Old man winter certainly isn’t ready to depart northern Michigan yet but there are signs his grip might be starting to loosen a little.

Warmer temperatures and the temptation of even meager amounts of browsing are just enough to draw the local deer population out of the dense cedar swamps that surround many of the north woods lakes, rivers and ponds. A few days of above freezing temperatures is all it takes to soften up frozen twigs and provide hope to everything living that spring is indeed on the way.

After being blessed with hundreds of ducks to photograph during my last visit having only a half a dozen or so to watch this time seemed almost boring but it was still an excellent opportunity to learn something about them and how they live together.

Apart from one pair each of Mallards and Buffleheads that stopped briefly a small group of Goldeneyes were the only thing swimming on the pond. It started as a trio on one end of the pond and a single on the other. The single bird decided he would make his way toward the other three in hopes of introducing himself but the large male in the group apparently wasn’t in the mood for company.

He lowered his head and swam towards the newcomer in a manner that made it clear to even me that he wasn’t feeling sociable. The loner kept a respectable distance but it wasn’t far enough away to make the large male happy.

He started diving like he was feeding but he was actually trying a tactic I hadn’t seen before to rid himself of the intruder. He would disappear below the surface and a few seconds later ram the unwelcome duck from below sending it half running, half flying off to a distant corner of the pond.

While I was taking a break from trudging through the knee deep snow on my way home I began to wonder how many people these days actually take the time to enjoy a snowfall in the woods. How many have been able to take a minute to enjoy the silent fall of giant snowflakes that gently settle on motionless branches, cedar boughs and white pine needles. How many people cross an animal track in the snow and take a second to wonder where it goes.

If you live in the north and haven’t taken the time for a winter walk in the woods now is a great time of year to do so. It may surprise you and do you a world of good.

Get outside and enjoy! The price of a walk is one of the few things that hasn’t gone up!

Kevin