I can’t say that I don’t enjoy looking out the window and seeing a white landscape, but, with the beauty of it also comes a little work. For health reasons, I have not been able to spend as much time out in the cold as in other years. I substitute my being present by watching the birds and squirrels at the feeders. The other day I was treated to a rather large hawk landing in the pine tree just outside of my living room window. It did not appear to be a redtail hawk; it looked like either a Cooper’s hawk or a Sharp-shinned harrier. If you like watching wildlife, as I do, it was a real treat. The hawk stayed in the tree for about a minute or two before flying off. I remember seeing a similar bird in the area last year and from a distance earlier this fall.
It is nice to be able to see wildlife in town and even better, by looking out of my living room window. This past year we have seen deer walking down the middle of our street, had wild turkeys walking on top of the fence between our yard and the neighbors. A little later that same day the hen turkey led about seven little ones across the street and into the neighbor’s backyard. This was quite a sight to behold in a span of about two days.
As a kid I was always infatuated whenever I spotted a critter near my house or whenever I ventured out into the nearby slough. There would be numerous tracks in the snow, which still, to this day, pique my curiosity. A few years ago, I discovered some tracks by our trash can that were like a cat only much larger. I took a picture and sent it to my brother-in-law, Lynn Johnson in Alaska. He has fur trapped near his home in Nome, Alaska, so I considered him an expert on this. He texted me back and said it looked like bobcat tracks. A few days later I saw what looked like a bobcat near the back of my yard. I eventually got a picture of it and soon discovered that it had a collar on it. Someone has a domestic version of a bobcat and lets it roam free to hunt throughout the neighborhood. I have spotted it near my bird feeders a few times and have run it off by just appearing on the steps.
I feel that if you have a cat for a pet, you really shouldn’t let it run free in the neighborhood. They prey on birds, small rabbits and baby squirrels, and a lot of folks, including myself, enjoy watching all critters in the wild. If you had told me thirty years ago that I would have bird feeders and would love watching birds, I would have laughed. I guess that getting older brings out the birdwatcher in some of us, “older and wiser”? not so sure about the last part.
I haven’t heard much news about fishing in southern Minnesota and rightfully so. The ice has been iffy at best, but these colder temperatures may help make the ice thicker. Of course, a new layer of snow doesn’t help things. I mentioned last week how my grandson fished on a lake near our cabin and had very good luck catching crappies.
Until next time: I hope that everyone is shoveled out and enjoying the new year. I really have a problem with the NFL allowing NBC to broadcast football playoff games on a streaming only network. Do you remember the days when all that you needed was an antenna to watch sporting events on TV? Now, it is all about squeezing more money out of the fans. I didn’t sign up for Peacock TV and I didn’t miss anything.
Please show your support for our troops who are deployed. These servicemen and women are making that sacrifice, so that we may have the many freedoms that we enjoy today.