Owls

As all the birders know, this winter, from Maine to Minnesota, Montana and Washington State, there has been a big snowy owl irruption. These beautiful artic birds have been coming south in unusual numbers to the delight of many..... except me. It isn't that I haven't tried to see my first one. It just hasn't happened. So take a look at just a few of the many that Montanagirl http://girlinmontana.blogspot.com/ has been able to take. She is the greatest.
Although I had seen more than a few Great Horned Owls during my trout fishing days, it wasn't till a little screech owl showed up in a woodduck house that I'd placed in my woods, when I began paying close attention.

This Barred Owl, from LoieJ in Northern Minnesota, reminds me of the first one I'd ever seen. It was a more southerly version in Audobons Corkscrew Sanctuary in Florida. Many years ago when making our annual summer trip flyfishing in Montana, my youngest son and I did manage to see a great grey owl high in a Ponderosa pine above us.

My most recent rare owl sighting came just a couple of weeks ago. I had joined topgun Minnesota birders, John Hockema, Andy Nyhus and Gary Erickson for the annual Golden Eagle survey sponsored by the National Eagle Center. A Golden Eagle didn't turn up on our assigned route that day, but amazingly Andy spotted a Long Eared Owl, buried in a dense thicket, as we zipped by in his pickup. With his highpowered camera, he managed to get the following photograph. To see more of his work... http://www.andrewnyhusphotography.com/

The Long Eared Owl was a "lifer" for me. Owls - wise and mysterious. You gotta love them.....

Lake Phalen

It wasn’t a big lake as some of Minnesota’s Ten Thousand Plus lakes go..... but it was our lake. Me and my buddies. It was about a mile, as a young boy bicycles, from his home on St. Paul’s East Side. A.K.A. - the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood. The Minnesota DNR describes it with just the facts.
"LAKE PHALEN: ON THE EASTSIDE OF ST. PAUL, BORDERING WITH MAPLEWOOD. • Main fish: Bluegill, perch, sunfish and northern pike • Size: 198-acre • Max. depth: 91 ft. Clarity: 17 ft. Source: Minnesota DNR."
I have many fond memories of that place. Each summer we traveled the short distance with our fishing poles and swimming suits. Well, there was one summer when I wasn’t allowed to go. My mom was terrified of me catching polio. Something about staying away from crowded beaches, I guess. In spring time the little creek connecting Phalen with several other lakes was full of crappies. We just filled our buckets with them. In summer, the beach was crowded with swimmers of all ages. I loved to swim and dive though one awful memory remains of a young girl pulled from the water not breathing. Then watching the lifeguards try to revive her.
My dad was a 2nd generation German/American who grew up in the same neighborhood as I did. In those days canoeing was a popular activity on Lake Phalen and I’m quite certain he took a certain girl (my mom) from North St. Paul there as well. They both told me stories of the fabulous Ice Palace that had been built on the lake sometime in the thirties.
The lake is still there, of course, but different and yet the same. A recent article in the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press best describes it.
"The crush of urban life sometimes bumps up against nature at Lake Phalen, enveloped over time by St. Paul's blue-collar East Side. In many ways, Phalen is where old St. Paul and new St. Paul meet, where the bustling city gives way to a green, watery oasis. Swimmers flock to the sandy beach, and the playground pulses with wriggling kids and babies in bucket swings. Families picnic at rustic wooden tables in the shadow of a giant pavilion. But wander down the walking path encircling the lake and surprisingly tranquil stretches await beneath a canopy of gnarled oaks.
Lake Phalen is popular with fishermen and boaters, but of the quiet, old-school variety. Canoes, kayaks and sailboats slice through the water, while motors are restricted to electric trolling models. Anglers cluster at the pier and dot the shore, casting for panfish and filling plastic buckets with sunnies and crappies.
Next weekend, that gentle scene from St. Paul's past gives way to more recent traditions: a two-day Dragon Festival, a free and popular Pan-Asian expo of food, crafts, music, dancers, martial arts and dragon boat races."

At Lake Phalen vintage 1945 with my Aunt Pearl (left) and my Mom (right) Fond memories indeed....

White Ladyslippers

There she is..... one of that special breed of native orchids. This is Cypripedium candidum - the white ladyslipper. Discovered in 1805, it ranged from New England to the Dakotas. Now, due to habitat destruction and thoughtless "collecting", it is extirpated in much of the East and very rare in the upper Midwest. It was found in wet meadows and prairie sites. Draining and plowing plus intensive pasturing did them in...

I was on a hike to a protected native prairie site just south of Bluff County. It was over the border in Iowa. The time was early summer. The site encompasses about 500 acres. It reportedly has never been tilled. After taking a some shots of shooting stars, I continued down the path until I saw another clump of white. I was completly surprised to find a small mound of some kind of native orchids. At that moment, I was unaware that these small plants even existed. I took a few pictures and then hurried home to check out my Moyle wildflower book. It was then that I found out how rare they really were. A few weeks later, I was watching the evening weather report. Mr Weatherman mentioned he was inviting people to send in pictures of their garden each week and that there was a prize to be won. I couldn't claim the garden where I'd spotted the unusual orchids, so I identified the flowers as being in "Mother Nature's Garden." Knowing the looting that sometime takes place with these kind of rare specimens, I stated they wre located somewhere near Bluff Country. Later, when several neighbors called me up to inform me that my picture had made the evening news on Channel Ten, I was astonished again. I give all the credit to these beautiful gems and the gift certificate award was well spent at a local nursery in Rochester. Sometimes you just got to be lucky...

The fishing hadn't been the greatest that day. So toward evening we took a leisurely cruise down
the east shoreline of beautiful Mantrap Lake in northern
Minnesota. It had been clear skies all day, but now the
clouds began to gather as twilight approached. Rain was forecast for later that evening. We were headed towards Steamboat Bay at the far northern end of the lake
Thinking about the forecast, I turned my weather eye
up to the clouds ahead of us. It was all looking pretty innocuous. Then I saw him.
A giant was peering down a us. Who was it???
A mighty warrior leading his minions across the great forest of the north was my first thought.
Was it a Norse god - perhaps Odin or Thor with his mighty hammer?
Maybe Zeus preparing to cast his thunderbolts down upon us?
Then I looked again and saw Janus the two faced god.
The other face looking back to the west was..... was.... Jimmy Durante? He of the big nose. Or maybe two Presidents... Tricky Dick & Bubba.....
Relaxing, I chuckled to myself. No big storm to be afraid of tonight! Now who do you see???

Big Dog/Big Pony/Bigger Horses

It was late November and the Big Guy and I were hiking a perimeter trail along the eastern edge of Lake Louise State Park. I was hoping to catch sight of an early arriving Northern Shrike. Sure enough....
Baron had stopped along the park fence line noticing something even more interesting out in the nearby pasture. Two horses and pony.I don’t believe he had ever seen such large animals before. Of course, he wanted to investigate. I thought he would surely begin barking. Not a chance. He carefully approached the fence. The horses approached. The pony came right up to the fence. Baron backed away. Then Baron went right up to the fence. ....I scratched the big brown horses ears. Baron watched me and then....

The Evil Dog Ambusher or Sainted Kitty?

It seems Simba and his patron enabler (Mrs. T.) have been really been put out since a few days ago . Their argument seems to be that I placed a photograph, in the previous post, which puts him in a bad light. He claims that I am always prejudicial in favor of Baron and thus the dumb dog can do no wrong. The numerous comments fingering his obvious guilty tendencies are also cited as proof of the canine bias of Troutbirder blogging friends. . I promised that I would present him in a better light. Thank you.....

Simba is a fine daytime role model for retirement as he is wont to follow the sun around the house seeking out the most comfortable spots to bask in the sunlight. The hair, which he sheds all over the house is much easier to vacuum up compared to the GSD's (German Shedding Dog) which clings to everything, according to Mrs. T. He is a fastidious eater, never tempted by the gross things Baron is known to sample. He also has never been known to howl or screech at passing fire engines or police cars. Thus according to Mrs. T's analysis he is "a lovable, sweet, caring, snuggletime kitty."

Innocent or Guilty?

It seems a flower pot was knocked off a table in the Troutbirder home. Rushing into the room, I found dirt all over the floor. There were two apparent suspects in view. each proclaiming their own innocence.

Simba (Mrs T's) spoiled cat claimed that in the process of harrasing him, the dog had crashed into the table, upsetting the pot.

Baron, (Troutbirders GSD) simply said, The Devil made Simba do it.

What do you think?

A Troutbirder Rant

Rant - to talk in a noisy, excited, or declamatory manner. 2. : to scold vehemently. transitive verb. : to utter in a bombastic declamatory fashion.
After three years of blogging I’ve decided to step over the line. The ranting line that is....
Far too many bloggers, especially those of a political nature and the male gender, regularly live there. My own passion though is of a more vegetable nature. It seems as a child I was born to be prejudiced against certain types. Cooked cabbage, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cooked carrots, canned peas, and rutabagas. I eventually outgrow all those dislikes except for one. The later.
My mom loved to cook with rutabagas. God alone knows why. I’ve often thought that the smell of cooking rutabagas could overpower anything, even an enemy. I’m surprised the army never adapted them for battlefield use.
Mom regularly added the hated ingredient to her vegetable beef soup. The corker though was the Sunday roast beef dinner we had after church. A fine dinner it was with carrots, potatoes and onions added to the roast. The rutabagas killed it all though with the taste and odor lingering on for hours.
The memory of all this has unfortunately lingered on into my so called golden years besmirching my reputation for open mindedness. Take our recent fine dinner with Mr. And Mrs. Science. Somehow, and I don’t know how it happened, the subject of the hated vegetable came up. I proceeded to launch into what Mrs. T calls "his predictable ten minute tirade." It was then that our gracious hostess finally blurted out "but we love rutabagas." And proceeded to point out that their neighbors grew them by the ton and gifted them with a 50 pound bag each year. Thereupon, I was informed that many fine and discerning gourmets love the root. Oh my. In another example, my wife’s best friend has often carefully boxed and wrapped one for my birthday. The word has gotten around.....

For the uninitiated who remain unconvinced, in the public interest, I submit the following:-

Lemon Carrots and Rutabagas
Ingredients
4 medium carrots, cut into 3 inch julienne strips
2 cups rutabaga, peeled and cut into 3 inch julienne strips
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/4 teaspoon dill weed
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine the carrots, rutabaga and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook for 13-15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients; cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until butter is melted.
Drain vegetables; add butter mixture. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until vegetables are glazed, stirring occasionally.