Ice Fishing Plus...Day 2

Another gorgeous day in the frozen North. It was actually +3C with no wind. A perfect day for ice fishing. There were about 18 folks on the lake, all enjoying the outdoors. I caught the most fish (2) and I think only two others were caught. 

Rainbow Trout are delicious! I plan on a bunch of home made fries to go along with it.

It wouldn't be a good day without some bird pictures.I present some Pine Grosbeaks eating berries

 They are regular little pigs!

Then of course to round it out is a Bohemian Waxwing competing for the berries.

A Day on Carson Lake

 It started out as a bright , sunny day, just right for some ice fishing. I drilled the allowed holes and set two lines baited with maggots. Yecht!

 Carson Lake is part of the Carson-Pegasus Provincial Park. They stock the lake with about 5000? Rainbow Trout each year. The trout show up in a tanker trailer and are pumped into the lake.

There was some worry about whether the ice was thick enough yet. It was and remind me to get new blades for the auger. There was about 12 inches of ice over 25 feet of water where I was fishing.

My trusty sidekick enjoyed the day out and was very well behaved. Daphne tended to lie in the shelter of my pail/chair and my back pack out of the wind. Speaking of wind, it started to blow about 30 miles/hour right down the lake becoming very miserable.

We didn't catch any fish and after about 3 hours of blowing snow, we packed it up. I figure on trying again Thursday.

Two Partridge or Roughed Grouse showed up on the way home and co-operated even though the light was not ideal. Still, it was  a good outing.

How to Wear a Dog Out!

A guy could walk the dog, but better yet, let another dog wear her out before the walk.Percy is a young Golden Retriever and just as stubborn as Daphne, a Rough Collie.

They performed for about 30 minutes before they mutually wore out.

Bad November!

It has probably been the coldest November on record! It has snowed, frozen us out and even rained! Of course, the rain froze on contact which made driving and walking miserable for a few days.

The Athabasca River froze early this year and jammed up quite well. There is still lots of water flowing under the ice, and the current would make it very treacherous to walk on.

Above is a back flow area on the Athabasca. Below is the Groat Creek camping area along Hwy 32 South

Excitement? What's that? I have been watching lots of television and walking my 4 miles per day with the dog.We did get a new 58 inch TV to make things more view able. Any body got some favourite Netflix movies? We have exhausted all the Christian movies and a bunch of Golden Oldies.

Think Warm!

My Friend Hairy

A quite morning in the bush looking for Mr. Big Whitetail resulted in a sneak on this Hairy Woodpecker

 He was not bothered by me at all!

The light snow falling did not bother him at all.

He was quite happy picking grubs out of the tree. He was very successful at the task. As for me, I need to find a deer spot off the mountain due to the almost knee deep snow.

Out For a Short Walk

Not much doing today. I took the dog for a walk, ran her ragged at the Dog Park then wandered down the river trail. There were lots of Mule Deer hanging around, so I took a few portraits.

 Please, not when I am eating!

 I thought I saw a dog. Nope,

 

Two of My All Time Favourites

Due to the fact that I have not managed to get out with the camera today, I dug out two of my favourite Red Fox photos

Unfortunately, They are not from this year. Next year I will visit the den earlier.

Leave of Absense

Besides playing with Daphnie and friend Percy, I have been busy about the house.

Percy is a one year old Golden Retriever that gets along famously with Daphnie, to the point where they will play tug-of-war for quite some time, neither of them willing to give up.

I installed new hardwood floors in the living area. It looks good, but just about killed my knees. Every joint is glued.

 

 The old carpet was removed and hauled to the dump with my SUV. Sometimes I miss the truck!

 

Yep, It"s Monday, Again!

What's it to you?

 
Just another day in the feeder!

In the Yard Today

With the temperatures below freezing most nights now, and the highs just above freezing, the birds are showing up in swarms

At times we need an air traffic controller.

Cute!

Yep, these Clay-Coloured Sparrows fit the bill!

Camoflage

Some of my favourite birds are back, The Bohemian Waxwings. They are a goofy bird and fun to watch!

Early Signs of Fall

Today there have been lots and lots of Sandhill Cranes going over, on their way south

 

Some of them were very high and hard to get in focus

Others were more co-operative

 I got alongside the landing path , caught a few
photos, then got some on the ground

 
They are a noisy bunch to say the least!

This was as close as I could get to a flock of about 50. I didn't want to spook them.

Meanwhile, back at the feeder, life goes on.