Had a pair of mallards fly up out of the creek by the house this afternoon.
We typically get a pair every spring, but never this early.
Maybe I should get a bag of barley and hep them out.
Early spring might mean early rut this fall
Two of the "Big'ones" have plowed off the mountain this week. My earliest ever in the yard was March 10'th. This is actually a week or ten days late for the big guys. It is incredible to watch them plow and "porpoise" through ten feet or more of snow. It is a steep downhill plow, but they still have to stop often and rest.
Early spring might mean early rut this fall
Rut is determined by length of day.light.
Early spring might mean early rut this fall
Rut is determined by length of day.light.
Incredibly simplistic for here... moon phase coupled with photoperiod was established a long time ago as two major components... but just two.
Anyway.....they'll probably get to rutting before I do.
They were year round in Kodiak.
I don’t know where they are nesting overnight. Knee deep snow in the trees.
lots of mallards overwinter in SC... I suspect they just came up off the tide flats.
Son saw the Swans at the Kenai Lake bridge last WE
Son saw the Swans at the Kenai Lake bridge last WE
They overwinter, too.
I knew about the swans, but I see then regularly. The mallards is new info to me, not seeing the after late October or so.
Several places here in town have open water all winter and an old lady feeds a bunch of birds just a little SW of Dimond Costco. Right now you can see little flocks of mallards around town banking into their roosts nightly.
They fly over my place daily, all year long.
And them damn Geese.
Mike,
Had Goldeneyes fly my place a week ago. As to return @ the flats by your place, I do not remember a year where ducks and gees were not viewable there by the 18th.
I imagine there are some few of both to be seen around then again this year. White stuff seems to be going away noticeably. . .a few bears are out now certainly. Time to run the jet up by Pothole.
Taught a hunter ed course at the local establishment today...snow was knee to mid-thigh deep in the spruce. The students were good sports and soldiered through.
Jr. and Ranger missed out on spring ptarmigan in our usual spots this year because there was no snow crust and very high avalanche danger. Hope those mallards find some food; the forecast portends at least a week more of "bonus" winter.
Bonus winter indeed. Fairbanks got 10" of snow overnight with more falling. Did see some mallards on the open sections of the Chena though. Thought it was odd
Saw the first geese of the year tonight.
I was out starting my smoker at about 6am on Easter morning. Heard a couple mallards (surprised the schit outta me) making a bunch of racket as they were flying right down my road. Hot on their azz was an eagle putting the chase on. Kinda surprised me to say the least.
My 62nd winter in Alaska and this is the only one I have ever been so done with
It will be over with (in a very good way) when I hear those Mallards! Good on ya Ptarmigan...you made my morning
Taught a hunter ed course at the local establishment today...snow was knee to mid-thigh deep in the spruce. The students were good sports and soldiered through.
Jr. and Ranger missed out on spring ptarmigan in our usual spots this year because there was no snow crust and very high avalanche danger. Hope those mallards find some food; the forecast portends at least a week more of "bonus" winter.
Looks like the "bonus winter" has arrived, eh?
Great seeing the pics of your oldest. My how they grow in Alaska!
If there is any illusion of an early spring, I'd sure like to subscribe.
It was 18 below zero ambient last night. Been running dog teams as it it's dead of winter. The dogs are speedy, as if they can't overheat.
My boat shop went through 260 fkn gallons of heating fuel in the past 30 days.
I've shoveled 12 cords of firewood wood into my woodstove this year.
I'd like to see a fkn mallard duck......
...
If there is any illusion of an early spring, I'd sure like to subscribe.
It was 18 below zero ambient last night. Been running dog teams as it it's dead of winter. The dogs are speedy, as if they can't overheat.
My boat shop went through 260 fkn gallons of heating fuel in the past 30 days.
I've shoveled 12 cords of firewood wood into my woodstove this year.
I'd like to see a fkn mallard duck......
...
About the same here Mainer. -30 here at the house this morning and we still have a solid three feet of snow on the ground. Moose and caribou had a tough go this winter.
If there is any illusion of an early spring, I'd sure like to subscribe.
It was 18 below zero ambient last night. Been running dog teams as it it's dead of winter. The dogs are speedy, as if they can't overheat.
My boat shop went through 260 fkn gallons of heating fuel in the past 30 days.
I've shoveled 12 cords of firewood wood into my woodstove this year.
I'd like to see a fkn mallard duck......
...
About the same here Mainer. -30 here at the house this morning and we still have a solid three feet of snow on the ground. Moose and caribou had a tough go this winter.
Yes, I see Whitehorse is colder than Delta this morning but the weatherman says it will break today.
I hope to see a few geese on the Tanana River this week but we need sheetwater on the barley fields before we really get swans and geese. Cranes will follow.
Not as cold as the interior, but we’ve disabused the banana belt notion. 15 - 20 deg below normal for high temperatures.
Spent the weekend at the cabin from Thursday afternoon until yesterday afternoon and we never saw it get over 18 degrees yet I have people telling me winters over and the snow will be gone fast with temps predicted to hit the 40's. I keep asking them, "when was the last time the fuggin weatherman was right"? I'm riding again this weekend and it should be just as good as last weekend, only warmer.
At least a hundred Pintails on the flats by your place Mike...
No geese yet
Yesterday fired up the D8 with the 13 foot blade and plowed the crude logging trail down to the Hope "International Speedway" Road. First I tried the Case 450B with the 9 foot blade, and that was a failure at moving 6 foot of snow.
Heard on AM 650 today about 600 plus ducks that were over wintering on the Cheena missed most of the details
Heard on AM 650 today about 600 plus ducks that were over wintering on the Cheena missed most of the details
Hanging out by the MUS power station? 😁
Couple hundred snows at the flats today and a few hutch also, only 4 days behind schedule,,,
Saw 8 snows fly overhead walking the dog last week. Heard cranes last week too.
Took the Inflatable jet boat up the Knik yesterday about 7 miles upstream lots of ice still, the wind came up so came home. Can't read the skinny water in big winds off the glacier.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CN_RFPRnyNn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link