|
The Greenwater Report for March 27, 2001 |
||
|
|
||
|
(images by, John Cang, Doug Nuttall, and Greg Lasley) |
||
| Greenwater Provincial Park - April 2, 2001 - By: Gerald Crawford | ||
|
about |
April 1st, 2001. Pretty nice weather, getting down to about -10 at night then warming up considerably in the daytime. Likely about right for this time of year. Our snow is rapidly diminishing, but there is still lots around. We were in Saskatoon Friday and Saturday, and west of Humboldt there is almost no snow, except in the ditches. Nothing at all in Saskatoon. | |
|
|
||
|
Watson |
We stopped at Watson on our way home last night. Our grandson, Dave Grimson, has been playing AA Midget hockey with the Watson Rockets, and last night's game was the last one for the Provincial championship. They went into it three points down from their last game; managed to gain two points over the Unity Lasers but just couldn't make that last point, so Unity Lasers are the champs. The rink was packed and incredibly noisy, and the game was very fast and rough. Those kids are getting pretty big, though most of them aren't filled out yet, and have had a lot of hockey experience, so put on a good game. | |
|
|
||
|
Mel |
Shirley Miller came into the Cove this morning and remarked that there was a nice gray car outside with a flat tire. Mel Tkachuk got very concerned and went dashing out. He came back in grinning, and we remembered it was April Fool's Day. | |
|
|
||
|
withdrawal |
Fishing is over with for a few weeks. George Renneberg wasn't down for coffee; Shirley said he is going into withdrawal. | |
|
|
||
|
two |
After hurting my back last Saturday, I was all stiffened up on Monday morning, so we took off for some chiropractic help. Doreen was driving, I was in the back seat. Right in Bjorkdale, two deer chose a bad time to cross the road. Doreen hit the brake, I snapped into the seat belt, and the deer escaped by inches. For a little while there, I thought we may not have to go to the chiropractor! | |
|
|
||
|
Great |
Ted Hardman sent me a clipping from a recent Rural Roots about banding of great gray owls in the Paddockwood area. Stuart Houston (the Owl Man) and Brent Terry, with help from five interested people from the area, caught and banded five owls recently. In a letter to the reeve and council of Paddockwood R.M., Mr. Houston said: "the largest southward migration of the beautiful Great Gray Owl ever reported. Normally, Great Grays live near tamarack swamps deep in the mixed forest; this year they have moved south into farmland. We saw 11 Great Grays and were able to catch, place aluminum bands on the right leg and release unharmed five of these tame, confiding birds." He refers to Great Grays as being extremely beneficial and eat only mice. | |
|
|
||
|
band |
Mr. Houston asks if anyone comes on a dead or injured bird, please examine it and see if there is an aluminum band hiding in the thick leg feathers. If a band is found, please contact John Dinius at 989-4403. | |
|
|
||
|
pet |
Laurel Steiestol, who lives about four miles east of the Park gate, tells me she had a pet moose for awhile in February. It was a young cow, likely last spring's calf, and had a lesion on its front leg that seemed to give it some trouble. It took up residence in a lean-to off her workshop, and didn't seem to worry when she had power tools going. Laurel thinks it was looking for shelter from February's cold snap. Laurel brought over a couple of hay bales and it ate them up completely, even to licking the hay dust off the snow. It also trimmed all her shrubs for her. It was pretty tame as long as one didn't approach too closely; on one occasion, Laurel's grandson, Chad, got too close and the moose stuck its nose out and put its ears back. Laurel hollered at Chad to move away quickly, and no harm was done. On another occasion, when Laurel got too close, it showed the same aggressive manner, so she made a wide detour. After three weeks Lenard Teale came over with his four-wheel-drive tractor to push some snow; that big, snorting monster scared the moose and it took off, and hasn't been seen since. | |
|
|
||
|
Jenny's |
Jenny's cats have been relocated! Jenny sold her cottage here at the Park and bought a house in Kelvington, to be closer to her store, Crawford's Family Fashions. She made the move about a week ago, and we visited her last Wednesday. The cats had been pretty nervous for the first couple of nights, but when we were there they seemed to be settling down. At least they all came out to visit us. She wants to keep them in the house until they feel at home, thinking they would be less likely to roam. | |
|
Gerald B. Crawford |
||
| Reference on Great Grey Owls | ||
| good write up and reasonable picture of this bird http://www.biologyofnature.com/page1002.html | ||
| facts sheet on greys http://www.raptor.cvm.umn.edu/newwebdev/raptor/rfacts/ggo.html | ||
| picture of grey in flight by John Cang http://www.johncangphoto.com/11brd.htm | ||
| pictures and the sounds of the greys http://www.owlpages.com/species/strix/nebulosa/Default.htm | ||
| picture used by Greg Lasley http://www.owlpages.com/species/strix/nebulosa/greatgrey3.html | ||
| inflight picture by Dough Nuttall http://www.wildlifephotocanada.com/go.html | ||
