OUTDOORS: Keep cool when dealing with ice
Dec. 23—Did it get cold enough for you? Wow, this is an arctic blast that they claim to be once in a generation. One is enough as far as I'm concerned!
This cold is definitely going to bring on some ice and, with that ice comes danger that you need to be aware of. Early ice does not come without risks!
Early ice is not the most stable ice; neither is late ice or milky ice. Early ice takes some time to form uniformly, therefore there are some areas of a body of water that may have four inches of ice while other areas may have only two inches of ice. Be careful and drill test holes continuously until you are satisfied that you know just how stable the ice is.
Don't become a statistic simply because you want to be a tough guy; be smart because that water is cold!
The one thing that bare trees reveal this time of the year is just how many squirrel nests there are in an area, such as your neighborhood. Just look around and find those large patches of leaves high up in the trees; most likely those are squirrel nests.
Squirrels build those bulky nests during the spring and continue to use them throughout the summer. A squirrel nest is called a drey and dreys are normally made from a collection of leaves, twigs, bark, moss and other compressed materials
Sometimes the dreys are build into tree cavities but most of the time they are build on limbs twenty feet or higher, in fact, I saw one that was built on a limb that was above a street with cars driving under it. Most of these nests are at least twenty feet high.
Normally there are 2-9 squirrels in a nest; the normal is 2-4. Squirrels normally have two litters per year so this might give you some idea of why there are so many in an area. Count the number of nests around your home, take that times two (litters twice a year) and then figure 2-4 young per litter,
I did my student teaching in Olney, Illinois; home of the white squirrels! I did a lot of squirrel-counting with a naturalist I met while teaching and, our finding were 4 squirrels per nest almost every time. A few nests had three; I don't remember ever seeing two.
Look around your neighborhood and see just how many squirrel nests you can see; winter is the perfect time.
Another thing the barren trees allow you to see is just how close you might have come to a hornet nest last summer or fall. They are just as easy to spot now as are the squirrel nests.
Enjoy the winter as it's a long time until spring! The winter equinox occurred this past Wednesday so days will be getting longer now. Don't expect to notice it anytime soon!
Sam Van Camp writes about the outdoors on Saturdays. Fax: 446-6648. E-mail: pamnsam70@aol.com
