Sitting on the deck watching sunrise is a favorite way to pass some time in the morning. It also allows me to think about what has happened or what we might be doing today. In this case I was thinking about yesterday.
About a week or ten days ago we found a group of Mourning cloak caterpillars on a small willow next to our wood shed. A couple of days ago one of the caterpillars was on the side of the cabin. Two days ago it looked like this was the spot it would spend the winet. Yesterday confirmed that. I hope that it doesn’t freeze there. Normally this would be low in the grasses or on a small shrub.
Late in the morning I walked to the point and helped move the waterfowl shack from it’s spring site to the fall site. Left to right – Jim, Kurt, Frank, Lynn and Cory. Now let the birds show up.
Speaking of birds – something strange happened after dinner.
A Double-crested Cormorant showed up on the deck (a first) and wasn’t about to leave. But I walked it to the west edge when it flew down to the grasses and stayed. This is somewhat worrisome. First, having a cormorant in the first place. Second, having it not be immediately worried about me. And finally, having it sit in the grass for over two hours. I think that the bird is sick and the first thing that comes to mind is avian influenza. In the morning the bird was gone. The question is did it fly back to the lake or wander off somewhere to die? More on this if I figure out what happened.
Until next time…
Michael's Place 