Warmer winter temps potentially problematic for some fruit trees 

The January thaw has passed. I had 51 degrees on the car thermometer on the way to Old Forge around noon on Sunday (1/13). I think that was about the high for the day.

Frozen driveways are back down to dirt and stone again for the third time this year.

The temperature was 68 in Rochester that same day and higher down in New York City and Washington.

These types of temperatures certainly have an effect on fruit trees such as apples and cherries, which is not normally good.

That happened last year. Those trees budded out early and many got frozen.

Out in California they are battling the opposite problem with freezing temperatures affecting the orange and lemon crops.

But for those watching, there is no global warming—just flukes in nature. Yeah, right!

The warm temperatures sure knocked down our snow. The snowmobile trails I looked at today were brown instead of white.

If the sun comes out this dark snow will go fast.

It’s going to get colder by the end of the week but I haven’t seen much in the way of snow. It would be good for the lakes as they have to wet up.

A couple cold nights would tighten them up. 

It would be good for the Pond Hockey Tournament that’s planned for the end of the month on Fourth Lake.

You still need to be very cautious about going out on the ice.

Check it first as there may be some good ice in one place but just a foot away there may be no ice at all.

I heard that a couple ice fishermen fell in Lake Eaton last week but they got out okay.

I carry my ice spud with me as it will go through two inches of snow with one chop.

If it goes through with a single chop it’s time to turn around.

Now that everyone uses power or hand augers, the ice spud has become a thing of the past.

There is a new battery operated auger that will drill forty holes in a foot of ice on one charge. At $250, it’s a little pricey.

I’ve had my spud for a long time and it has saved me from going through the ice many times while trapping.

It’s made from a small chainsaw blade that’s cut in half and welded to a half-inch pipe.

The edge is a filed sharp bevel that has three round chainsaw file marks in the cutting edge.

It is just like the hand chisel that ice deliverers used years ago to chop off a piece of ice for your refrigerator.

I’ve had many chisels over the years but this is the best ice chisel I’ve ever used. Years ago during a day of ice fishing we chopped over thirty holes in Lake Champlain in over two feet of ice near Putnam Station.

Our arms were weary after that morning of chopping.

It was minus five degrees when we drove out on the ice at daylight and only five above when we got off at dark. After all that effort we caught just two little perch.

That ice spud was made out of an old wood chisel on a solid pipe for weight and I still have it to this day.

Today (1/13) I saw a few new birds in the crabapple tree in front of Helmer’s Fuel in Old Forge.

There were seven female Pine Grosbeaks chomping away at the leftover fruit on the tree.

I’ve seen the local Starling flock feeding in that tree a couple times this winter. These new birds should just about finish off the remaining fruit.

Karen and I made several trips to Utica last week.

On one of the trips we made it as far as Mountainman Outdoor Supply Co. in Thendara before I saw a mouse running around on the wiper blades.

Karen told me to stop and get him off. I did, but had to pop the hood when he scooted under.

He had built a nice neat nest out of leaves and pine needles in one of the corners.

He ducked out of sight before I got him.

I took out the nest and never saw the mouse again. I think he jumped ship when we stopped.

A day later I changed the air filter in my truck and found another mouse nest.

A mouse had nearly chewed through the two-inch wide filter and filled half of that big area with leaves and grass.

The mice love it here with all the bird seed I have around. I have caught several of them in my bucket trap after they step on the beer can on the wire and fall in.

Some get inside the seed cans to eat but when the seed gets down near the bottom they can’t get back out.

If you use d-Con, make sure if you find a dead mouse you put it in the trash.

If you throw it outside where a bird can find it, the poison that killed the mouse will do the same to the bird.

Owls check the feeders every night looking for a meal. I got a Great Horned Owl, which is not common in this area, on my trail camera.

Duck count day is coming this weekend and there is plenty of open water in Lake Champlain, but that’s another story. See ya.