Site Discussions

I appreciate the information about the acidity in wild grapes, which I wasnt aware of when I made my jelly.  I will juice the last batch of grapes and following your refrigeration instructions.  The first & second batch I made I’ve tasted/eaten and although it has an incredible grape flavor and sets up perfectly without store-bought pectin, there is a little ‘bite’ to the jelly.  Thank you.

Just had my second Fisher sighting this morning, around 9:30am, in my yard.  I live in a rural area surrounded by heavy woodland.  The first time was several years ago when I saw this large black head with tiny ears poking out if the hedgerow in my yard.  I had no idea what it was, so I called my husband, who knew immediately what it was.  This morning, as I opened my side door, I saw the Fisher come out of the heavy bush on the side of the road, where it proceeded to lope across.  It reached the edge of the other side of the road, stopped, reared up on it’s hind legs, looked ahead, then continued to enter the scrub across the road.  He/she was quite large, with a big bushy tail.  Was quite an impressive site.

I noticed no one specified Boiled Linseed Oil. You have to use it because raw linseed oil will never cure. BLO will seal the end grain as well as the handle. Doing as earlier said put it on heavy the first time to let it soak into the wood then wiping off the excess, and let it cure over night or even a full 24 hours, then daily for 4 or 5 days add thin coats while sanding with fine grit paper lightly wiping the wood down to get rid of the sanding dust, then adding a thin coating, I normally apply it a little at a time and then spreading with my bare hands and rubbing into the wood, rubbing hard enough to make your hands warm, if you do this well there really won’t be much or any oil to wipe off, go ahead and wipe it if you can see wet patches. BLO never completely dries and will continue to penetrate the wood!
What I’ve described is how I’ve finished rifle stocks. But I usually apply from a minimum of 8 coats and for a really great finish up to 16 or more. The hand rubbing is the trick. For hand tools you can add coat of oil every year to keep it in best condition.
I hope I’ve helped,
Bill

Lisabeth, Thanks for an informative and inspiring article on turtle conservation. My husband and I have 260 acres of forested property in Newark, Vt that contains several beaver ponds, some sedge meadows and a medium size stream corridor. We are managing the property for wildlife habitat and are wondering if we might have any turtles using the variety of habitats.  We have never seen any painted or spotted turtles basking in the ponds or come across any wood turtles on land.
Are there any pointers you or others might share on how we might have better luck in discovering if turtles are using the property?  Thanks!

Has anyone succeeded in evicting muskrats from a pond? If so, how did you do it?

Really enjoy reading the comments.
I happen to have Mourning Doves nesting just below the gutter at my front door (first noticed them 7/6/20). Recently placed a birdbath nearby; neighbors both have feeders out. Read elsewhere that they get their water from the bugs they eat (kinda gross!). Am excited to see when their chicks (?) hatch!!

We have had an increase of wood thrushes on our property this summer We have 4 acres in woodland surrounded by natural streams on three sides. Just yesterday,we had at least 3 wood thrush calling back an forth both in early morning and again in the early evening. I was so delighted to hear them. They seem to enjoy singing high in our oak trees.

I am finding many Box Elder burls here in Missoula.  For some reason the trees are very prone to burls.

I have a red fox that trotted through the clearing on edge of woods outside my work window.  Short hair no hair on tail and laid down in front of the window scratching its back. Emaciated.  I started ivermectin today.  I had given it a rotisserie chicken on thurs when I was leaving work.  Chicken is gone. I’m using a dog squeaky toy to let it know there is food. This sounds like a rabbit to them. I just don’t want it laying in front of my window with clients gasping at how aweful it looks.  I will see if this treatment works.

Thank you, Douglas. We’re committed to keeping it going for a full year, at minimum. We started the series as a way to help people connect with local nature and seasonal change during the pandemic. Really appreciate the positive feedback!

Thanks for the kind comments!! Noreen, was Dan Bean at St. Mikes when you studied? He’s another fan of all things aquatic. Cindy, these spiders are reasonably common, but not so common that I could easily find one today if I wanted to; usually I stumble upon them when I’m looking for something else. Betsy, thanks for the poetry; I think we always need more of that.
Cheers
Declan

I’ve been working in the woods for 46 years. I have never see a red maple that has serrated leaves edges.

I have a very large old oak tree with a significant lean uphill at the back left corner of my cabin. It has many dead limbs in the top and it has significant insect damage showing at the base. There is a large hole showing at the base and I just can’t tell how much solid is left in the base of the tree. My neighbor has forbid me from felling it onto his property, which leave me only one direction to fell it and that is in the opposite direction of the lean downhill onto my property, or hire a company who can take it straight down piece by piece. Any suggestions?

Thank you for these most informative posts.
I hope you’ll bee able to keep them up through the seasons.

Thelma,

Wild grapes ripen in early fall, so although there’s going to be some variation, my best guess would be the second half of September.

We have several herds that regularly come through our property.  The smaller herd of a buck and 4 doe also had 2 fawn.  The doe was killed by a car.  My husband confirm she had been lactating.  The babies stayed in the paddock next to the road seeming to wait for her.  I tried to put out goat milk replacer and kid feed, but they seem more interested in grass.  They have not joined either herd and none of the does adopted them although they socialize a bit in the evening.  They do wander, but always come back.  It’s been 3 weeks.  Are they still waiting for the doe? They seem fine. I just wish they would join a herd rather than be alone.

There is a similar story of an English dandy in a horse and buggy who observed a big Scots lad who was piling rocks on a stone boat .
“What are you growing -rocks?”
The young lad stood up tall puffed out his chest and answered “No .Men!”

I found some wild grapes in the mini forest along the recreational trails of Brampton this first week of July 2020. Their fruits are small green in colour. When will these grapes be ready for harvest?

I grew up with a Dad who flew from the rural Fryeburg Maine airport, and later got my license, too. Your words reflect my history with this beautiful area - and how the added appreciation of our Northeast wildlands is enhanced when viewed from above!

Yes-skimming the White Mt.‘s is a thrill, and seeing the huge glacial boulders in the bottom of our pond is all one needs to fuel up for another take-off. Thanks for all you do for our special environment. JH

Great information. I have dry aged my venison in a fridge for many years but never with a fan. I think I am going to put a fan in my fridge this year. I do usually get the burgundy color but not as evenly as what you show here.