Gilmore iced out last night about 7:00 PM! Winters grip on Lake Gilmore is lifted. Thursday November 20th to Thursday April 23rd was the 08/09 Lake Gilmore ice covered season... let see how many days was that.... getting out Julian Calendar...... 154 ice covered days.
The kids have already started asking when I will get the water trampline set up. (We found a used one for $50 at a garage sale last year, it needs some pathing but those things retail for $1500 so it was a steal.) I think the water trampoline season isnt going to start until at least after Memorial weekend. Sheesh kids were wading in the water the last two nights. I am going to have to have genetic testings on them because I wonder if they might be part frog or some other cold blooded beings....
Take Care
Jon
Friday, April 24, 2009
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Wood Ducks, Hooded Mergansers and Gilmore Loons.
Last night a pair of Loons finally landed on the lake, they have about 100 feet of open water all around the North, Northeast and Northwest shores. What a sound performance they put on last night, yodels, wails and tremolos! It was almost like they wanted everyone to know "We are back to our Gilmore summer home!" I didn't get much sleep because I didn't want to miss the welcome home loon song party.
It took a while before the Loons swam by the house and I took the pictures above. I did get to see a pair of Hooded Mergansers, a pair of Wood Ducks, and a pair of Mallard Ducks. A pair of Swans flew over just as I am writing this and a couple Purple Martins are circling above the cattails looking for a meal......... ugh that means the bugs cant be too far behind!
Jon
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Ice Ducks and Hungry Deer
This morning this duck was swimming in the open water in front of the house then decided to hang out on the ice. The yard is finally drying up and turning greener. This also means that the ditches are greening up and boy have the deer been in the ditches eating the fresh grass the last few days. Last night while I was hauling manure for the garden I counted over 20 deer in a 10 mile round trip..... they are starting to look a little healthier, not so many ribs showing.
Dead Horse Lake opened up yesterday and the Loons are sure making a ruckus. Two trumpeter swans have been on the lake since it opened up. A couple Loons keep flying over Gilmore and calling out.... I often wonder each year if the pair of Loons we always have on the lake is the same pair or one born from the pair the year before.
Jon
Friday, April 17, 2009
Loon Calls and Northern MN Swimming!
The awesome weather has continued and the snow is pretty much gone! We have about 15 feet of open water in front of the house and the dog was in the water Wednesday night chasing minnows so he was the first in the lake this year. On Wednesday night I was stacking some wood in the wood bin by our lake side fire pit and stop dead in my tracks by the majestic Tremolo call of the Loon!Ahhh what a sound it amazes me that it can have such an effect on me. The Loon was circling the lake looking for open water, it flew around it twice with its Tremolo call every few minutes, it was almost like it was telling the lake to hurry up already and shed its ice so it can get down to the business of spring (wink wink). On the way to work on Thursday I noticed the open water on the South side of Little Sand had several Loons gliding through the open water. On my trip home I noticed even more, must have been about 10 in all.
Thursday brought more nice weather and the first human swimmers to Lake Gilmore (at least at my house) Connel fell in up to his knees while climbing on the rocks next to the beach and Kiana tripped and slid off the bank and all the way in! Boy did she scream! Connel was right there to grab her and haul her into the house. When I asked her what it was like as she was warming up in the shower she said "very cold daddy", she is just under 3 years old. It wont be too much longer and the kids will be in the lake every day, for me I wont be in that water until sometime in July!
Take Care
Jon
Jon
Thursday brought more nice weather and the first human swimmers to Lake Gilmore (at least at my house) Connel fell in up to his knees while climbing on the rocks next to the beach and Kiana tripped and slid off the bank and all the way in! Boy did she scream! Connel was right there to grab her and haul her into the house. When I asked her what it was like as she was warming up in the shower she said "very cold daddy", she is just under 3 years old. It wont be too much longer and the kids will be in the lake every day, for me I wont be in that water until sometime in July!
Take Care
Jon
Jon
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
LOON!
Tuesday brought mid 60's and a Loon! As you can tell by the wall paper on my blog I love Loons! It wasn't on Gilmore but on the open water where the sand river runs from Lake Ida into Little Sand. Boy does that lift my spirits even higher! Tuesday night I heard a few frogs making a little noise in the swamp across from the house. The peeper frogs should be singing any time now.
On Monday I seen a Blue Heron in the little slice of open water near the Eastern Shore of the lake. The last few days have been sunny / breezy and in the 60's so the lake ice is really starting to take a hit. The ice in front of the house is starting to honeycomb and break up.
When I drove by Little Sand this morning and after work I seen the Loon again today! Cant wait to hear the first loon tremolo and wail.
The snow is almost all gone in the woods and the yard is starting to dry up and a little more green is here and there.
Take Care.
Jon
On Monday I seen a Blue Heron in the little slice of open water near the Eastern Shore of the lake. The last few days have been sunny / breezy and in the 60's so the lake ice is really starting to take a hit. The ice in front of the house is starting to honeycomb and break up.
When I drove by Little Sand this morning and after work I seen the Loon again today! Cant wait to hear the first loon tremolo and wail.
The snow is almost all gone in the woods and the yard is starting to dry up and a little more green is here and there.
Take Care.
Jon
Friday, April 10, 2009
The changes in a week!
Early last week we received about 10 inches of snow! Yuck! Although I must admit it was a really pretty snow that was wet and sticky so it covered all the tress with a blanket of white that was in stark contrast to the dark and dingy greys, browns and blacks of early spring.
This week has been warmer with highs into the 40's near 50 again. The forecast for Saturday is for the lower to middle 50's so the snow in the woods and in piles about should vanish fairly quickly now. I have even seen a little green starting to appear in the lawn.
I seen my first Blue Heron of the year yesterday! (actually I saw many Blue Herons in February but that was 1850 miles SE of here, its amazing that they make that journey twice a year) It flew over County Road 40 heading towards the North. I take that as a good sign that lakes are starting to open up around here. The shore line in front of our house has thawed and frozen many times over the last few weeks. I think we had about one foot of open water yesterday. Hopefully with the sun and warm south winds forecast for this Easter weekend it will do some serious damage to the ice!
Yesterday morning the birds were really singing up a storm. The robins were almost drowning out the Cardinals and the chickadees, sparrows and nuthatches were trying hard to be heard. In the distance I could here the faint sound of a Red Winged Black Bird! The peeper frogs should be starting to emerge I cant wait to hear them.
Take care
Jon
This week has been warmer with highs into the 40's near 50 again. The forecast for Saturday is for the lower to middle 50's so the snow in the woods and in piles about should vanish fairly quickly now. I have even seen a little green starting to appear in the lawn.
I seen my first Blue Heron of the year yesterday! (actually I saw many Blue Herons in February but that was 1850 miles SE of here, its amazing that they make that journey twice a year) It flew over County Road 40 heading towards the North. I take that as a good sign that lakes are starting to open up around here. The shore line in front of our house has thawed and frozen many times over the last few weeks. I think we had about one foot of open water yesterday. Hopefully with the sun and warm south winds forecast for this Easter weekend it will do some serious damage to the ice!
Yesterday morning the birds were really singing up a storm. The robins were almost drowning out the Cardinals and the chickadees, sparrows and nuthatches were trying hard to be heard. In the distance I could here the faint sound of a Red Winged Black Bird! The peeper frogs should be starting to emerge I cant wait to hear them.
Take care
Jon
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