Rosslyn Redux

Tag: Nature

  • Decrypting Bird Tracks in Snow

    Decrypting Bird Tracks in Snow: Mallard (Photo: virtualDavis)
    Decrypting Bird Tracks in Snow: Mallard (Photo: virtualDavis)

    I don’t recall whether or not I was fascinated with animal and bird tracks in snow as a child, but I suspect I was. I am now… (Fox Tracks, Foxtrot & X-Country Skiing)

    It wasn’t until my nephews (now teenagers but still “pocket sized” then) began asking me to identify bird tracks in snow, four legged critter tracks on muddy paths, and snake trails on the sand that I rediscovered how exciting it is to decipher locomotive narratives on the ground. That was more than a decade ago. The boys’ interests have wandered from bird tracks in snow to life’s adventures, but I’m still wandering around looking at the ground trying to figure out what passed where. And when. And why.

    I’ve collected a backlog of track photos, mostly shot on a mobile phone because it’s often all I have along. I’m not sure I’ll manage to ever aggregate all of the photos in any comprehensive and useful manner, but I will pass along some of them as fancy strikes.

    Most of my recent photos of bird tracks in snow have been shot in Rosslyn’s back meadows and woods during lunchtime cross country ski and snowshoe outings, but that image of the mallard tracks comes from the lawn right outside the “morning room” where I eat breakfast. Susan has become an avid bird feeder, and this winter an endless parade of mallards have joined the daily buffet. There’s something lighthearted, even happy about meandering duck prints!

    Wing Prints in Snow

    Less lighthearted but far more dramatic are the sort of wing prints visible in the photograph below which was captured by friend and Adirondack Coast neighbor, Kim Rielly.

    Often a snow crater and feather printed like that will intercept the tracks of a squirrel or a rabbit. Sometimes a drip or two or scarlet in the snow to heighten the drama. But the story told by these bird tracks in the snow is more upbeat (and likely has a happier ending.)

    Decrypting Bird Tracks in Snow: Grouse Hole (Credit: Kim Rielly)
    Decrypting Bird Tracks in Snow: Grouse Hole (Credit: Kim Rielly)

    Before we reached the actual trail, we stopped to see a great example of a “grouse hole”. The grouse entered the deep snow for shelter, and created the hole and accompanying wing marks in the snow when it emerged. Since the snow was so new, this must have been a recent rest stop for the bird. The hole itself had evidence of some feathers and “sawdust” looking stuff; positive clues. ~ Kim Rielly (Lake Champlain Region)

    I learned to spot these grouse holes a few winters ago during a guided snowshoe trek, and I’ve been looking for the tell-tale “sawdust” (grouse scat) ever since. Not the coziest place to spend the night for those of us who depend on lasagna layered synthetic materials to stay warm and dry, but a downy grouse might well consider this the perfect winter’s repose!

  • Lake Champlain Water Level Falling Below Flood Stage?

    Is the Lake Champlain water level falling below flood stage?
    Is the Lake Champlain water level falling below flood stage?

    It’s the annual song and dance. Spring arrives (on the calendar, at least.) Snow melts. Ice melts. Rain falls. Lake Champlain water levels rise. And rise. And rise. Sometimes (though hopefully not this year) Lake Champlain water levels reach flood stage…

    According to the U.S. Geological Survey Lake Champlain’s “flood stage” is 100′ above sea level. In Rosslyn terms, that’s the tip-top of the stone seawall. And about 12″ below Rosslyn’s boathouse floor. Give or take a wave.

    Are We Safe from Flooding?

    As of 8:00 AM this morning the water level was exactly 100.01′ which is reason enough for optimism that we will soon fall below flood level. For now. A flashback to last spring reminds me to temper my optimism.

    I’m once again preoccupied with Lake Champlain’s rapidly rising waters. As you can see, the Lake Champlain water level is  approaching 98 feet. While this isn’t an unusually high water level for spring, the rate at which the level is increasing concerns me. (Lake Champlain is Rising, Rising, Rising)

    As it turned out, Lake Champlain water levels continued to rise. Not enough to cause a lot of flood damage, but enough to spank us for launching the ski runabout early. The waters rose and rose until the dock and boat lift were maxed out.

    Nevertheless, we figured we’d escaped unscathed. Compelled to stretch the Adirondack boating season a full six months—from the beginning of May through the end of October—we push the envelope. Too early, many boaters say. Too late, others shrug, wondering when we’ll learn our lesson.

    Rough water when the boat lift was as high as it could go resulted in a snapped boat lift cable and a heroic save by Doug, our caretaker who doesn’t swim and until one fateful day last spring didn’t know how to operate the boat. He learned mighty quickly. Necessity is the mother of invention. But that story for another day.

    It took some doing to repair the boat lift. Fortunately the exceptionally generous team at the Essex Shipyard helped us store the boat until Lake Champlain water levels dropped and our dock and boat lift were returned to service.

    Two years ago, the lake gods and goddesses spoiled us. At least long enough to jumpstart repairs still lingering from devastating flooding damage endured the previous spring.

    The dock is in. The ski runabout is in. The Adirondack chairs are lined up along the waterfront. The beach and lawn and gardens are recovering from last spring’s endless inundation… Fully half of Rosslyn’s waterfront, maybe more, remains a boulder piled mess… But we are rebuilding. Slowly. Steadily recovering from the 2011 Lake Champlain floods. (May 16, 2012)

    So, are we safe from flooding? Far from it. Experience has taught us otherwise. It has also taught us to be grateful when Lake Champlain water levels begin to drop. And to appreciate the limited damage we’ve experienced so far this spring. Others have been less fortunate.

    Vermont Division of Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Joe Flynn says after a cold, snowy winter, warm weather and heavy rains starting on April 15 caused flooding that damaged roads and other infrastructure. The damage lasted until Friday when waters receded, allowing state and local roads to be reopened and repairs to start. (Burlington Free Press)

    I feel for Champlain Valley neighbors recovering from damaging Lake Champlain water levels, and I hope that they’ll endure no further damage.

    Rosslyn’s waterfront will require landscaping repairs when water levels, but I won’t tempt fate by showing the damage and anticipating repairs. Not yet. Superstitious? Perhaps!

    But if fate treats us kindly I’ll add a photo album. Later. When danger’s passed…

  • Make Way for Ducklings

    Make Way for Ducklings

    Make Way for Ducklings: mindful meditation on meandering mallards... (Source: Rosslyn Redux)
    Mindful meditation on meandering mallards… (Source: Rosslyn Redux)

    As a child, one of my favorite picture books was Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey.

    Really… Okay, am I giving away too much? Probably. That’s the way of the storyteller!

    Cover of "Make Way for Ducklings (Viking ...
    Make Way for Ducklings cover via Amazon

    There was something about those illustrations — simple unselfconscious line drawings halfway between representational sketches and cartoons — that captivated me, that compelled me to try and draw ducklings wandering and swimming. And the tidy little tale about a family of country mallards unfortunately (serendipitously?) hatching and growing up in obviously inhospitable urban Boston.

    A quirky story with a dark edge and a lighthearted plot.

    So yesterday when Lorri and Carmen — lovely local ladies planting lilies behind Rosslyn’s carriage barn — called to me, I came running with my camera. I had to witness the mother mallard and her entourage of well behaved ducklings, Lorri urged. “Come quickly. They’re almost down to the driveway.”

    The duck family (absent father) had appeared suddenly in the meadow near them, and were heading toward the house. I set out to intercept them on the driveway to see if I could shoot a short bit of video before they startled and deviated course.

    Sure enough, as I walked up the shaded back driveway I saw the parade bound directly toward me. I turned on the camera and waited, wondering how close they would come before getting nervous and retreating. But this beautiful, proud and totally undaunted momma duck walked right up to me with her parade of ten fuzzy ducklings. Then right past and on toward Lake Champlain. I followed and played crossing guard to make sure that all eleven made it across NYS Route 22, and before long they were all paddling away on the still flooded lake!

    That matriarch had promised her brood a swim in the lake, and she was going to deliver on that promise come flood, gawking homeowner or speeding pickup trucks. And deliver she did. My rough video footage, “Ducklings on Parade” only hints at the confidence and determination of the momma mallard.

    Cute. Darling. Nostalgic. Right? Wrong! Well, at least partly wrong. Sure, I’m human, and these fuzzy peeps did instantly soften the edges of an otherwise rough week. But cute, darling and nostalgic is only part of the equation. What, there’s more? Oh, yes, there’s more. There’s irony!

    You see, over the last year or two I’ve gotten excited about the idea of raising ducks. I did some research, found a catalog, ogled the pictures, read the descriptions, circled my favorites and told me wife. Emergency brake! “What? Raise ducklings so the coyotes and foxes can eat them? Are you crazy?”

    Needless to say, she’s not too keen on the idea. There’ve been a couple of heated conversations. I’ve demurred but repressed the desire. At least for now.

    So my first thought as these eager swimmers paraded off to Lake Champlain was, my ducklings! Funny how things work out…

  • Morning Meander

    Morning Meander, June 12, 2018 (Source: Geo Davis)
    Morning Meander, June 12, 2018 (Source: Geo Davis)

    My best days at Rosslyn start with a mellow morning meander to the waterfront to watch the sun rise up out of the Green Mountains. Or to the vegetable gardens and orchard to pick fresh fruit while sipping my tea. Or around the property inspecting flower beds and deadheading peonies or whatever else has bloomed and withered.

    And by my side, my Labrador Retriever. In our early days at Rosslyn, our dog (and my early-morning companion) was Tasha, an almost snow white Lab who passed away as we neared the final significant phase of Rosslyn’s rehabilitation. Tasha was buried beneath a maple tree that she frequented for, well, shall we say, her morning and evening rituals.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCbpdJJmItc?rel=0&w=500 ]

    Griffin joined our family after Tasha, and he turned ten years old this spring. It hardly seems possible. How did a puppy who so recently chewed up the trim (just as soon as the finish carpenters and painters finished) rocket into the early weeks of his second decade?!?!

    Griffin was with me during my morning meander this past Tuesday, June 12. He too loves early morning but for different reasons than I, so my sunrise saunter was brief enough for me to get back inside and make his breakfast before he fainted from starvation…

  • Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues

    Welcome to spring in the Champlain Valley. And to Rosslyn’s annual spring drama: the Lake Champlain boathouse blues!

    Over the last month lake water level has been rising, rising, rising. And rising some more. In fact, it’s even risen since I started drafting this post. (Current level a little further down.)

    Boathouse Blues Begin

    Until recently I was singing the end-of-ski-season rag and the dandelion ditty while quietly hoping that Lake Champlain water levels would rise enough to hedge against last summer’s all-too-low water levels.

    And then I received this recent message and photo from Essex friend and neighbor Tom Duca.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Tom Duca)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Tom Duca)

    “The lake was superlow last year, but now it’s moving right up… Most of the snow is melted in the higher elevations, so I don’t think the lake will get much higher than this…” ~ Tom Duca

    Nerve wracking, right? Hopefully Tom’s snow melt assessment is accurate. And hopefully it’s not an overly rainy spring.

    My mother was the next boathouse blues melody maker. Here are her updates.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Melissa Davis)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Melissa Davis)

    “Water much higher, you’ll be glad to know!” ~ Melissa Davis

    So I suppose my wishes for higher-than-2016 water levels weren’t as quiet as I had thought. And initially Lake Champlain’s spring  water level increase did relieve me.

    And then my mother sent me this.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Melissa Davis)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Melissa Davis)

    “Water rising! Almost even with Old Dock dock.” ~ Melissa Davis

    She was referring to the Old Dock Restaurant, located just south of the ferry dock. Time to start monitoring the official Lake Champlain water level.

    Boathouse Blues Reference & Refrain

    For the official Lake Champlain water level, I turn to USGS.gov and pull up a one year retrospective that reveals the lake is much higher than last spring.

    Current Lake Champlain water level on April 21, 2017 (Source: USGS.gov)
    Current Lake Champlain water level on April 21, 2017 (Source: USGS.gov)

    See that red line marking 100′ above sea level? That indicates flood stage. Yes, we’re pretty close. In fact, as of today, April 24, 2017 the most recent instantaneous “water surface elevation” is 99.74′ above sea level. And by the time you read this, it may be even higher. Check out the current Lake Champlain water level (and temperature) if you’re curious.

    Until then, here are couple of additional glimpses of Rosslyn boathouse struggling to stay dry. This latest refrain in the Lake Champlain boathouse blues was photographed by Katie Shepard.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)

    Great angle, Katie! You can tell that even on this relatively placid day, a medium-sized wave or boat wake would likely inundate the floorboards.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)

    Looking down on the boathouse gangway reveals flotsam and jetsum that have already washed up on the decking.

    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)
    Lake Champlain Boathouse Blues (Source: Katie Shepard)

    And Katie’s last photograph shows the water level almost cresting Roslyn’s waterfront retaining wall. Fingers crossed that we won’t experience flood stage this year!

  • Bald Eagle Omen

    Bald Eagle Omen (Credit: Melissa Davis)
    Bald Eagle Omen (Credit: Melissa Davis)

    I share with you a bald eagle omen, courtesy of my mother.

    Bald eagle by your boat house. Saw this elegant creature as I went to massage and he was still there when I returned. May be a sign of something good? ~ Melissa Davis

    Rosslyn’s boathouse is often frequented by bald eagles, hawks, and other raptors, but I’m choosing to embrace my mother’s most recent sighting as an important symbol.

    When an eagle appears, you are on notice to be courageous and stretch your limits. Do not accept the status quo, but rather reach higher and become more than you believe you are capable of. Look at things from a new, higher perspective. Be patient with the present; know that the future holds possibilities that you may not yet be able to see. You are about to take flight. (Source: pure-spirit.com)

    I’m digging deep, summoning courage, and shifting my perspective!

    From eagle we learn that life looks different from an aerial perspective. We need to take a new view on the challenges in our lives. If we don’t readily find solutions it may be because our vision is too limited to see the solutions that are so glaringly obvious. ~ Ina Woolcott (Source: Shamanic Journey)

    It’s time for a fresh vantage point — personally, professionally, politically — so I’m grateful for this bald eagle omen. I’m reminded that my vision may indeed have become too limited, too myopic. Time to shift and amplify the view. Time to prepare for flight!

  • Mighty Winds

    Mighty Winds

    Not-so-formidable fence bludgeoned by maple limb, but mostly intact.

    Early evening, maybe 6:00 pm or so the skies darkened prematurely. I mean, really darkened. And the wind whistled then whipped. I blasted around the house battening windows and doors, cranked the shade umbrella contraption (what’s the proper name for those?) over the dining table on the back deck, and lowered the roman shades in the room where Griffin was napping in the hopes that he wouldn’t notice the rapidly approaching storm. Thunderstorms are enemy number one for our sensitive hound.

    Boom! The skies opened up and the rain lashed vertically at the house. I literally couldn’t see out the windows. Like being in a carwash that’s gone totally berserk.

    Lightning strobed and thunder exploded almost concurrently. Again. And again. Still nothing visible outside the windows, so I surveyed the house room-to-room for any windows I’d overlooked. None.

    https://twitter.com/RosslynRedux/status/1145698032698167297

    In the good news department, Rosslyn was incredibly fortunate. All buildings escaped the merciful wrath. Well, almost. Upon entering our master bedroom, I discovered water cascading from the ceiling. So that wasn’t ideal.

    Once the storm passed over Essex and out onto Lake Champlain I headed outside to survey the damage. Those photos destruction/debris photos were taken then (except for the one post cleanup photo in the Twitter post.) It was clear that some of the roof slate had been damaged and two areas of the roof allowed rain water to enter the building. I’m sure there’ll be more to say on this in the near future, but for now I’m chalking it up to, “It could’ve been worse!”

    Nobody ever died of optimism.

    In closing, a few more photos including a fence that literally blew over, snapping the fence posts, and a gate that yielded to the mighty winds.

    • Mighty winds and tree damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and tree damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and gate damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and gate damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and fence damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and fence damage, June 2019
    • Mighty winds and tree damage, June 2019

    Testing twitter account

  • Bald Eagle Surveying Lake Champlain

    I spied this bald eagle surveying Lake Champlain today. (Source: Geo Davis)
    Bald eagle surveying Lake Champlain near Essex, New York.

    While returning to Essex from Elizabethtown this afternoon I spied this handsome bald eagle perched 20 to 30 feet above Whallons Bay. He was surveying the glass-flat, frigid (37° isn’t quite freezing, but it’s not far off) waters of Lake Champlain, head pivoting jerkily. Although he never took flight, never plunged down to grab a lake trout or a salmon, I’m pretty certain he was hunting for his supper. Or posing for passersby.

    The photo above and the video below were shot on my iPhone, so they’re grainy and don’t fairly capture the regal raptor. But they’re better than a flock of letters, “You wouldn’t believe the bald eagle I watched this afternoon…”

    Bald Eagle Back Story

    If you’re intrigued by bald eagles, you may enjoy a few of my earlier posts that showcase our local population of bald eagles (or semi-subtly incorporate “bald eagle cameos”). I suggest you start with these:

    And next time you’re in the neighborhood, tilt you head back. You just might catch sight of an alabaster hooded, yellow beaked, ferocious-taloned bald eagle. Good luck!

  • Friend or Foe: Yellow Garden Spider

    Yellow Garden Spider (Source: Geo Davis)
    Yellow Garden Spider (Source: Geo Davis)

    Meet our Yellow Garden Spider (Argiope aurantia). This morning this awesome arachnid greeted me from a flower bed planted with Shasta daisies, lupine, and irises. She’s dazzling and, I’ll admit it, a little daunting.

    Is she friend or foe?

    Yellow Garden Spider

    Although I’ve come across these visually impressive pest predators before I needed a little refresher. Here’s what I found.

    Yellow garden spiders are large, orb-weaving arachnids, meaning they spin a circular web… In females, the top side of the abdomen is black with symmetrical patches of bright yellow. The legs are reddish brown at the base and black toward the tips. Males are less striking in appearance—they are smaller with brownish legs and less yellow coloration on their abdomens. Females average 0.75 to 1.1 inches (19 to 28 millimeters) in body length, which is up to three times larger than the males. (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

    Obviously a female, this yellow garden spider was definitely on the laaarge end of the spectrum.

    If you look closely you’ll see a zigzag pattern woven into the web. I wondered about that. A repair?

    The web of the garden spider contains a highly visible zigzagging X-shaped pattern called a stabilimentum. The exact function of the stabilimentum is unknown, but its purpose may be to alert birds to the presence of the web so that they don’t fly through and destroy it by mistake. (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

    Wow! Clever spider.

    By Any Other Name…

    It turns out this savvy lady has intrigued her bipedal admirers enough to inspire a parade of names (Source: Wikipedia) including:

    • yellow garden spider,
    • black and yellow garden spider,
    • golden garden spider,
    • writing spider,
    • zigzag spider,
    • hay spider,
    • corn spider, and
    • McKinley spider.

    I think that my favorite is “writing spider”. Time for a little etymological archaeology to disinter the backstory for that name. 

    Lest your onboard warning system went into high alert when your eyes distinguished the yellow garden spider from the iris spears and other distractions in the photograph above, I have some good news.

    These spiders may bite if disturbed or harassed, but the venom is harmless to non-allergic humans, roughly equivalent to a bumblebee sting in intensity. (Source: Wikipedia)

    While few of us favor a bumblebee sting over, say, a slice of refreshing watermelon on a hot August day, it’s far from lethal (for most of us, anyway). So, despite the yellow garden spiders arresting appearance, you may consider her a friend rather than a foe. Especially if you’d like to prevent pesky insects from eating your plants!

    I close with a curious coincidence. A neighboring farmer shared his discovery almost concurrently. They. Are. Everywhere.

  • Rainbow Ramble

    Boathouse, Ferry & Rainbow

    At the end of the rainbow… A ferry!

    That seems like the perfect, cheesoise title for this photo I just snapped standing in the road between our home and the boathouse. Looking east at Vermont’s Green Mountains, though you’ll have to take my word for it since the rain and fog have veiled the view.

    But fully in the dairy free camp in recent years, I’ll sidestep the cheesoise in favor of the inane.

    No rainbows were injured making this picture.

    Just to show I’m a nice guy. And comfortable patting myself on the back for being a nice guy. Or is that goofy? No, this is goofy.

    No ferries were injured making this picture…

    Basically the photo speaks (or whispers) enough on its own. I need to zip up my blather mouth and let the moment carry the post. Quietly. Except of the wind which was whipping. Is whipping. And the raindrops which — despite the sun and clear skies behind me — were beginning to pelt down. Hence my retreat from the boathouse hammock to the sunporch with a very soggy Griffin who chased frisbees in the rolling waves without the least concern for darkening skies and rainbows.

    Yes, rainbows. There are actually two. Can you see the slightly fainter echo of a rainbow just to the right of the more pronounced one? Look carefully. And you might even spot a pot of gold. Or a ferry?

  • Beavers & Boathouses

    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage (Source: Geo Davis)
    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage (Source: Geo Davis)

    We noticed yesterday that a beaver (or beavers?) have selected a pair of trees on our neighbor’s waterfront to sharpen their teeth.

    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage (Source: Geo Davis)
    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage (Source: Geo Davis)

    One is a large cottonwood with a pair of fallen locusts hung up on it. The beaver (Castor canadensis) has already gotten a pretty good start, and the tree is laaarge and disconcertingly close to Rosslyn’s boathouse.

    We contacted the neighbor in the hopes that they would take a look at their earliest convenience (i.e. before the cottonwood and gravity conspire against the boathouse!) I suggested the possibility of wrapping the tree with steel mesh/screen to inhibit further damage. This isn’t the most sightly solution, but it tends to be effective.

    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage prevention (Source: Geo Davis)
    Beavers & Boathouses: Castor canadensis damage prevention (Source: Geo Davis)

    Thanks, neighbors!

     

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  • Fox Tracks, Foxtrot & X-Country Skiing

    Fox Tracks, Foxtrot & X-Country Skiing

    Fox Track & Ski Tip
    Fox Track & Ski Tip

    An inch or two of fresh powder and bluebird skies above lured me away from my desk on Monday for a mid-morning x-country ski outing with my lab.

    Hooky!

    Crisp but otherwise perfect conditions were the enticement; fresh fox tracks (I think) were the unanticipated reward.

    Griffin, my water and snow loving labrador retriever was quick to find the scent of a recently visiting fox. Sniff, sniff, sniff.

    Judging from the single line this fellow was doing the foxtrot, not just wandering aimlessly.

    Foxes walk or trot in an alternating pattern, with prints nearly in a line. In shallow snow, foxes may trot in a two-print pattern or gallop in a four-print pattern. Dainty, oval tracks (2.3 to 3.1″ long) usually show small triangular foot pads, claw marks, and foot drag marks. (wildthingsultd.org)

    Tracking a Foxtrotting Fox

    I x-country skied all through Rosslyn’s meadows and woods for about an hour, and Griffin lunged giddily along, sending great colds of powdery snow up into the air. And throughout our adventures we kept crisscrossing the path of our foxtrotting friend. The fox tracks periodically followed my ski trail from the previous day, and at other times veered off on their own course. And yet throughout the 30+/- acres we were exploring the foxes tracks returned again and again.

    There’s a pleasant geometry in x-country ski trails, and the linear perfection of the fox tracks added to it, at times creating the illusion of a loosely interpreted argyle pattern across the undulating fields.

    Of course, Griffin was eager to pursue the fox tracks, but he mustered the focus to stay on course with me. And the reward was an extra long, extra fast workout for both of us.

    Here are few more photos from our outing.