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jhetleySnow has deteriorated a bit since my last ski report, with patches of crust and ice degrading the adjectival experience. University forest this time. I tried one downhill turn, skidded on the ice, and ended up aimed for some trees. So I cast my dignity to the winds and sat down. No further alarums and excursions, but I declined that big downhill with thanks yet again. It has open exposure to the south and wind, therefore more ice than other sections of the trail....
Saw a flock of waxwings while I was driving up the interstate, maybe 200 birds, I could catch the general color and the crests on their heads but 55 mph ornithology has limitations -- can't tell you if they were cedar or Bohemian waxwings. We get both at this time of year. Came nose-to-nose with a whitetail deer on the Number 9 Loop trail, they like to use the packed snow for moving around when the drifts get deep. I stood there, she/he stood there, we exchanged greetings, and then he/she ambled back into the woods. Can't tell sex that easily, this time of year. Saw another deer a bit further down the trail, this one loping across the trail as if uninterested in conversation. Both looked healthy. Also heard a woodpecker drilling, loud and slow, cadence means most likely a pileated. The usual chickadees attended my route.
The Shrew is humming to herself, "Mommas, don't let your daughters grow up to be scientists. They'll let emotion intrude on a good scientific debate." I know, the scan is off a bit compared to the original -- you try and tell _her_ that. Don't think I've mentioned, but she has a PhD in Wildlife Biology....
1.5 hours, 7 miles +/-
Saw a flock of waxwings while I was driving up the interstate, maybe 200 birds, I could catch the general color and the crests on their heads but 55 mph ornithology has limitations -- can't tell you if they were cedar or Bohemian waxwings. We get both at this time of year. Came nose-to-nose with a whitetail deer on the Number 9 Loop trail, they like to use the packed snow for moving around when the drifts get deep. I stood there, she/he stood there, we exchanged greetings, and then he/she ambled back into the woods. Can't tell sex that easily, this time of year. Saw another deer a bit further down the trail, this one loping across the trail as if uninterested in conversation. Both looked healthy. Also heard a woodpecker drilling, loud and slow, cadence means most likely a pileated. The usual chickadees attended my route.
The Shrew is humming to herself, "Mommas, don't let your daughters grow up to be scientists. They'll let emotion intrude on a good scientific debate." I know, the scan is off a bit compared to the original -- you try and tell _her_ that. Don't think I've mentioned, but she has a PhD in Wildlife Biology....
1.5 hours, 7 miles +/-
