While the signs of spring may already be starting to arrive elsewhere, here in northern Michigan the thermometer still rarely gets above thirty degrees. Actually, its spending about 98% of its time much closer to zero than it does anywhere near anything that would even seem warm.

It’s amazing to me that even though most of the woods around the pond appear almost lifeless covered in its unending blanket of snow there is life and beautiful detail if you know where to look. In the case of the Fish Pond a perfect example is the short stream that feeds into the pond.

The flow of water that helps keep the pond free of ice also provides an opportunity for a small amount of plant life to stay green throughout the harsh northern winter. The constant temperature of the stream water seems to keep the air just over it and along its banks warm enough for the moss that covers some of the rocks to remain green all year round providing promise that spring will eventually arrive here too.

The mix of water drops that get airborne as they bounce over the streams rocky bed and the freezing air that hovers just a foot or so away from the waters surface create the perfect opportunity for Mother Nature to turn the fallen branches and bank overhangs into a continuously changing canvas of small icy art. While they are not large and imposing they are incredibly impressive in their intricacies.

As always, get out there and try to enjoy the many beautiful wonders in the small details of the world around us. They are everywhere, you just have to slow down and take a few minutes to find them.

Stay warm and have a great one.

Kevin

Cold, Crunchy and Crowded

Now most people with half a brain wouldn’t even think about heading out to sit in the snow when the temperature approaches zero. I’m a little nuts though and the inconveniences and discomforts caused by the frigid morning air proved to be worth the suffering.

After walking most of the way to my photo blind the radio station I was listening too reported that the temperature had risen to around a balmy four degrees Celsius. I stopped walking and was considering an about face when I spotted several large ducks over the tree line ahead. They dropped quickly from view and appeared to have landed on the pond.

Since I hadn’t expected to see much of anything today I figured I might as well sneak in and grab a couple of quick shots of them and maybe a few of any interesting snow and ice features regardless of the temperature.

The snow was so crusty and loud that I didn’t even try to get to my normal spot for fear of scaring off anything that was on the pond. Instead I made a wide circle through the woods, crossing several sets of fresh deer tracks, until I got to a spot I could make my way down to the lowest point of the ponds bank without being detected. As it turned out it was worth the effort to do so.

I thought it was impressive this fall when there were 30 or so ducks on the pond. Needless to say I was really impressed this morning when I caught my first glimpse of the waters surface and there were well over a hundred. They were everywhere!

Mallards, Mergansers, Buffle Heads, Goldeneyes, and even a group what I think were Gadwall (photo below, please feel free to add a comment to correct me if I’m wrong).

While it was hard to decide which group of birds to photograph I did get to see one behavior I haven’t seen before.

A pair of Mallards that had been along the bank made their way out onto the open water. The hen stopped about thirty yards from where I was and sat there lowering her head until her beak was just in or just above the water.

The drake turned and swam towards her bobbing his head up and down until he was right beside her. He then climbed up on top of her and lay there making sure she stayed under water for several seconds.

As I’m sure most people who would have witnessed this display would have reasoned, it appeared as though they were getting a jump on the mating season. But not being an expert on duck behavior that’s just a guess.

After almost two hours of sitting in the snow, my toes starting to burn from the cold, I decided to head for home. I managed to sneak away from the pond without causing a mass duck panic and hobble back to my vehicle and some warmth.

I mention the mass duck panic because it is very important to remember that wild animals need their space more now than any other time of year. Their winter survival depends on their ability to find food and maintain their fat and energy reserves. When they are forced to run or fly, even from well meaning people, it causes them to unnecessarily burn up these much needed reserves.


Even when it seems colder than cold life in the wonderful world around us goes on. While I won’t recommend that anyone who does not have lots of experience working in extremely cold weather venture out into the wild on days like today when its gets a little warmer, and if you have experienced guidance, get out there and enjoy the wonderful winter season!

Have a great one and please be sure to leave a comment if you enjoy my blog!

Kevin

"Hey baby it’s cold outside" just like the song says.

It was just warm enough today to start melting the snow that has built up on the cedar tree branches. The drops fell steadily on the pond’s surface and everything is damp. It’s the kind of cold that takes several hours to shake no matter how many blankets you use once you get indoors. It was perfect duck weather though and that meant it was perfect duck hunting weather for eagles.

When I arrived there was a group of seven or eight Common Goldeneye ducks swimming nervously back and forth across the pond. I think they caught me trying to get into my blind and were uncomfortable about my presence. They did not take to the air right away though because they were far more uncomfortable about the two eagles who were in the area.

The eagles were clearly not looking for fish today. Appearing quickly from over the tree tops both the immature and mature eagle seemed to be hoping to surprise any unwary ducks that might be about. When they found no potential targets they only stayed long enough to make one or two circles around the pond before disappearing in the direction of another pond that is not to far away.

The only other birds I saw today was a lone Chickadee, one pair of Mallards and what I think was a Merganser who looked like he was going to land three different times but just couldn’t bring himself to do so.

Part of my problem with seeing things today was that my great summer blind isn’t a very good winter blind. This means I got to spend most of the morning looking for a new spot to shoot from. I did manage to find a couple of potential locations but only time will tell if they'll work.

Even though it’s cold it’s still great to get outside whenever you get the chance. Stress test your winter wear, go out and play in the snow! Unless you live where its warm then I suppose you’ll just have to suffer with the heat (sorry but I can't feel sorry for you if that's your predicament....lol).

Have a great day!

Kevin

Winter Comes to the Fish Pond

Well I finally did it. With temperatures rising into the twenties I actually found the motivation to make my first winter trip to the Fish Pond.

While the lack of leaves and covering of snow create a completely new and interesting landscape they make it very hard to sneak into my photo spots. When I arrived there were about thirty ducks swimming around the pond but they saw me coming long before I got to my photo blind. When I got about halfway down the bank they took off en masse. All I saw of them was the white undersides of their flapping wings through the cedar trees that grow on the bank near my main blind.

Of course one good thing about snow in the woods is that you never have to wonder what kind of animals are around.

Everything from the smallest mouse scurrying from hole to hole to the largest deer looking for food leaves its footprints in the snow.

Even though I didn’t see the ponds Muskrat I know they are still around since I found their tracks in a couple of different locations.

I was also happy and quite surprised to see the Kingfishers still about. One male appeared to be hunting near the pond’s inlet stream but after not finding lunch there he flew off in the direction of a neighboring pond. He returned in less than a minute with a second, very noisy, Kingfisher in hot pursuit. Apparently the cold weather does not do much to improve their willingness to share hunting spots.

Since there is a continuos flow of water through the pond I doubt that it will completely freeze over except on the coldest of days. This is great for me as it means that there will probably be quite a bit of wildlife spending time here through the winter and now that I have gone once I will have no excuse for not going again.

Until then, if you want to have some fun, grab a book on animal tracks and get out into the snow! It’s the best time of year to learn just who you neighbors are!

Have a great one!

Kevin

OOPS!

For some reason the post for the week of Oct. 23 didn't make it to where it was supposed to. (Operator, that's me, error) Better late than never I hope!

Cold gray skies filled with the feel of winter, trees exploding into fiery colors and a steady stream of noisy flights of Canadian geese headed south are unmistakable signals that summer has indeed come to an end.

Areas of the woods around the pond that a few weeks ago were too dense to see through are now beginning to open up as the leaves fall.

There are still a few trees that are still sporting their summer green but it is obvious that it won’t be long before they to decide to go dormant for the winter.

The young Mallard drakes are now able to show off their mature colors and appear to be feeling their oats. Every time a new pair of Mallards land on the pond the resident young males immediately make their way straight towards them and a small scuffle ensues.

I can’t figure out if they are trying to assert their claim on the pond or to see if they can somehow get the attention of any newly arrived hens.

As much as I hate to say it I haven’t seen any eagles or the pond’s Muskrats in quite a while. Usually when I make such a statement they show up the next time I visit. What I have seen though are Belted Kingfishers. They have found their way back to the pond and are splashing around and fighting with each other like it was spring.

My friend the Great Blue heron, which I have been mistakenly been calling a great gray, is still hanging around stuffing itself with trout and whatever else is unfortunate enough to wander within range of its dagger like beak. I have read that it is not unheard of for young herons not to make their way south. I hope that this one does not make that mistake. While its feathers are quite impressive I don’t think they are designed to protect it from the bitter northern cold.

On my way out yesterday I spent a few minutes walking around the pond enjoying the colors. These are a few of the shots I got.

Even though summer is over it certainly doesn’t mean that the whole world is going to sleep. There is still a lot to enjoy in the outside world. Get out there and find it!

Have a great day.

Kevin

Well I suppose I went on and on enough about the fact that its fall in my last few posts. I’m sure that everyone in much of the Northern Hemisphere now knows what season it is.


There are still a few trees around the Fish Pond that are trying to hold on to what little color they can. The majority of the remaining leaves are in the upper portion of the Poplars and their reflection on the waters surface in the early sun was stunning. One last big yawn before the forest goes to sleep for the winter.

While my friend the heron has been very scarce my comment from last week about not seeing any eagles or muskrats was at least half correct. As I predicted, after guessing they were gone for the year, an eagle showed up this morning. It flew a few quick circles above the pond and when it didn’t see anything extremely interesting it left.


I actually didn’t see it immediately and might not have seen I at all had the Kingfisher I was photographing not seen it. He hunkered down onto the branch he was perched on and slowly turned his head to watch the eagle as it passed overhead. Nothing small, whether its covered in feathers or covered in fur, seems very comfortable when one of the friendly neighborhood eagles is around. Go figure?


Other than knowing that drakes go with hens and that they spend a lot of time resting and grooming I don’t know a whole lot about duck behavior. I know that Mallards at the pond today did a lot of things I have never seen them do before.


Head bobbing, fighting, posturing and diving. Not a quick splash under the water kind of dive. Today they were going under and staying down for extended periods of time. One pair dove and did not resurface for almost thirty seconds.


My guess is that, at least some of them, are pumped full of energy and ready to begin their long flight south. I’ll have to do a little research to see if I can learn a little more about this sudden change in the normally passive Mallards behavior.


No matter what the time of year there always seems to be something new to learn at the Fish Pond. Even if it’s only finding out something as small as why young ducks behave the way they do take the time to educate yourself. The real lesson you’ll learn is a healthy respect for the wonderful world around you.

Get out their and learn something new today! Its one of the funnest things to do in the great outdoors!

Have a great week!

Kevin