Outdoor Adventures with Gary Lee - Vol. 331
We need rain as some folk’s wells are going dry, now I haven’t heard that in a long, long time. There is a burn ban in place statewide until the fifteenth and that may be extended if we don’t get some rain and forest fires start happening. It promised to rain a half inch today in the forecast but so far that hasn’t happened. I reported that my sister Wendy had three inches a week ago and then four inches the next day in Clifton Park, but that was just a strip of a storm that went through. The beautiful fall leaves locally are about half down, less to the north towards Lake Placid as of Sunday when I traveled up that way.
I went to the Loon Celebration at Paul Smith’s Vic where James Paruk, Ph. D gave a program A Journey into the Loon World with a power point presentation. He has studied all five species of Loons both in summer and winter habitats. He had handled Yellow Billed Loons which are the most endangered up in Alaska which he said didn’t bite and then he came to the midwestern states and picked up a common Loon. He said they bite from the time you put them in the boat until the time you release them after processing. He was selling his book Loon Lessons Uncommon Encounters with the Great Northern Diver. Before his program there was a Loon calling contest with prizes for the best calls.
In the morning before the celebration there was a paddle out on Lake Clear to watch and be with over fifty Common Loons who get together fishing each fall before migration from the surrounding lakes. This morning three different banded Loons were seen and recorded on the lake. Also, out among the Loons were two Red-necked Grebe’s fishing, one still very colorful.
The water in the Fulton Chain is still up enough to get the party barges up into Fifth Lake for the Kids Day Fishing Derby. I think they will start pulling it soon if they haven’t already. Sixty-two kids put lines in the water for the fishing derby, and several fish were caught by the children, the biggest being a seven-and-a-half-inch perch. One young lady who I don’t think had ever thrown a line in the water was practicing her casting skills and threw her pole and all into the lake. Her dad was quick to grab it before it sank, and she did well after that catching fish of three different species. That brought smiles to her face as she brought them to the measuring table. Some didn’t catch any but that’s fishing some catch and some just fish. On a beautiful sunny day like Saturday, it was just nice to be out on the water, fishing was second. While we were out there, Mark Manske had his Raptor Program in the town hall meeting room which is always interesting to hear his stories and see his live birds. After that there was a Loon calling contest. Gary VanRiper had some photos of Loons, and I played the four calls Loons make before we heard from the contestants. The three best callers got a nice award for first, second and third. I think some will be practicing before next year’s contest.
Last night the Harvest full moon came up not far after sunset and only a few wispy clouds tried to hide it where I photographed from the Seventh Lake bridge. The after-sunset sky in the west over Sixth Lake was very colorful also.
Today would have been my wife Karen’s eightieth birthday and one of her beautiful roses came out to honor the day.
Moose are on the move, and some have been spotted locally, but that’s another story. See ya.
Photo above: Karen's Rose
