A NEW MONTH!
The winds have been wicked in recent days, and the tides are back to more normal levels. I am happy to report that my overboard bucket was able to be raised and the animals, so far, had a meal and are surviving. Here is the "pathway" down to the dock where the animals are submerged. I was impressed with the neatness with which these buoys and traps were stacked, and also noticed something new. It is not shown in the picture, but each buoy had a bait bag filled with a rock that dangled below. I asked why and was told it causes the buoys to float perpendicularly for easier visibility in high waves. These traps have been hauled fairly recently, and await warmer weather and calmer waters. Incidentally, both of these piles of traps are owned by cousins of mine! There are still lobstermen who go out to deeper waters to haul their traps year around, but not many. You will notice the recent snow on the dock and buoys.

Watching the waves and listening to the sounds of their breaking against the rocks is mesmerizing for me. Seeing them form off shore and develop into curves for breaking, spellbinds me. I could just sit and watch the ocean for a long while. Unfortunately, most of the rocks are wet and cold, with pockets of ice and snow to dispel any thought of comfortable lounging. This picture was taken late in the day. I wish I had sound to accompany the picture.

It isn't often that I recommend a book, but I have a great one that cleared up a lot of misconceptions about animals. It's called, OWLS AREN'T WISE AND BATS AREN'T BLIND, A NATURALIST DEBUNKS OUR FAVORITE FALLACIES ABOUT WILDLIFE. The author is Warner Shedd, and the wonderful illustrations are by Trudy Nicholson. For example, I learned that toads don't urinate when they are handled (something I may have told you!). These animals pick up and store some water which may be released when handled. Apparently, someone checked the chemical composition of that fluid! There is a lot of information about moose, opossums, beaver, muskrat....and many others. I liked the book so much that I am adding it to my library!

Our snow has largely disappeared, amazingly. I was even inspired to do some antler hunting (no luck). I did find several bird kills indicated by piles of feathers. One pile of scattered feathers was near a nest high in a tree, with a bird breast bone on the ground beneath it. That deserves watching. Later, I found an amazing scattering of pure white, almost fluffy, feathers. It was as if a bird finished off another flying creature, leaving some white scat as an indicator. There are so many puzzles to encounter out in the wilds! You never know what is just around the bend. That keeps me going!

I observed this sunset reflected in a wet beach recently. The sun is setting almost an hour later these days, which gives us a little more time to enjoy these spectacles.

2/4/08 Hello February!