I am not mistaken.
Just stepped-in from the porch and the call is not to be confused with anything else...
The Wood frog has thawed-out and is croaking.
Their call is not unlike a duck quack or chuckle. In-fact a couple of nights-ago I chalked it up to ducks quacking in the pond.
Guess what.
No ducks in the big pond tonight.
Just wood frogs.
First day of spring was yesterday you know...
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Ahhh. Spring!
Spring has rapidly ramped-up its arrival.
I observed a handful of White-breasted Nuthatches this afternoon with their characteristic whi-whi-whi-whi call. An amusing bird as they move down a tree trunk headfirst.
Chickadees, Cardinals, Robins, and more Red-winged Blackbirds and Meadowlarks.
There was a pair of Pintail ducks on the big pond resting for a spell before winging their way further north.
Let the dog out last night before turning-in and I could've sworn I heard a spring peeper.
Maybe I was mistaken.
Maybe not.
I observed a handful of White-breasted Nuthatches this afternoon with their characteristic whi-whi-whi-whi call. An amusing bird as they move down a tree trunk headfirst.
Chickadees, Cardinals, Robins, and more Red-winged Blackbirds and Meadowlarks.
There was a pair of Pintail ducks on the big pond resting for a spell before winging their way further north.
Let the dog out last night before turning-in and I could've sworn I heard a spring peeper.
Maybe I was mistaken.
Maybe not.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Anybody Irish?
On March 17, 2010, the world celebrated St. Patrick's Day.
Among the many celebrations, New York had its parade, Chicago had its green-dyed river and the White House had the Shamrock Ceremony.
Ireland, though, has been celebrating for more than 1,000 years. The holiday celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, on the anniversary of the day believed to be his death.
Shamrocks, a symbol of Ireland, were believed to be used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity.
Celebrated during the Christian season of Lent, it is believed that Irish families would traditionally attend mass in the morning, lift the Lenten prohibition against eating meat and celebrate in the afternoon.
Whether Irish or not, many wear green to help celebrate this Irish tradition.
Among the many celebrations, New York had its parade, Chicago had its green-dyed river and the White House had the Shamrock Ceremony.
Ireland, though, has been celebrating for more than 1,000 years. The holiday celebrates St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, on the anniversary of the day believed to be his death.
Shamrocks, a symbol of Ireland, were believed to be used by St. Patrick to explain the Holy Trinity.
Celebrated during the Christian season of Lent, it is believed that Irish families would traditionally attend mass in the morning, lift the Lenten prohibition against eating meat and celebrate in the afternoon.
Whether Irish or not, many wear green to help celebrate this Irish tradition.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Gunshot
Is that automatic weapons fire?
Nah. Select fire - I'm thinking. A lot of it too.
.
Sometimes when the wind is just right the sound from the Gardner Rifle Club will carry as far as the farm.
I swear - in past years I've heard automatic weapons fire. I figure maybe it's law enforcement training.
Whatever is going-on it sure is a profligate expenditure of ammo.
While out pruning I came across this damage in the picture to the left.
This would be from yours truly woodcock hunting last fall.
Nah. Select fire - I'm thinking. A lot of it too.
.
Sometimes when the wind is just right the sound from the Gardner Rifle Club will carry as far as the farm.
I swear - in past years I've heard automatic weapons fire. I figure maybe it's law enforcement training.
Whatever is going-on it sure is a profligate expenditure of ammo.
While out pruning I came across this damage in the picture to the left.
This would be from yours truly woodcock hunting last fall.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Fire Pit
Fire ring at the ancestral campsite.
If you poke around in there you'll find some rusted tins.
The contents of which - sardines and smoked oysters - were consumed over a bottle or two of red wine. More than a few times.
Around the fire.
Back in the day this is where we hung our hats.
Tenting, cooking over the fire or a Coleman stove and using a makeshift crapper in the woods.
Just the other day the Frau suggested we pack a couple of brewskis and light a fire in the fire pit.
Just like the old days....
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Engineering Marvel of the Day
A modern marvel of engineering is nearing completion and will reshape the image of one of our nation's most famous symbols.
Phase 4 of the Hoover Dam Bridge Project is complete.
The project is on schedule to reshape the way travelers move to and from Nevada and Arizona.
U.S. 93 uses the top of Hoover Dam to cross the Colorado River. U.S. Highway 93 is the major commercial corridor between the states of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; it is also on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) route between Mexico and Canada.
The traffic congestion caused by the inadequacy of the existing highway across the dam imposes a serious economic burden on the states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The traffic volumes, combined with the sharp curves on U.S. 93 in the vicinity of Hoover Dam, create a potentially dangerous situation. A major catastrophe could occur, involving innocent bystanders, millions of dollars in property damage to the dam and its facilities, contamination of the waters of Lake Mead or the Colorado River, and interruption of the power and water supply for people in the Southwest.
Arizona Central article
Visualization of Hoover Dam Bridge
Video footage of bridge construction
Phase 4 of the Hoover Dam Bridge Project is complete.
The project is on schedule to reshape the way travelers move to and from Nevada and Arizona.
U.S. 93 uses the top of Hoover Dam to cross the Colorado River. U.S. Highway 93 is the major commercial corridor between the states of Arizona, Nevada, and Utah; it is also on the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) route between Mexico and Canada.
The traffic congestion caused by the inadequacy of the existing highway across the dam imposes a serious economic burden on the states of Arizona, Nevada and Utah. The traffic volumes, combined with the sharp curves on U.S. 93 in the vicinity of Hoover Dam, create a potentially dangerous situation. A major catastrophe could occur, involving innocent bystanders, millions of dollars in property damage to the dam and its facilities, contamination of the waters of Lake Mead or the Colorado River, and interruption of the power and water supply for people in the Southwest.
Arizona Central article
Visualization of Hoover Dam Bridge
Video footage of bridge construction
Monday, March 15, 2010
Dead and Buried
Spruce trees were on the agenda last week. Including some really old spruce trees in Sweden.
Since then it has occurred to me that I should say something about the even older spruce trees in Wisconsin. They may be deader than a door nail but they are definitely older. There is a buried glacial forest just south of here.
Two Creeks Buried Forest State Natural Area is part of the Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program and a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. Approximately 25 acres in size it lies in the northeast corner of Manitowoc County on the Lake Michigan shoreline just north of Two Creeks. I’ve ridden my bicycle past this location countless times.
Anyway, the soil strata along the shoreline contain the remains of a forest buried in glacial till.
Carbon dating of the buried forest’s remains traces it to 11,850 years Before Present.
Big deal Swamp Gas. Why is this important?
For starters the dating of the buried forest fixes the time frame of glacial advances and retreats during Wisconsin’s last glaciations.
The lowest layer of glacial till was deposited by an earlier glaciation. During a warming interval this glacier retreated. The intervening period was sufficiently long enough for forests to establish themselves. Conifers including pine, spruce and hemlock thrived. As the climate cooled again the glaciers once again advanced. Lake Michigan’s drainage was disrupted by the ice sheets and the forest was buried under additional glacial till.
Additionally, 12,000 years-or-so may seem like a long time. And it would be in human terms. However it is barely a fraction of second in geologic terms.
Funny how the earth cooled and warmed seemingly all by itself.
Since then it has occurred to me that I should say something about the even older spruce trees in Wisconsin. They may be deader than a door nail but they are definitely older. There is a buried glacial forest just south of here.
Two Creeks Buried Forest State Natural Area is part of the Wisconsin State Natural Areas Program and a unit of the Ice Age National Scientific Reserve. Approximately 25 acres in size it lies in the northeast corner of Manitowoc County on the Lake Michigan shoreline just north of Two Creeks. I’ve ridden my bicycle past this location countless times.
Anyway, the soil strata along the shoreline contain the remains of a forest buried in glacial till.
Carbon dating of the buried forest’s remains traces it to 11,850 years Before Present.
Big deal Swamp Gas. Why is this important?
For starters the dating of the buried forest fixes the time frame of glacial advances and retreats during Wisconsin’s last glaciations.
The lowest layer of glacial till was deposited by an earlier glaciation. During a warming interval this glacier retreated. The intervening period was sufficiently long enough for forests to establish themselves. Conifers including pine, spruce and hemlock thrived. As the climate cooled again the glaciers once again advanced. Lake Michigan’s drainage was disrupted by the ice sheets and the forest was buried under additional glacial till.
Additionally, 12,000 years-or-so may seem like a long time. And it would be in human terms. However it is barely a fraction of second in geologic terms.
Funny how the earth cooled and warmed seemingly all by itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
