Northern Michigan, with it's lakes, beaches, state parks, and forests is a nature lovers dream. Much of our land is unspoiled and available for public use. Opportunities abound for bird watching, hiking, fishing, hunting, camping and much more.
Try to leave the land as you found it. If you see litter, help us pick it up. Enjoy your time here in the great outdoors.
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Northern Michigan is blessed with a natural resource that the people of Detroit, Chicago, and New York City don’t have and probably will never enjoy. In fact, most densely populated areas of the world are lacking in this resource all together. That beautiful, free, eternal resource is starlight.
In my youth, we often vacationed in the north woods. When the sun went down and the twilight no longer glowed in the western sky, it got dark, very dark. I can remember thinking it was a little scary the first time I realized on a moonless, cloudy night that I couldn’t see my hand in front of my face. We enjoyed many a campfire that brought a cheery glow to our surroundings and created spooky shadows dancing on the trees that surrounded us. I kept a flashlight close by my sleeping bag just in case one of those monsters of the night roamed into our campsite after we turned in.
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As I leave the highway and head down the sandy two-track, my right hand trembles with joy and anticipation knowing that I am almost there. After being cooped up in the city, far from the country that I affectionately call home, it is good to be back. Even when I am months away from another visit, my mind holds onto the days when I was last here.
As I reach the crest of the hill and drink in the view of the valley below, I note the dark thunderclouds on the horizon. The lightning that stabs at the ground affirms the weatherman’s prediction that we are under a summer storm warning. I stop and turn off the motor of the old Jeep, just to join with Mother Nature and savor the beauty that surrounds me.
Off to my left is a bush that forms a natural hedge with dark green leaves that shine like a holly. Movement catches my eye and then I see the bright orange flash of an Oriole eating the cream colored berries that the bush bares this time of year. Down the hill and off to the right, if I look carefully through the trees, I can just make out the porch of the cottage and catch the glint of the sun off the kitchen window.
I am anxious to reach my destination. I brought along Dad’s old fishing boat to launch in the nearby millpond. I know there are trout eagerly waiting for my hand-tied flies. Before descending the steep hill, I first make sure that the trailer and hitch are secure. Grabbing the trailer tongue, I give it a good tug and all seems nice and tight.
The spring rains were hard on the old logging road and the hill is deeply rutted. The steering wheel trembles and the doors rattle as I bounce and maneuver my jeep down the path. Finally I reach the bottom and drive into the clearing. The log cabin is now in full view and its shady front porch is a welcome sight along with its weathered front door. In an hour or so, smoke will be drifting from the cobblestone chimney and the smell of bacon frying will chase away the musty aroma of a cottage closed up tight against the long U.P. winter. It’s time to unpack my gear, light the kerosene lamps and to settle in for the evening. Hopefully the rains will pass during the night and fishing will be good in the morning.
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Welcome 2009 - An Old Fashioned Winter |
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Our winter started on November 14, 2008 with our first snow. Old timers always say that we get snow by deer season. Well, true to the folklore, we did and haven't seen the ground since. As of February 1, 2009 we have received in excess of 130 inches of snow in Fife Lake. What a wonderful year for snowmobiles, cross country skies. snowshoes, and ice fishing. As of this week, the National Weather Bureau has reported that this is the 9th coldest winter in recorded history. Up in Traverse City, even West Bay has now frozen over and is being ventured on by brave (crazy) ice fisherman.
It is a time to remember to keep feeding our birds. We have gone through untold bags of black oil sunflower seeds, thistle, and suet cakes. We are helping them out and reaping the joy of always having a nature show in our back yard.
Have fun, enjoy the winter activities, and watch for the danger signs of frostbite. Our coldest recorded low this winter has been -21.2 Below on January 20, 2009.
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A Time For Hello and Good-bye |
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Fall is a time to say hello and good-bye to many of our friends around the bird feeders. We keep the feeders out all year and so we see a parade of guests coming and going as the seasons change. Here it is, the end of September. Where did the summer go? We enjoyed a steady stream of finches, chickadees, titmice, grossbeaks, woodpeckers, doves, blackbirds, and humming birds all summer long. Suddenly on a chilly morning you notice that some of your summer time guests are no longer to be found. Just the other day I realized that it's been awhile since we have seen a robin in the yard. Our visiting pair of swans recently showed back up on their migration south and are putting on a daily show out on the lake. Our pair of common loons have vanished but an immature loon has suddenly arrived on the lake. We are looking forward to the southbound return of our hooded mergansers and buffleheads. We have already spotted some wood ducks, teal and mallards. Before we know it the juncos and nuthatches will reappear along with the first snows of winter. Many of our neighbors around the area leave for the winter. This is all the more reason to keep feeding the birds throughout the winter. If you don't live near water or after freeze-up, please consider a heater for your birdbath so the little guys have a drink available throughout the coldest months. Have a great fall and winter.
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Where as some folks feed the birds in the winter only, we set the table for our friends in feathers all year round. This summer we have been watching a pair of Hairy Woodpeckers that have been frequent visitors to our suet feeder. We see this type of woodpecker in our area all year round. The curious activity is the feeding of the female by the male. The male will land on the suet cake and break off a portion in it's bill and then fly over to the nearby waiting female and feed her. This activity is repeated over and over until she has enjoyed her fill and they both fly off. We see this activity repeated almost daily and are thinking that it is some type of courtship ritual. Whatever it is, it is cute to watch. We have only observed it with this type of bird.
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