage and down on him. It happened within 30 feet of us.

The neighbor ran out flailing his arms and trying to scare the hawk, which just took a little flying loop right at him and them back to it's kill. ( I would say that rabbit was dead or unconcious the second it was struck.) the hawk then flew off with it. Dropped it about 100 yards away. ( I wonder if they do that to make sure the amimal is dead). Picked it up again and was gone.

That rabbit was probably about the same size as scooter.

[Gordon]

Jeff, that would not be a nice site to see, scooter being hauled away. I'd keep a close eye on the little dog. If that's not enough to scare you nothing is.

Birds are amazing animals. One day I was walking and there is one trail about 1/4 mile from the house that usually has standing water across it in one spot after heavy rains. Before it has a chance to run out the ditches.

Well I was walking along watching this woodpecker going to town on this rotten tree that I left stand just for that reason. It's actually in the way on that trail but the woodpeckers love it. So I'm thinking about how glad I was to leave that dumb old tree for them and I hear flop-flop-flop. Wings just a getting it. By instinct I ducked and looked around.

Boy did I feel dumb, it was a hen and drake mallard that I had scared up. They flew right over me and off they went. What's worse is that wasn't the first time that had happened in that same area.

I just tilled up seven acres for the man across the road for corn. He had a small corn maze last year that he haunted. It went over very well. So this year he came to me and wants me--get this--to design a corn maze for him. Lay it out and build it because he has so many projects going on right now. Any ideas?

 Wish he would have come to me during winter. Now I've got to figure out how to charge him for my time. The fun never stops. Corn walking-woods walking ur um yea thats pretty close.

Gordon

[Jeff]

You got lots of time! Don't you cut the maze after the corn is grown? or do you go in and mark it off when it's knee high so you can see what your doing?

[Gordon]

Not really, I'll be planting silage corn and depending on conditions it grows from 7' to 11' tall in a good season. So time will go quicker than you think.

Wait until the corn is about a foot in height, then go in and lay out the grid. Then off of the grid you lay out the trails. Remove the corn from the trails and let the rest grow. It will have two bridges as well going over a large ditch that I will have to plan and build as well.

I'm going to lay out a grid. Unsure right now as to what size would be best. A 5'-10' or 20' grid. Also thought about trying to use G.P.S. if possible instead of laying out the grid by hand.
Gordon

[Tom]

gordon,

Is a Maize Maze for intertainment or profit?  It sounds like a fun thing for a neighborhood project.

[Ron Scott]

A good "Haunted House" project for Halloween. Vary or wave the edges for maximum edge for wildlife.

[Gordon]

Tom, actually a little of both. For me the learning curve is going to be pretty steep for the next few weeks getting all of this straight. Should be fun though.

Ron how much of a wave should be used? Please tell me how this will help. Thanks

Plans are for a haunted loop in Oct. and flashlight walks.
Gordon

[Tom]

Gordon,
A chronological chart or pictures would sure be a neat thing to follow on the thread.  Have you considered a historical accounting?

[Jeff]

Good idea Tom! Gordon, get yer camera out!

[Gordon]

Tom, That is a great idea. Don't have a fancy digital but I've got a trusty old 35mm. If I get the pictures on disk then I could up load them on the net. That would be pretty cool.
Gordon

[Jeff]

Gordon, I have a digital, and I would rather have 35mm and a scanner any day for quality. Maybe it's because my digital is a cheepy, but I like to have high quality photos to start with, and I just don't get that with the digital. If you want get double prints and send a copy to me and I can process them to digital for you.

[Tom]

I'll look forward to this!!!

[Gordon]

Jeff that is a great idea I'll do that.

Looks like the next week or so I won't be seeing many trees at all. Just field, if I'm not plowing I'll be rotary cutting, also have some grade work to do as well. There is about an acre area the was pooling water but that is easy enough to fix.

Gordon

[Ron Scott]

Gordon,
A varied or waving edge of 66-100 feet waves provides and irregular edge increasing and providing more suitable wildlife habitat area than a straight line cutting.

The irregular edge provides more favorable wildlife cover, shelter, and escape cover.

[Tom]

Gordon and Jeff,
I have an Olympus D-340R 1.3 Megapixel point-and-shoot that does a good job.  It costs in the neighborhood of $300.  In a past life my cameras cost $800 to $1500 and were very sharp with interchangable lenses.  This is no comparison but it amazes me with its sharpness and software.  I have really enjoyed not needing a darkroom too.

[timberbeast]

Woods driving?????  Last week Saturday,  right before I got home,  I was driving down this little gravel road along the river at dusk,  and spotted a redtail hawk up in a willow tree,  so I slowed to look,  then stopped dead.  About two feet away,  on the limb it was perched on,  was a bloodied fox squirrel,  good sized,  maybe two pounds or so.  They appeared to be having a standoff,  just staring at each other and not moving.   I watched until it got too dark to see.  I have no idea of the outcome.  That tough old squirrel must have gotten in a few licks......

[Tom]

It's a bit of a stretch, but, I guess I-95 and I-10 go through the woods. ;)

It's mother's day weekend and my wife and I drove to Orlando, where I am now, to visit with her mother.

On the North end of Red Bud Lake, one of the many lakes in this area, there was a tall-l--l cypress snag with a Bald Eagle nest in the top.  It was right on the edge of the road right-of-way and you could see the movement of little heads over the top of the sticks.  I don't know how many chicks there normally are but there was more than one.

A little further down the road was an adult Bald Eagle in the top of a cypress snag.  I was feeling really special that I had seen a full nest and an adult all in the same day when, a few minutes later, on the edge of the lake, was yet another adult.  He was preening himself as if he had just finished a meal of fish from the lake.

When I was growing up, I thought Bald Eagles lived "somewhere else".  We just didn't have many.  I guess we must be doing something right because, as Arnold would say, "we're back!!!"