15 March 2024
14 March 2024
Spring Is Here
12 March 2024
Spring Bear
Today was in the 60's but for the past few days we've had an inch of rain, high winds and snow squalls. This afternoon I drove around our cabin property in the ATV looking for storm damage. I didn't find any storm damage but I did find a large black bear bedded under a pine tree, just 40 feet from me. The bear got up and ambled into the nearby brush before I could get my first picture. The bear looked and acted groggy like it had just come out of hibernation. The bear stood about 70 feet away in the brush for about 5 minutes before walking off.
07 March 2024
15 February 2024
Turkeys
12 February 2024
Rodents and Electrical Wires
The "Check Engine" light on my truck came on last week and since this new truck had less than 3,000 miles I took it to the dealer to get the problem corrected. The engine code was P2418, defined as a Evaporative Emission System Switching Valve Control Circuit/Open. I assumed this repair would be covered by the vehicle warranty, it wasn't because it was rodent damage and not a part failure. The cost of this repair was $662.04. $61.82 for a new connector, $563.50 for labor and $37.52 for taxes. Luckily this was covered by my auto comprehensive, minus the deductible.
View of the damaged wires located above the fuel tank.
View of the damaged wires located above the fuel tank.
09 February 2024
Wood Duck House
Last summer I started planning on putting a Wood Duck nesting box in a swampy area of our property. After studying the swamp for placement of the nest box, I found a spot in the water surrounded by Tussock Sedge mounds. The big problem with this location was accessing it to drive in a support post. My plan was to wait until the swamp freezes in the winter, drill a hole in the ice and then drive the support post in. The only problem was lack of ice this winter. Today's temperature was 59F and the Wood Ducks will soon be here looking for nesting sites. I put on my chest waders and trudged through the swamp muck to install the nesting box today.
07 February 2024
Honey Bee Tree
After taking some measurements inside the hollow of the tree, I cut off 4 feet of the tree to expose a packed layer of leaves and rotting wood just below the honey comb.
I was then able to remove the plug of leaves and rotting wood and view the honey comb. The impact of the tree hitting the ground had dislodged at least one of the honey combs from the tree cavity.
I didn't see any honey bees, dead or alive, and removed the fallen honey comb, which contained a small amount of delicious honey.
As I prepared to remove more honey comb I found live honey bees that had been hiding under the fallen honey comb.
Over the years I've located and monitored other wild honey bee trees on our property. We've had a decline in wild honey bees in this area and I decided I needed the honey bees more than their delicious honey. I closed off the open end of the tree and placed a protective weather cover over the entrance hole. Hopefully this will keep the bees warm and safe from bears, raccoons and other animals.
06 February 2024
03 February 2024
27 January 2024
Strange Weather
Over the past couple of weeks we've experienced several changes in the local weather. We had our first plow-able snow fall, 4 to 5 inches. That was followed with a low temperature of 1.0 °F on Monday. Warmer temperatures moved in as we received almost an inch of rain on Wednesday, which melted the weekend snow. On Friday my weather station reported a high temperature of 61.3 °F. Today, no snow on the ground, no ice on the ponds and with the temperatures in the mid 40's, my daffodils were sprouting. It's still January and I can hardly wait for Punxsutawney Phil's weather forecast on Friday.
20 January 2024
Winter Wildlife Drive
17 January 2024
Winter Deer
30 December 2023
Owl Nesting Box
Grandson Reed is spending his Christmas break with us and it's a good time to work on an outdoor project. An owl nesting box.
Last spring I was lucky enough to see and photograph a Barred Owl on our property. I have also got some night time photos of owls on game cameras. Since I know there are owls in the area, let's see if they need a nesting box.
Last spring I was lucky enough to see and photograph a Barred Owl on our property. I have also got some night time photos of owls on game cameras. Since I know there are owls in the area, let's see if they need a nesting box.
The hard part of this project wasn't building the nesting box, it was installing the nesting box 15 feet up a hemlock tree.
The plan was to use a 15 foot high ladder stand as a working platform to install the nesting box. The plan was working OK until I pull the nesting box to the top of the ladder stand and realized a one person stand didn't give me much room to maneuver and install the nesting box. After a few close calls I was able to finish the installation.
09 December 2023
Local Bucks
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