Once in a Blue Moon

Whacked by another inch of snow and freezing rain early today – Old Man Winter is going out with a fight.  Nevertheless, I have clear evidence that spring will turn to summer before too long.  The resident marsh hawks have returned following their migration to the south.  I haven’t asked but they winter in the Deep South, Mexico or Central America. 

The Norther Harrier (Circus cyaneus) is singularly one of the most graceful of raptors.  And we have been watching the male glide and tilt just above the tall grass out back north of the house.

Crappy day today – dank and cold.  Made the best of it with homemade corn bread and venison barbacoa that Jill said was 'out of the ballpark' excellent.

This is not the light of an oncoming locomotive.  It’s the last Blue Moon of 2018….

 

 

Duck and Cover

The staff here at The Platz has been diligent covering the event that you should be fretting-over this weekend.  April Fool’s Day is just around the corner and this event couldn’t be more apropos. 

China’s first space station - Tiangong-1 - abandoned and out of control, is expected to drop out of orbit this weekend and there is a very high probability that big chunks of it are going to survive the fiery reentry and come crashing to earth.  

The European Space Agency (ESA) has been tracking the station and has predicted it will re-enter the atmosphere sometime between late today and late April 1 give or take 16 hours.  The US military's Joint Space Operations Center predicts an earlier re-entry at 5:52 p.m. PT Saturday with a margin of error of 14 hours. Nobody knows for sure where the 9.4-ton station will come down, other than somewhere between 43 degrees latitude north and 43 degrees latitude south.  That puts me in the path of the crash. 

Sure, the scientists will tell you that the odds of your noggin becoming the target of falling space junk are exceedingly low but I’m not taking any chances.  If you need me for any reason I’ll be lurking in my bunker.    

You can learn more about this event here.

Photos - Space.com

Almost Blue Moon

Practice run for the Blue Moon tomorrow.

Fingers-crossed for good viewing conditions....

Ice Out

The last of the ice in the big pond is now gone - to be replaced by a pair of mallards.  A sure sign of winter beating a hasty retreat.

Friday Music

Two of my favorite artists.  The song is moving and the harmonies sublime.  In a word - perfect. 

More Multi-Family Construction - Rats!

As of Sunday - with the exception of the shallow edges - the big pond north of the house was still frozen.  No way was I going to test the firmness of the ice and I forbade the dogs from venturing on it as well.  However, what drew me to inspect it was my earlier observation of a small critter contrasted against the white surface of the ice.  It was one of the resident muskrats.  Inasmuch as they are not hibernating creatures they were up to something.  So from time to time I watched them through the binoculars.  By all outward appearances they were working on a lodge.  Enlarging it perhaps? 

It's the messy one in the foreground of this photo.

click on image to enlarge

 

Curiously, last fall there were only two muskrat dens at this location.  We're up to three.  The one in the background is new.

That is a heap-ton of new construction in rodent terms.  Rampant development occurring right under my nose.  The curious thing about this is the drop in fur prices might possibly have led to a rise in rat populations.  At least locally. 

Nevertheless, I'm not bitching about it. There will be no breathless faux FB outrage on my part.  The only known social media post may just be this.  The developers may have a wee bit of muskiness to their presence yet muskrats need a place to live too. 

Besides, they make good neighbors - no loud music, no late night parties...   

The Best Chicken Noodle Soup in the World

We don't purchase much in the manner of store-bought soup unless our inventory of frozen soup is depleted.  I happen to like soup - bean, clam, oxtail and pea.  Factory soup just doesn't make the cut.  The family favorite is chicken noodle and I recently cooked-up a batch because we had no inventory.  Besides a hearty bowl of this goodness doesn't just taste terrific - it's good for the soul.  

Instructions

Start with a bunch of frozen chicken carcasses – eight to be exact.  These are the remnants of Sunday  roast chicken dinners past.  Simply bag-up the carcass and other bones and perhaps a whole thigh, wing or leg.  Freeze.  Once you have accumulated enough of them – make soup. 








In your largest stock pot simmer the carcasses in water for most of the day.  Give it a stir periodically.  Your house will begin to smell deliciously like chicken and your dogs will begin to drool. 

Fish the bones and meat from the stock and set aside.  Strain your stock through a fine colander to capture the smaller remnants of bone, gristle and meat.  Return the stock to the pot and place it on the north side of the porch or in the snow to chill. 

This will facilitate the congealing of the fat making it easier to skim from the surface of your stock.  In the meantime, pick-thru the bones and fill a bowl with white and dark meat - chill.  Peel and chop carrots, celery and onion – set aside. 

After you have skimmed the fat from the stock return it to the stove top, raise the heat and add the onion.  After fifteen minutes add the carrots.  Following fifteen minutes add the celery.  Return the meat to your soup and salt to taste.  Following fifteen minutes add the chopped celery leaves and a couple of bags of Kluski-style noodles. 







Turn the heat off, cover and let your pot sit for fifteen more minutes.   Finish with chopped parsley and serve. 
 

 
Freeze for a rainy day. Yield is three gallons – give or take.
 

click on images for a closer look

 

    

 

Head-On

From the camera closest to the house at the bend in the trail a couple of head-on portraits of the resident whitetails.

This may be the last of the snow for the duration...

Anatomy of a Clearcut - Part Two

In last week's post I outlined the basics of a cutting of aspen – known as apatch cut – that Jill and I performed during the winter of 1997-1998.  Speaking of which - it is a little-known fact that our wedding gift to each other was a brand-spanking-new Husqvarna chainsaw.  Yup, nothing says love like gasoline power tools.  

I digress.

The results of that patch cut project are in the lovely fall foliage in the photo. 

In case you are wondering - that also happens to be mighty fine wildlife habitat. 

In any event we felled 200 very old aspen along the north property line of our tree farm as a means of regenerating the stand.  Aspen requires disturbance in order to regenerate and without beavers or a big fire or windstorm we mimicked natural disturbance by means of cutting and dropping the aging trees.  The following photos chronicle the spring clean-up, construction of brush piles, skidding of logs and forest regeneration.





New aspen suckers sprout from roots and can put on 6 to 10 feet of growth in the first summer following a winter cut.  As a rule of thumb the suckers will materialize a distance from the remaining stump equivalent to the height of the tree that was dropped. 






Alternatively, if left undisturbed aspen live about to about fifty years of age and then decline and die to be replaced by shade loving species that have established themselves in the understory of the older aspen.  As aspen converts to its shade-loving successors the wildlife community associated with it will also change.   

Following a carefully planned clearcut within very short order - literally months - the site is lush with new growth that all sorts of critters love and with no resulting harm to the environment. 

White-tailed deer are attracted to the nutritious twig litter leftover from an aspen clearcut.  Later, the deer return to feed on the sun-loving plants that invade the newly harvested area.

The thickets which quickly sprout provide excellent hiding places, not only for does and their fawns, but for ruffed grouse. 

Grouse raise their broods in young aspen stands where they find both food and shelter from hawks and owls.  Other species benefit from the new growth including black bear, rabbit, woodcock and butterflies. 

click on images to enlarge

Many species of songbirds benefit as well.  This would include song sparrows, towhees, indigo buntings, chestnut-sided warblers and yellowthroats.  These are songbirds that seek both shelter and food sources in young, regenerated forests.  If you build it they will come.

Jack pine is another tree species that can only regenerate by means of disturbance.  In the natural order of things it would be wildfire that regenerates jack pine.  

However, since we suppress forest fires only clearcutting will regenerate jack pine.  While we don't have jack pine growing around here it is instructive to note that the Kirtland’s warbler - one of the rarest of Wisconsin warblers - requires young stands of jack pine.   

Forests are continually evolving.  One method of forest management is to do nothing at all and allow nature to take its course. 

For aspen the forest will change in a different way.   The trees will die of old age and lose their natural capability to sprout from the roots.   Making wise management decisions to actively manage your forest will keep it productive and beneficial for both you and for wildlife.  It is hard work for sure - yet the results are worth the effort.

From little sprouts...

spring of 2008

Grow healthy tree stands...

autumn of 2013

Raising a toast to sustainable forestry.

Antler Queens

The best way to hunt for shed antlers is to stick to the known whitetail travel corridors.  Easy enough as all you have to do is look for the rubs left by male deer during last fall's rut.

The trails stand out reasonably well in the thawing ground.

And where there is snow - just follow the tracks.  Easy peasy.  Let the dogs do the work.

From a previous year are the results of the effort of my Antler Queens...

click on images for a closer look



Alarm!

One of the last pictures following the big, spring storm that blew thru here recently. 

Nothing shows more evidence of fear and flight mode than a whitetail's flagging white tail.

Not bad composition either for a $100 trail camera...

Springtime Beer Lore

Bock beer has traditionally been brewed during the winter months and lagered (stored) for consumption with the arrival of spring – generally as part of Easter festivities.  This beer style is noted for its dark, rich color, warm notes and a reasonably high gravity (alcohol content north of 6.5%).  

As the story goes  bock beer originated in the Northern German city of Einbeck in the 14th century.   As a consequence of trade a regional favorite gradually gained acceptance across all of Germany and later the rest of Europe.  

The name ‘bock’ is derived from ‘beck’ in Einbeck . Bock also translates to ‘billy goat'  (ziegenbock) and as bockbiers were generally brewed under the sign of Capricorn the name stuck.  Nowadays, the beer is generally associated with images of a goat. 

Yesterday as I sat upon my porch it was a perfectly tropical 49 degrees.  Sure, there is snow on the ground and mud season is only beginning yet as the label on this fine beer says:  You hold a Wisconsin Style Honey Bock, easy going  and more approachable than its traditional dark German cousin.  This pale bock is brewed with an exclusive blend of Wisconsin two row barley that balances perfectly with our special European hops.  Naturally sweet Clover Honey is added in the kettle accenting warm flavor notes on your tongue. One thing is certain about winter in Wisconsin – This too shall pass. 


Cheers!

Antler Hunting

Sunny, forty-degree day so I took a break from the routine for a walk in the woods with the girls. This time of year we make it a point to stick to the deer trails with hopes of finding some shed antlers.  Wouldn't you know it, I was chatting on the phone with my pal - Mennonite when the blonde dog sashayed into view with half of an eight-pointer's head gear.

Nice job.

Friday Music

American performer and songwriter John Hiatt is a prolific musician representing the best of rock, folk, blues and country.   

Amazingly his songs have been covered by a crazy-extensive collection of artists including Three Dog Night, Aaron Neville, B.B. King, Paula Abdul, Rosanne Cash, Ry Cooder, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Buddy Guy, Chaka Khan, Delbert McClinton, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Mandy Moore, Suzy Bogguss, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Eric Clapton, Iggy Pop, Jewel, Jimmy Buffett, Joan Baez, Joe Bonamassa, Joe Cocker, Keith Urban, The Searchers, Willie Nelson and Asleep At The Wheel.  Whew! 

One of my favorites - this song is from his eleventh (and highest charting) album released in 1993.

Word of the Day

Latrinalia - Graffiti found in restrooms.  Can take the form of art, drawings, or words, including poetry, personal reflections, political commentary and derogatory comments or pictures.

Before and After

Or is it after and before.

Hard to tell...

Death Pays a Visit

The resident bunny population is either taking a pounding, the predators are having a bountiful winter, the cottontail population is too large or the dogs are getting better at locating the remains of a kill.

In this instance all that remains are tufts of fur.  Not a single bone, limb or entrail. 

I can only speculate as to hawk, coyote, owl or fox.  Probably not fox as coyotes are showing regularly on the Moultrie cameras.  It is generally one or the other and if it is the former it cannot be the latter.  I lean toward owl.

No matter how you slice it the bunny is still dinner. 

Spring Has Sprung

Early start with the girls today and observed the sunrise from the high ground. 

Today marks the Vernal Equinox. 

This is the astronomical event delineating the beginning of spring in the northern hemisphere, which means longer days are on the way.

Yote

Yote - short for coyote.  Wile E. Coyote.  Canis latrans.   

Wildlife biologists will tell you that there are nineteen subspecies of coyote that are widely adapted to life both in urban and rural America.  Males of the species grow as large as 44 pounds while females weigh-in slightly less.  My Labs are bulkier than the average coyote.

Unlike the very spooked rural animal in the photo, urban-dwelling coyotes can become quite habituated to the presence of humans and lose much of their natural fear of people.  Coyotes around here are shy and retiring.  I rarely see one live and in-person although I hear their vocalizations regularly. 








And they’ve been showing-up rather regularly on the trail cameras.  Always after dark.  And not very far from the house. 

This photo from only a week ago gave me a start as my initial impression was that this was an adult moving a pup from one location to another.  

Until this photo taken a day later showed-up.  Same location - different date and time. 

click on the images for a closer look

 

Both photos are poorly composed as the animal was moving at a reasonably fast clip.  Nevertheless they clearly show a coyote carrying an animal in its mouth.   I remain unconvinced as to what it is although I tend to lean towards dinner.  There’s a lot of preying going on around here as the predators are rearing their broods now – be they coyote pups or newly-hatched owls.

The trail cameras have been reloaded with fresh SD cards so stay-tuned for further developments.

Anatomy of a Clearcut - Part One

The delightful stand of Bigtooth aspen you see in the photo wasn't always there.  This winter/spring celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its rebirth. Allow me to explain.

Fire, hurricanes and beaver activity are all forms of natural disturbance that contribute to the creation of young forests in both predictable and unpredictable ways. 

Keeping an open mind consider this - clearcutting a forest is a way to mimic natural disturbance – yet on your own terms. 

Nevertheless, clearcutting happens to be one of the most publicly maligned, emotionally-fraught and misunderstood of forest regeneration prescriptions known. 

As a consequence I want to talk about beneficial clearcutting.  Not wholesale cutting of the rainforest to create farm or ranchland. 

Not reckless deforestation practices or profiteering with no regard for the consequences to soil, water resources or wildlife. 


Rather, clearcutting and shelterwood cutting as part of any responsible overall forest management plan to make sure that the forest is sustainable and balances the needs of both forest owner and forest wildlife.  This would be cutting with the principal objective to regenerate the forest with healthier trees for both timber harvesting and wildlife.   

Jill and I conducted a small cutting of aspen – known as a patch cut – the winter of 1997-1998.  We felled 200 very old aspen along the north property line of our tree farm as a means of regenerating the stand. 

Aspen is Wisconsin’s most well-known tree managed by clearcutting.  This species is valued for its pulpwood and it provides outstanding wildlife benefits.  Sure, I know that with the mention of a clearcut some folks cringe.  They think they are unsightly and harmful to the environment.  

If conducted correctly clearcutting aspen can provide a variety of benefits.  Moreover, most people are stunned at how quickly the forest grows back. 

This and a follow-up post documenting the before and after are intended to dispel any dark and sinister preconceptions a reader may harbor about active forest management.  The truth of the matter is that actively managing a forest is hard work and the end results include many appealing benefits.

One benefit is that after a long day dropping trees, limbing branches and hauling brush - at quitting time the resident tree farmer gets to kick back in the winter sunshine and indulge in an adult beverage.

 

click on images for a closer look


Stay-tuned for a follow-up post.  Cheers!