HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Daddy keeping an eye on us

Can you spot the baby's head sticking out

A side view - if you can see it

We were working at Joanne and Mitch's and John came over and told us about a Piliated Woodpecker's nest he had found - those birds are elusive at the best of times and to see a nest with babies heads out of the nest and the parents flying around, well that was too good to pass up - and I just happened to have my camera with me - surprise surprise. We crept around to where the nest was and I looked up - there was one of the babies sticking his head out of the hole in the tree - just seeing what was going on. Can you see him? Then the father came flying around (because it is Father's Day, it was the father woodpecker) He landed on a nearby tree just to assess the situation. He kept a close eye on us the whole time we were under the tree - I got my shots and then we moved on. It was quite exciting to see. They are big birds and very shy - you are lucky if you see them on trees - their call sounds like monkeys to me.

We collected about 100 polliwogs from the river and planted them in our lake - more frogs, just what we need. But the bass will thank us. We let them go by the beaver dam - it is nice and shallow there with mud to hid in. The next day they were all gone - I didn't see any bass licking their lips so I don't know what happened to them.

I hope everyone had a good Father's Day. My Father passed away about 30 years ago.

I have more bad memories of him than good ones, but the good ones were very good. I remember on Sunday mornings when Shirley Temple movies were playing - he always commented that the stories were always of her loosing her father.

He was a hero - he flew a pregnant woman about to give birth from Pelee Island to the Windsor Airport in the middle of the night with no landing lights on the island runway - the locals drove their cars to the runway and turned their lights on for him to guide him.

But he had his demons as we all do. He could not control his and it affected his life and everyone around him. I have learned his lessons.

See ya Bye