Rain, Rain, Flow Away

Spring can be the most frustrating season outdoors. Aside from really testing the theory of “no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothes,” it has a way of putting what we want out of sync with what we have. The temperature might be perfect, but there’s rain. If there’s no rain, it’s cold and windy. When it’s sunny, the ground is saturated and the rivers are high and muddy. Some years the cycle seems to repeat over and over until June. If you’re looking for an excuse not do something, you’re in luck. But then there’s always a couple of days when everything is just right. Take advantage of those, but go outside whenever you have the chance. 

Ready for the Worst

While weather patterns across the country seem altered recently, thanks to the community response to the devastation of the Dayton flood of 1913, local worries about the massive flooding on that scale are tempered. From March 23rd to March 26th of that year, 8-12 inches of rain fell on Southwest Ohio ground that couldn’t absorb any more. The Great Miami River came out of its banks, destroying levees, and rising to 20 feet above normal in downtown Dayton. When the water receded, more than 360 people were left dead and scores of buildings and property destroyed. Almost immediately, engineer Arthur Morgan was hired by local leaders to design a regional flood protection system. His design won awards, and more importantly, protects the area. Records of top events show that even the biggest flows barely test the capacity of the systems in place. The Taylorsville Dam for example, has only been pushed past 10% of its capacity once since it was created. 

https://www.mcdwater.org/flood-protection/taylorsville-dam 

Read the complete column here: Rainy Season Is Here, You're Protected in Dayton

If you’re interested in learning more about the largest drainage in our area and what’s happening, the Five Rivers Metro Park is hosting an EcoTalk series that will address Fisheries and Wetland Research on March 10th. 

EcoTalk: Fisheries and Wetland Research

Mar. 10 6:00pm - 7:30pm

AGE: 12 and up | FREE

River and Floodplain Restorations in the Great Miami River Watershed

by Donnie Knight, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Partners for Fish and Wildlife Program

Fish Management and Research in Southwest Ohio

By Mike Porto, Fisheries Biologist, ODNR - Division of Wildlife

https://www.metroparks.org/programs-events-finder/?program_number=V212&api=programs&type=program 

Resources

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/16/texas-flooding-houston-climate-change-disaster?CMP=share_btn_tw 

https://www.mcdwater.org/blog/history/exploregreatfloodhistory

https://www.mcdwater.org/flood-protection/englewood-dam 

https://www.mcdwater.org/maps/taylorsville-metropark 

First Robin of the Year VS First Robin of Spring

"Honest as a robin on a springtime windowsill," sang Randy Travis in the hit song, "Deeper than the Holler." Turns out the robin isn't an automatic harbinger of spring. However, that little bugger singing on your windowsill at 6 in the morning isn't a liar either. 

Some of the earliest migrators to return back to Southwest Ohio from southern climes and establish breeding territories, they’d follow food sources back. The early bird gets the worm - and the prime location. We know and associate robins and worms. At least that’s what I was taught and thought in grade school. Turns out seeing a robin after New Year's is about as good a predictor of the coming spring as a groundhog seeing its shadow, meaning not very good at all. Where they actually spend the winter is more complicated than the temperature and the calendar. 

It’s true, robins often migrate great distances. Some have been documented flying from Alaska to Mississippi. It’s also a fact that robins are found in all 48 continental United States year round, and some barely migrate at all, maybe 60 miles, maybe less. They even spend winters in Minnesota and Canada. But they don’t show up at traditional backyard winter bird feeders. When we don’t see them hopping around yards, it’s natural to assume they all flew south. The truth is, they follow the food, like just about everything else.

Read the complete column here: Seeing this bird doesn't mean winter is over

Resources

Audubon Field Guide - Hear calls here - https://www.audubon.org/field-guide/bird/american-robin 

Are Robins Really a Sign of Spring

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/ask-kenn-are-american-robins-really-sign-of-spring

Robin Migration

https://explorer.audubon.org/explore/species/1055/american-robin/migration?_gl=1*1s8l2jj*_gcl_au*NTU3NjgyNTU1LjE3NzE4Nzk4NzY.*_ga*MTU5MjIxMTI4My4xNzcxODc5ODc3*_ga_X2XNL2MWTT*czE3NzE4Nzk4NzckbzEkZzEkdDE3NzE4ODA1NTAkajYwJGwwJGgw&layersPanel=expand&legend=collapse&zoom=2&x=-757140.2805500003&y=3649623.827899999&range=0.2346%2C0.2546 

Ohio DNR - American Robin

https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/animals/birds/american-robin 

A Starling in a Pear Tree

https://ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1346&context=uhp_theses 

100 Years of Cunning Super Genius Canis Latrans

Years ago, (let’s say late 1990’s) I was taking an early spring morning walk on the edge of a fenceline with my German Shorthaired Pointer, Eva. When a coyote popped out in front of us, maybe 60 yards from me and 30 yards from Eva, I wasn’t sure what to expect: Eva had never took a step backwards in her entire life. When the coyote bolted, she took off after it and made up the 30-yard head start in less than 100 yards. Calling her back was to no avail, so I ran too. 

I learned two things that morning. First, coyotes aren’t nearly as fast as I had expected. No wonder Wile E. Coyote can never catch the roadrunner. And two, I didn’t worry as much about encounters with single coyotes and my medium-sized dogs anymore, at least not ones traveling alone. Coyotes are survivalists, and tangling with hunting dogs isn’t smart for that objective. My perspective would change if the dog were smaller and alone, or multiple coyotes were involved.

A Century of Coyotes

Coyotes weren’t Ohio residents at the turn of the last century. The first sighting was around 1919, a handful of decades after wolves were extirpated from the state. At a time when many other wildlife populations were just beginning to recover across the state, whitetail deer for example, they walked in at an average weight of 35 pounds as the new apex predator on the block. Read the complete column here: This cunning predator has called Ohio home for 100 years

Sweet End to Winter - Maple Syrup

According to Buddy the Elf, the fourth and most natural (least processed) of the elves’ food groups is syrup.

Judging by the movie scenes, it’s maple syrup — that’s what people mean when they say syrup. It doesn’t need additional description unless it’s not maple.

And while some states to the north of Ohio have a reputation for great syrup, Southwest Ohio is no slouch. There are a number of local producers available. Starting soon or now is the time to begin tapping maple trees and collecting syrup. While I’ve never done it, it’s something within the reach of anyone with access to some maple trees, some basic tools and some time, at least according to the Ohio State Extension Office and the internet.

Check out details and a list of events here: Events highlight the local maple syrup making process

Feb. 14: Maple Celebration and Backyard Bird Count at Armco Park: warrencountyparks.com

Feb. 21: Maple Sugaring for Beginners at Caesar Creek: ohiodnr.gov

Feb. 21: Maple Sugaring at Carriage Hill Metro Park" metroparks.org

March 14: 59th Annual Maple Syrup Festival at Hueston Woods: ohiodnr.gov

Hobby maple syrup production: ohiomaple.org/documents/Hobby-Maple.pdf

It’s of Snow Value to You

A blanket of snow. Today, most people hear the phrase and think of it only as a visual metaphor, if they think of it at all. Snow covers everything; it looks like a blanket, end of story. What’s really happening is much more than a visually blanketing; it’s a literal blanket. And it’s not just for Nordic babies taking winter naps outside (living that “no such thing as bad weather” early), it's part of the seasons of life.

Snow is a little bit of frozen water surrounded by a lot of air. Just like home insulation is some foam or fiberglass with pockets of air (just ask these guys), it provides a barrier to the different temperatures on both sides without conducting it through. And while to our exposed skin ice particles are cold, temperature is relative. In many instances (take last week for example), the snow is comparatively much warmer than the outside air temperature. This provides protection for plant roots and stems from extreme cold or dramatic freeze and thaw cycles. 

Read the column on the Dayton Daily News website here: The Real Power of a Blanket of Snow

Different animals deal with winter and snow in varying ways. On extremely cold nights, ruffed grouse will sometimes give up their roost in trees for one under the snow, diving into the powder to completely cover themselves until morning. Check out this video.

Resources

Nordic Babies in Winter

Farmers Almanac - Winter Garden

Nitrogen and plants

Ruffed Grouse Under Snow

Winter Reptilian and Amphibian Survival

Ohio Ticks and Diseases

Boundary Waters

 Have you been? I haven't. Want to go ... ever? i certainly do. Check the progress.

New Outdoor Callings, Maybe with Calls

Another waterfowl hunting season come and gone in Southwest Ohio (well maybe one more week for geese) and I didn’t hunt waterfowl. I joke about embracing cold or wet, but never the two simultaneously. Cold and wet is what waterfowl hunting has always looked like to me, never mind the really early mornings. But I know there has to be more to it than that because it clearly gets to people I know and becomes their passion. 

I was pheasant hunting along the Mad River years ago when I heard what I was sure had to be the worst duck caller in the world. It didn’t sound at all what I thought a duck call should sound like. Clearly my experience was limited, because there weren’t any other hunters on the property, just hundreds of ducks filling up the ice free river that day. I filed that in my brain under “outdoor TV shows haven’t actually taught me much about duck hunting.” So I don't know anything, but there are ways to learn. The ODNR has outlined steps.

• The Benefits of Learning to Hunt
• Waterfowl Hunting Considerations
• Hunter Education and Safety
• Build Your Skills: Learning Opportunities
• Learning Resources: Preparing for the Hunt
• Learning Resources: Hunting Equipment
• Learning Resources: Hunting Waterfowl
• Learning Resources: After the Hunt
• Cooking - Make Your Culinary Experience Wild!

Read the complete column here: It's a good time to prepare for new outdoor interests

Check out the ODNR Getting Started information here, from pollinator gardens to waterfowl decoy setup.

Wildharvest Community

Getting Started Waterfowl Hunting

Cabela's Bargain Cave

It's a Start

This right now is the extent of my duck-hunting equipment: a gifted call that I have no idea how to use.