...a moment of silence

Double Black has gone
mourning its ice out demise
a drake canvasback

SPRING TIME DUCKS

Just like the snow geese the ducks have shown up in large numbers on the way back up north. It is incredible to watch all these birds to bad there is not a spring season. I got a few pictures of some of these birds as they were taunting and teasing Nick and myself thought you might enjoy them, keeps me looking foward to next fall. Can you identify the two ducks in the last picture?

Cayuga "blue" yellow perch

Caught this rare "blue" yellow perch icefishing on March 10th on the north end...just north ~.25mi from Keith' Farm, out in the channel.
Attached are some pics of the fish and a pic of the fish with a normal colored individual for comparison. The resulting blue color is a genetic pigment deficiency similar to albinism in mammals and birds...from what I have found, seems the odds of catching any blue perch are nearly a million to one...let alone a fat 13 incher!

Enjoy...

Jeremy

AGAIN!!

Since Spring of 2002, I have seen the return of the large flocks of Snow Geese the day AFTER the snow goose management season ends. Like clockwork. Here is what things looked like last year the DAY AFTER from Double Black. This year, we watched similar scenes from Eric's shop...

IT'S ONLY JUST BEGUN!

If you have seen a bright orange, long arm version of this excavator you were probably driving past the Canoga Creek Farm and Conservancy sometime after about 4:00 PM on Tuesday 3-13-07. Yes, that is right, the drotts have arrived to begin Keiths long awaited adventure into the prolification of waterfowl and other aquatic creatures that will begin to thrive on the newly, yet to be dug, ponds that these excavators will create. Congradulations Keith and Moe on the startup on this new and exciting venture for the conservancy. I know you have both had a long wait, full of anticipation and much aprehension, waiting for this project to begin. Hopefully all will go well and we all will be enjoying the fruits of your efforts. Remember to take many before, during and after photo's of the project for your scrapbook. Let us know if there is anything we can help with, were looking forward to seeing the final results!

DONT GO IN THE WATER

Iwould be careful dangling those toes in the water if I was you.Check out this Northern 54" 44 lbs. was caught on a 10lb. northern. Imagine reeling in a nice 10lb. pike thinking how cool it is and having this monster attack it like a shark. The fish would not let go and the angler landed both fish how awesome is that.So just think about these pics when you go swimming this summer or dangle those toes in off the dock.

See You on the Water Eric

So you say there are no snowmen in Florida?

The wife and I planned a visit to mom in Florida. This picture is looking off the back porch towards Beer Camp. This was taken a couple of days before we left on the first of March. If you look real close you might be able to see the snowman I built before all of the snow that kept falling covered him up. Go ahead and blow up the picture, you should see him, honest! Hopefully this will all be gone by the time we get back.

As you can clearly see they do have snowmen in Florida! No not me, the little guy in front of the handsome guy in his beech atire. I do look like I should be in the snow with all of those clothes on. Rest assured that under all of this garb I had on my swim trunks. This pic was taken around 9:00 in the morning and by noon I was down to the shorts and no shirt. By 2:00 I had a good sunburn that is now peeling.

A close up of my little buddy. Despite the temperature he doesn't seem to mind, like his brothers up north would, if basking on the beech.

For those of you that can't get to Florida this year consider this my gift to you. Close your eyes and think hard about the sound of the surf, the warmth of the sand between your toes, and the coolness of the water splashing on your feet as you walk through the surf. Now open them up and this is what you would see if walking along the beech on Anna Marie Island.

See, we were not the only ones that flew south to get away from the cold up here!

Noticable difference between northerners and Floridians. This was Sunday the 4th and when we visit mom we always have a chicken BBQ that I put on for all of her sisters and brothers that live there. Guess which one of us lives there full time? Your right that is Uncle Leo in the jacket and yours truly from up north in the shorts and tee shirt with the sun glasses on. Nice legs huh?

Well now that were back up north it was time to start doing improvments in preparation for spring which is only 16 days away. Notice most of the snow has melted since the first picture was taken! The task today was to build a 20' dock on the pond (notice Beer Camp in the background with just a little less snow this time) that the neighbor kids can fish off of. Ya that's right I did it for them, not for me! It went fairly well until the point I jumped off of it in close to shore and broke through the ice and went in up to my waist, ya Jim I know that would have only up to your knee's, right! Now probably comes some durogatory comment about my weight, but to say nothing of the weakening ice.

Look closely over the unfinished portion of the dock and you will see the dozer pile in the background that the snow geese were landing in front of yesterday, the first day they have been there this year, and also the first day after the close of the snow goose seson in this area. Don't it figure!

Notice the fishing pole on the end of the dock? Keith's not the only one around these parts doing hard water fishing. Got to stop tonight and get the rest of the planks to finish the dock. Hopefully we will be fishing off the end of this with our feet in the water soon. Keith, how is the waterfront work coming along at your place? I noticed you drive by and slow down at the entrance to Beer Camp. If you had plled in I would have had a cold one for you. I was going to open this weekend but the Dock kept me busy. Looks like next weekend will be a bit cooler. See ya on the softer water soon!