Terry finished the paperwork and I wrote the checks so we got our federal and state taxes paid this week. It didn't cost us much this year as our pensions aren't taxed by PA and the withholding (almost) covered the federal taxes. If not for Social Security payments--the feds tax 'em and I've no withholding on the benefits--we would have owed even less. (PA doesn't tax those either. The only thing we paid to PA was for purchases made online.)
I'd much rather have to pay Uncle Sam than have to wait for a refund. I am adverse to providing the feds an interest free loan.
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Aerie Report, March 31, 2012
We had an ursine visitor last night. Came up on the deck to snack on the little seed left in the feeders and knocked one of them over the rail. Left a bunch of muddy footprints, too.
******
I spent time yesterday (about 4 hours) turning over the two smaller garden plots, raking out the four plots, spreading some mushroom soil, raking that into the top layers, and planting a pound-and-a-half of onion sets. I would have put in some beet and lettuce seeds but by the time I got done doing all of the above my back and knees protested. The circling Turkey Vultures didn't inspire me either.
******
We did get the rain as promised so the onions should get off to a good start. The rain will continue through today. I'd say it was "overcast" at the moment but that would require that the clouds lift themselves considerably. It's not "undercast" either as we are smack dab in the middle of the clouds. The fog is limiting visibility to about one hundred yards. One of the hazards of being at 2100 feet when the ceiling is somewhere around 1500 feet.
******
I've noticed some of the Goldfinches starting to become much, much yellower as the days pass. That's a sure sign that spring is well underway. That and the loud, repetitive song of the Song Sparrow perched on the edge of the lawn. We've still got some Pine Siskins feeding with the Goldies and Purple Sparrows. I always thought of them as a winter bird and expect they will head north soon to nest in the denser fir forests, but maybe I've got some slackers that will be satisfied with the hemlocks, spruces and pines that occur in pockets on the hillsides.
******
Major League Baseball is wrapping up Spring Training this weekend and begins its regular season Wednesday night when the St. Louis Cardinals face off against the Florida Marlins in Miami. That game will be on ESPN at 8:05 PM (EDT). Thursday there are seven games scheduled including the Braves at the Mets. (The Mets had an absolutely horrendous spring going 7-17. Only Cleveland did worse at 6-20. Both are scheduled to play today. The Mets play every day until Thursday.) In addition to the game in New York, there will be games in Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Chicago (the Cubs). Hopefully, there will not be any snow postponements.
******
I spent time yesterday (about 4 hours) turning over the two smaller garden plots, raking out the four plots, spreading some mushroom soil, raking that into the top layers, and planting a pound-and-a-half of onion sets. I would have put in some beet and lettuce seeds but by the time I got done doing all of the above my back and knees protested. The circling Turkey Vultures didn't inspire me either.
******
We did get the rain as promised so the onions should get off to a good start. The rain will continue through today. I'd say it was "overcast" at the moment but that would require that the clouds lift themselves considerably. It's not "undercast" either as we are smack dab in the middle of the clouds. The fog is limiting visibility to about one hundred yards. One of the hazards of being at 2100 feet when the ceiling is somewhere around 1500 feet.
******
I've noticed some of the Goldfinches starting to become much, much yellower as the days pass. That's a sure sign that spring is well underway. That and the loud, repetitive song of the Song Sparrow perched on the edge of the lawn. We've still got some Pine Siskins feeding with the Goldies and Purple Sparrows. I always thought of them as a winter bird and expect they will head north soon to nest in the denser fir forests, but maybe I've got some slackers that will be satisfied with the hemlocks, spruces and pines that occur in pockets on the hillsides.
******
Major League Baseball is wrapping up Spring Training this weekend and begins its regular season Wednesday night when the St. Louis Cardinals face off against the Florida Marlins in Miami. That game will be on ESPN at 8:05 PM (EDT). Thursday there are seven games scheduled including the Braves at the Mets. (The Mets had an absolutely horrendous spring going 7-17. Only Cleveland did worse at 6-20. Both are scheduled to play today. The Mets play every day until Thursday.) In addition to the game in New York, there will be games in Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, and Chicago (the Cubs). Hopefully, there will not be any snow postponements.
Friday, March 30, 2012
Opening Day (Fishing Season)
Opening day of trout season in New York State is April 1. There is some reasoning that goes into that. For one, it's easy to remember from year to year. Then there's the whole April First, a.k.a. Fools Day, thing.
It seems that seven out of ten years there's 1) tons of snow on the ground on 1 April, 2) ice on the streams and rivers (or at least ice dams causing horrendous flooding), 3) frigid temperatures throughout the northeast but especially in Upstate New York. If none of these conditions exist you can usually depend upon there being falling snow.
This year we've had a bit of an early spring (although there's been some back sliding lately) and snow on the ground is virtually non-existent and ice in creeks, rivers and (most) lakes is long gone. The daytime temperatures have reached the 70s for several consecutive days during the month of March and the nighttime lows have been, generally, no worse than the upper 20s.
Tonight (Friday night), however, the forecast is for up to 3 inches of snow in New York's Southern Tier. It's arriving a day early. I blame this on the fact that it's Leap Year and that extra day in February through Mother Nature off her game. Like a fastball hitter swinging at a major league change-up, she's just a wee bit early.
PS. I have yet to purchase my fishing license for either NY or PA. I usually get the NYS all-round sportsman's license which includes hunting and fishing but, when I wracked up my knee last fall, I passed on purchasing a tag for NY. PA's hunting and fishing licenses are separate and I just haven't stopped into Cooper's to pick one up. I've got time, PA's trout season doesn't start for two weeks.
It seems that seven out of ten years there's 1) tons of snow on the ground on 1 April, 2) ice on the streams and rivers (or at least ice dams causing horrendous flooding), 3) frigid temperatures throughout the northeast but especially in Upstate New York. If none of these conditions exist you can usually depend upon there being falling snow.
This year we've had a bit of an early spring (although there's been some back sliding lately) and snow on the ground is virtually non-existent and ice in creeks, rivers and (most) lakes is long gone. The daytime temperatures have reached the 70s for several consecutive days during the month of March and the nighttime lows have been, generally, no worse than the upper 20s.
Tonight (Friday night), however, the forecast is for up to 3 inches of snow in New York's Southern Tier. It's arriving a day early. I blame this on the fact that it's Leap Year and that extra day in February through Mother Nature off her game. Like a fastball hitter swinging at a major league change-up, she's just a wee bit early.
PS. I have yet to purchase my fishing license for either NY or PA. I usually get the NYS all-round sportsman's license which includes hunting and fishing but, when I wracked up my knee last fall, I passed on purchasing a tag for NY. PA's hunting and fishing licenses are separate and I just haven't stopped into Cooper's to pick one up. I've got time, PA's trout season doesn't start for two weeks.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Dilbert
Scott Adams is a well known cartoonist who riffs on the workplace. His cartoons are often a hilarious take on the ineptness of middle management and the cubical work place. They are funny because so much of what he targets is true.
It is hard to imagine anything of his would be blocked by his editor but he says that this strip got the no-no.
(Beverage warning. Swallow anything you may have in your mouth before clicking on that link! That is, unless you enjoy snorting it out your nostrils or have a waterproof keyboard/monitor.)
This one, mentioned in the comments to the above, did get published. I guess it's a bit more subtle. ;-)
It is hard to imagine anything of his would be blocked by his editor but he says that this strip got the no-no.
(Beverage warning. Swallow anything you may have in your mouth before clicking on that link! That is, unless you enjoy snorting it out your nostrils or have a waterproof keyboard/monitor.)
This one, mentioned in the comments to the above, did get published. I guess it's a bit more subtle. ;-)
Monday, March 26, 2012
Mmmmm....
I may have over done it.
This morning the temperature was 35 at 7 AM and it's since fallen to 29 degrees at 10 AM. The wind is quite blustery and out of the north. I've had a fire going in the fireplace for the second consecutive morning but may have to keep feeding it today as the high will only be in the upper 30s and that's "if" the sun breaks through the overcast. Tonight it's supposed to get down to around 20 and maybe even lower than that.
Any trees that popped during the warm spell we enjoyed may now pay the price for their early exposure. That includes some peach and apples up near the Finger Lakes. I haven't seen any in flower around here although some shadbush are white upon the hillsides.
We did get a small amount of rain over the weekend, but areas around us got more.
If March comes in like a lamb must it go out like a lion?
This morning the temperature was 35 at 7 AM and it's since fallen to 29 degrees at 10 AM. The wind is quite blustery and out of the north. I've had a fire going in the fireplace for the second consecutive morning but may have to keep feeding it today as the high will only be in the upper 30s and that's "if" the sun breaks through the overcast. Tonight it's supposed to get down to around 20 and maybe even lower than that.
Any trees that popped during the warm spell we enjoyed may now pay the price for their early exposure. That includes some peach and apples up near the Finger Lakes. I haven't seen any in flower around here although some shadbush are white upon the hillsides.
We did get a small amount of rain over the weekend, but areas around us got more.
If March comes in like a lamb must it go out like a lion?
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Aerie Weather Report, March 22, 2012
A couple of weeks ago, when we still had some cold weather, the furnace at the Aerie went on the fritz. I called the folks who did the installation and talked about the error message I got on the digital read out. They ordered a replacement temperature sensor (the part targeted by the furnace's diagnostics) and sent someone out to replace it. The furnace hasn't had to kick on since as we've had days in the upper 70s and even low 80s. It's been almost two weeks.
We haven't had any rain either. The warm sun, lack of leaf cover and dry air has created a fire hazard.
Today I took steps to alleviate both problems. First Terry and I put the screens into all the windows. That action should cause the temperatures to drop precipitously within a few days.
Then I took the truck to the car wash and power washed the winter build up of encrusted clay off the Tundra. I dropped 10 quarters for five minutes of high pressure hot, foamy water and another 10 for five minutes of high pressure rinse water. I succeeded in removing 95 percent of the dirt. Some of the bugs crushed on the windshield and grill on my trip down to pick up eels last week are still clinging on. They will require a bit more elbow grease to clear off.
Washing the car is a well known cure for lack of rain.
Just checked the weather forecast and there's a cold front heading this way. Temperature and rain are to fall this weekend.
We haven't had any rain either. The warm sun, lack of leaf cover and dry air has created a fire hazard.
Today I took steps to alleviate both problems. First Terry and I put the screens into all the windows. That action should cause the temperatures to drop precipitously within a few days.
Then I took the truck to the car wash and power washed the winter build up of encrusted clay off the Tundra. I dropped 10 quarters for five minutes of high pressure hot, foamy water and another 10 for five minutes of high pressure rinse water. I succeeded in removing 95 percent of the dirt. Some of the bugs crushed on the windshield and grill on my trip down to pick up eels last week are still clinging on. They will require a bit more elbow grease to clear off.
Washing the car is a well known cure for lack of rain.
Just checked the weather forecast and there's a cold front heading this way. Temperature and rain are to fall this weekend.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Peek-a-boo, I See You.
It's that time of year when birds are nesting and webcams are opened dedicated to the voyeuristic pleasure of watching the little darlings hatch, grow and fledge. Think of it a reality TV for bird watchers.
The Decorah, Ohio webcam on the Eagles' nest is up. There seems to be three eggs somewhere under the brooding eagle. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse as the adults move about or change duty. You can try your luck here.
There are also links to other bird cams at the top of the Decorah page so if watching Bald Eagles sit all day isn't your thing you can try Mr. and Mrs. Peregrine Falcon, or Turkey Vultures, or others.
Today the Cornell labs announced their Red-tailed Hawk cam was up and running. So if you want to watch another adventure in the circle of life you can go here.
The Decorah, Ohio webcam on the Eagles' nest is up. There seems to be three eggs somewhere under the brooding eagle. If you're lucky, you may catch a glimpse as the adults move about or change duty. You can try your luck here.
There are also links to other bird cams at the top of the Decorah page so if watching Bald Eagles sit all day isn't your thing you can try Mr. and Mrs. Peregrine Falcon, or Turkey Vultures, or others.
Today the Cornell labs announced their Red-tailed Hawk cam was up and running. So if you want to watch another adventure in the circle of life you can go here.
Dentists
Paul, who is Way Up North, had to visit the dentist yesterday. It went well, he reports.
Apparently it wasn't this guy. Which is good because Paul's not exactly like this guy.
Apparently it wasn't this guy. Which is good because Paul's not exactly like this guy.
It's Spring!
And a young man's fancy turns to love...or something.
Had a pair of cowbirds--the first I've seen this year--out on the yard this morning. I watched for five minutes as the male attempted to woo his lady fair but her attention was plainly upon filling her crop with yummy sunflower seeds.
As they sat upon the electric wire about a foot apart, he would fluff up his feathers, bow his head in her direction, warble a little liquid song and take two steps in her direction. In response she would take two steps away from her suitor. They did this five or six times before she flew down to the feeder and finding it empty fly off to the trees. He quickly followed to perch a foot away from her on the branch.
Then she flew back to the wire and the whole little dance routine would be repeated. This time, however, she flew to the tray on the deck which did have seed. She gobbled a few before HE flew in to do his little dance and she flew off. He followed hot on her tail.
The whole thing was pretty comical. Put me in mind of this song:
Had a pair of cowbirds--the first I've seen this year--out on the yard this morning. I watched for five minutes as the male attempted to woo his lady fair but her attention was plainly upon filling her crop with yummy sunflower seeds.
As they sat upon the electric wire about a foot apart, he would fluff up his feathers, bow his head in her direction, warble a little liquid song and take two steps in her direction. In response she would take two steps away from her suitor. They did this five or six times before she flew down to the feeder and finding it empty fly off to the trees. He quickly followed to perch a foot away from her on the branch.
Then she flew back to the wire and the whole little dance routine would be repeated. This time, however, she flew to the tray on the deck which did have seed. She gobbled a few before HE flew in to do his little dance and she flew off. He followed hot on her tail.
The whole thing was pretty comical. Put me in mind of this song:
Monday, March 19, 2012
"Watching" the Iditarod
So, you ask, how does one follow a 14+ day sporting event that is not broadcast live?
This is the age of the internet, no?
The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) has a wonderful web site that's chock full of stuff. The ITC offers a subscription for GPS tracking that follows every mushers move and another for insider videos with reporting and interviews along the trail. They also host numerous free forums where Iditaholics can gather to discuss a variety of topics, keep up with their favorite musher, or follow the race in minute (although sometimes frustratingly vague) detail.
It was in one of those forums (2012 GPS Updates) that I parked myself for the last two weeks. We had a core group of hard core Iditiaots. Some had forked over the dough for GPS and insider subscriptions, but were more than willing to share information with the rest of us. Others shared links to musher's kennel web sites that were often posting information via the dog handlers on the trail, or to newspaper articles/reports, or web cams that were operational at some of the check points. We had folks from all over the world. The core group had representatives from Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Florida, and Pennsylvania; and there were folks from Germany, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia. At any given time we had a running dialogue going on with two or more folks chipping participating. Even in the wee hours of the morning, we could be pretty sure someone, somewhere was going to be able to post updated GPS data and provide commentary so that those who had crashed could catch up on what was going on.
When Dallas Seavey and Aliy Zerkle were vying for first place heading into Nome, we had almost over 300 folks online following along and/or jumping in to root, root root for their favorite.
It was like a late night talk radio program with unlimited open lines. Anyone could participate--and often did. Sometimes the conversations took on a surreal quality as fatigue and sleep deprivation took over, but that was part of the fun and charm.
This was the fourth year I've followed the race on the forums and it was by far the most enjoyable yet. I was able to provide plenty of input and back-and-forth with some of the others. It felt almost like a huge family sitting around the den watching the race on TV--with the sound off and us having to provide the play-by-play. And a talkative group we were, too. When I signed off this morning we had amassed 1275 pages with 12750 comments, photos, GPS updates and 34500 page views.
Next year I may spring for the GPS and Insider (it was only around $40) this year) so I can follow the race even more closely.
Only 50 weeks to go!
(Of course much the same can be done with the Yukon Quest so its more like 46 weeks.)
This is the age of the internet, no?
The Iditarod Trail Committee (ITC) has a wonderful web site that's chock full of stuff. The ITC offers a subscription for GPS tracking that follows every mushers move and another for insider videos with reporting and interviews along the trail. They also host numerous free forums where Iditaholics can gather to discuss a variety of topics, keep up with their favorite musher, or follow the race in minute (although sometimes frustratingly vague) detail.
It was in one of those forums (2012 GPS Updates) that I parked myself for the last two weeks. We had a core group of hard core Iditiaots. Some had forked over the dough for GPS and insider subscriptions, but were more than willing to share information with the rest of us. Others shared links to musher's kennel web sites that were often posting information via the dog handlers on the trail, or to newspaper articles/reports, or web cams that were operational at some of the check points. We had folks from all over the world. The core group had representatives from Alaska, California, Oregon, Washington state, Idaho, Montana, Arizona, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Texas, Ohio, Massachusetts, Florida, and Pennsylvania; and there were folks from Germany, Norway, New Zealand, and Australia. At any given time we had a running dialogue going on with two or more folks chipping participating. Even in the wee hours of the morning, we could be pretty sure someone, somewhere was going to be able to post updated GPS data and provide commentary so that those who had crashed could catch up on what was going on.
When Dallas Seavey and Aliy Zerkle were vying for first place heading into Nome, we had almost over 300 folks online following along and/or jumping in to root, root root for their favorite.
It was like a late night talk radio program with unlimited open lines. Anyone could participate--and often did. Sometimes the conversations took on a surreal quality as fatigue and sleep deprivation took over, but that was part of the fun and charm.
This was the fourth year I've followed the race on the forums and it was by far the most enjoyable yet. I was able to provide plenty of input and back-and-forth with some of the others. It felt almost like a huge family sitting around the den watching the race on TV--with the sound off and us having to provide the play-by-play. And a talkative group we were, too. When I signed off this morning we had amassed 1275 pages with 12750 comments, photos, GPS updates and 34500 page views.
Next year I may spring for the GPS and Insider (it was only around $40) this year) so I can follow the race even more closely.
Only 50 weeks to go!
(Of course much the same can be done with the Yukon Quest so its more like 46 weeks.)
Hear that?
It's the Fat Lady singing. Iditarod XL, the fortieth running of The Last Great Race on Earth© has ended. The last musher and her team of dogs passed beneath the Burled Arch on Front Street in Nome, Alaska early this morning.
I'm up late last night following the last two mushers on the Iditarod Trail (everyone else who finished was at the banquet taking place in Nome). It got to be 1 AM EDT when they finally left Safety 19 miles from Nome. Based upon their speed to Safety from White Mountain, I figured they would be pulling into Nome between 4:30 and 4:45 AM EDT so I went and took a nap, setting the alarm for 4:00 AM.
Alarm goes off. I get up and go downstairs. Feed some very confused (but willing) pussy cats. Go online to the Iditarod forum and find that the last two have 11 miles to go! WTF?
They've been starting and stopping every mile as they make very slow progress. Why? Good question.
Did one of the dog teams decide that enough was enough? Have numerous females suddenly gone into heat? (Don't laugh. One of Lance Mackey's lead dogs went into heat and he had to pull over and wait for the two leads to finish their business. Another musher had 7 of her dogs go into heat during the last third of the race. Needless to say that really slowed her team down!)
Are the Northern Lights that fascinating and/or photogenic?
Are they drag racing for sled pink slips? ("Race you to that stump down there" "You're on!" "Okay. You won that time. How about we make it two out of three?" "Three out of five?")
We may never know. In any event, they finally pulled in to the Burled Arch in Nome at 2:55:10 and 2:57:03 AM AKDT or 6:55 and 6:57 EDT.
By then I was on my second mug of coffee and had eaten breakfast.
So 14 days 11 hours 57 min 3 sec after the official restart in Willow, Alaska back on Sunday, March 4th, 55 year old rookie musher Jan Steves officially became the Red Lantern of the 2012 Iditarod Trail Race. Fittingly enough this was the 40th Iditarod and Jan's bib number was 40.
I'm up late last night following the last two mushers on the Iditarod Trail (everyone else who finished was at the banquet taking place in Nome). It got to be 1 AM EDT when they finally left Safety 19 miles from Nome. Based upon their speed to Safety from White Mountain, I figured they would be pulling into Nome between 4:30 and 4:45 AM EDT so I went and took a nap, setting the alarm for 4:00 AM.
Alarm goes off. I get up and go downstairs. Feed some very confused (but willing) pussy cats. Go online to the Iditarod forum and find that the last two have 11 miles to go! WTF?
They've been starting and stopping every mile as they make very slow progress. Why? Good question.
Did one of the dog teams decide that enough was enough? Have numerous females suddenly gone into heat? (Don't laugh. One of Lance Mackey's lead dogs went into heat and he had to pull over and wait for the two leads to finish their business. Another musher had 7 of her dogs go into heat during the last third of the race. Needless to say that really slowed her team down!)
Are the Northern Lights that fascinating and/or photogenic?
Are they drag racing for sled pink slips? ("Race you to that stump down there" "You're on!" "Okay. You won that time. How about we make it two out of three?" "Three out of five?")
We may never know. In any event, they finally pulled in to the Burled Arch in Nome at 2:55:10 and 2:57:03 AM AKDT or 6:55 and 6:57 EDT.
By then I was on my second mug of coffee and had eaten breakfast.
So 14 days 11 hours 57 min 3 sec after the official restart in Willow, Alaska back on Sunday, March 4th, 55 year old rookie musher Jan Steves officially became the Red Lantern of the 2012 Iditarod Trail Race. Fittingly enough this was the 40th Iditarod and Jan's bib number was 40.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
A Silver Lining to Every Cloud,,,
It's an ill wind that blows no one any good...
Mass. zoo's cats benefit from Boston power loss
Burp!
Mass. zoo's cats benefit from Boston power loss
The Capital Grille donated 2,500 pounds of steak worth $20,000 to the Southwick's Zoo in Mendon after the restaurant lost power on Tuesday and the prime cuts of meat were no longer fit for human consumption even though they were kept in a refrigerated truck.
The zoo's two Bengal tigers, an African lion and a leopard dined like kings on Thursday. And there are enough leftovers to feed the cats for weeks to come.
Burp!
Happy story for three (very) little bears
GAME COMMISSION FINDS ADOPTIVE DENS FOR THREE ORPHANED CUBS
It's a sweet story of some impeccable timing and extra effort by the folks in the Game Commission. You can read the rest here, but be warned the pictures of the cubs may have you going "awwww!" (You might also have to scroll down passed a lot of ads before you get to the story...but it's worth it.)
After finding three black bear cubs stranded along a road near Troy, Bradford County earlier this week, Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today successfully completed a four-day race of locating and placing the two female cubs and one male cub in adoptive dens in Northeastern Pennsylvania.
It's a sweet story of some impeccable timing and extra effort by the folks in the Game Commission. You can read the rest here, but be warned the pictures of the cubs may have you going "awwww!" (You might also have to scroll down passed a lot of ads before you get to the story...but it's worth it.)
Good Day to you!
Happy St. Patrick's Day
May the wind at your back
not be the result of
the corned beef and cabbage
you had for lunch.
May the wind at your back
not be the result of
the corned beef and cabbage
you had for lunch.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Back again
Picked up 24K baby eels today and transported them north to the Asaph labs. They will stay there for 6-8 weeks being treated royally and doubling their size. Then it's off to Pine Creek and back to harsh living. At least they didn't have to swim up from the Maryland shore (where they were on Monday) via Chesapeake Bay and the Susquehanna River. That would have taken them weeks and they would have had to run the gauntlet of predatory fish and birds. Their survival rate would have been far worse.
Why did it have to be eels?
Just to remind you about why we (The Tiadaghton Audubon Society) are providing limousine service to thousands and thousands of squiggly baby eels (glass eels), the Susquehanna River has several dams that block the passage of baby eels as they attempt to swim up river to the freshwater streams and rivers in which they grow and mature. (The dams don't block down stream movements of the adults because they are capable of traveling over land on a little bit of dew or a heavy rain...if they don't get churned to bits in some electricity producing hydro whirling thingy.)
Eels in the small tributaries are vital to the health of freshwater mussels. The baby mussels cling to the eels' gills as they move upstream and thus disburse more widely in the rivers and streams. Mussels can filter up to one gallon of water and hour as they feed thus cleaning the streams and making them excellent habitat for trout.
So, we help the eels so they can help the mussels which in turn help the trout.
Eels in the small tributaries are vital to the health of freshwater mussels. The baby mussels cling to the eels' gills as they move upstream and thus disburse more widely in the rivers and streams. Mussels can filter up to one gallon of water and hour as they feed thus cleaning the streams and making them excellent habitat for trout.
So, we help the eels so they can help the mussels which in turn help the trout.
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
Little Wigglers In Abundance
It's that time of year again. Glass eels are amassing on the Maryland coastline. Thousands and thousands of them are being netted and bagged by the US Fish and Wildlife folks in preparation of being shipped northward and inland to be transplanted into rivers.
Tomorrow I make the first run of the year down to Thompsontown to meet up with one of the USF&W agents and picking up a few tens of thousands of baby eels to transport over to the labs at Asaph as part of the project to get eels into Pine Creek.
(Maybe I should get one of those window decals that says "Baby On Board x 50K")
Last year we (members of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society) helped move about 100K eels northward and into different stretches of Pine Creek. Others helped restock Buffalo Creek near Lewisburg.
2 1/2 hours down and the same back plus time to go to and from between Asaph and the Aerie.
Tomorrow I make the first run of the year down to Thompsontown to meet up with one of the USF&W agents and picking up a few tens of thousands of baby eels to transport over to the labs at Asaph as part of the project to get eels into Pine Creek.
(Maybe I should get one of those window decals that says "Baby On Board x 50K")
Last year we (members of the Tiadaghton Audubon Society) helped move about 100K eels northward and into different stretches of Pine Creek. Others helped restock Buffalo Creek near Lewisburg.
2 1/2 hours down and the same back plus time to go to and from between Asaph and the Aerie.
More arrivals
Three more pulled in to Nome while I prepared the last post.
7- Mitch Seavey
8- Michael Williams, Jr.
9- John Baker
barring any unforeseen circumstances, the next two should arrive at the finish line in the next hour and a half both left Safety 20 miles away.
10- DeeDee Janrowe at 02:21 AKDT and
11- Sigrid Ekran at 03:17 AKDT
So far it's been taking between 3 and 3 1/2 hours from Safety to Nome.
7- Mitch Seavey
8- Michael Williams, Jr.
9- John Baker
barring any unforeseen circumstances, the next two should arrive at the finish line in the next hour and a half both left Safety 20 miles away.
10- DeeDee Janrowe at 02:21 AKDT and
11- Sigrid Ekran at 03:17 AKDT
So far it's been taking between 3 and 3 1/2 hours from Safety to Nome.
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