Holiday weekend snowstorm lays foundation for outdoor fun

A fast moving storm on Saturday (2/18) saved snowmobiling for another weekend by dropping five inches of snow. By noon Sunday much of it had been worn down.

There were a lot more families out and about over the weekend which is what I like to see.

However many machines wizzed by me at speeds over sixty miles an hour while I was checking my trapline.

There were several accidents allegedly caused by a combination of speed and alcohol over the weekend.Raquette Lake must have been overrun with snowmobiles as over 50 of them passed me as I walked on the short Canoe Carry to Browns Tract Stream from Route 28.

The trail was just about worn down and the hills were becoming very icy.

The old railroad bed was just a drag strip when I got there.

The ice fishermen were out in droves. Fourth Lake was dotted with little blue portable shanties, which may have protected the fishermen from the snowstorm.

Sunday was a much better day out on the ice, although every day is better when you have chance to get outside.

The new snow even made it possible to cross-country ski without killing yourself. It was a little sticky when it first came down but overnight it dried out and conditions were much better on Sunday. With that crust under the new snow you could go anywhere but it was still fast on the hills.

I met some birders down at Ferd’s Bog on Saturday looking for Three-toed Woodpecker and Black-backed Woodpecker.

Among them was Joan Collins of Long Lake.

She said she was there on Thursday also and saw both species at that time, but not on Saturday.

She and the rest of her group saw Gray Jays, Pine Siskins and White-winged Crossbills but other birds were hiding out as it was just before the snowstorm started.

They found where the Woodpeckers had been working on some dead spruce trees as they found peeled off bark on top of the snow.

But the birds were nowhere to be found or heard. That’s birding.

I went to several areas for the Backyard Bird Count. I always find more birds in my backyard than I do anywhere else.

On the ski trail out back I found a flock of Black-capped Chickadees and Pine Siskins, two Brown Creepers, two Red-breasted Nuthatches and three Golden Crowned Kinglets.

On the trail north of Rondaxe Lake I found two different batches of Chickadees, along with three Red-breasted Nuthatches and a flock of 20 Pine Siskins.

After several Owl calls I had a Pileated Woodpecker and a BlackbackedWoodpecker visit me along with a Raven which flew overhead.

Along the shoreline of Eighth Lake I saw a large flock of over 50 Pine Siskins and a few Whitewinged Crossbills working the cones on the large hemlocks.

With the cone crop like it is some of these birds will be nesting or will already be sitting on eggs.

Later in the year the Siskins will be bringing their young to your feeders.

In the backyard the snow pushed 32 Juncos to the feeder. I also had 15 Black-capped Chickadees, 5 Tree Sparrows, 15 Pine Siskins, 20 Goldfinch, 6 Purple Finch, 10 Blue Jays, 3 Downy Woodpeckers, 2 Hairy Woodpeckers, 1 Brown Creeper, 1 Red-bellied Woodpecker, 1 Pileated Woodpecker, 4 Turkeys, 2 Ravens and 5 Common Crows.

Bill Labes, a friend of mine from Long Lake, said he had a Red-bellied Woodpecker at his feeder for the first time. He also said he has a flock of 50 Evening Grosebeaks that come regularly to feed.

I only had one of these at mine a few weeks ago but it never came back.

If any of our readers would like me to report their bird count findings on-line for them can give me a call and I will gladly punch them in.

I recently posted the Old Forge Audubon Christmas Count on-line as there were issues at the other end with the new reporting system.

Daytime temperatures are up in the forties but it’s freezing each night so you better get the sap buckets out, but that’s another story. See ya.