New Hampshire Nature Notes
by Eric Orff
Just ducky today
Thursday 10/04/2012
Derek Picking up the Decoys
Full Face of Fall
Duck Hunter's View
Just ducky. The weather that is. Got out duck hunting with my son-in-law Derek early this morning. Discovered another indicator of how old I'm getting. Got out at Oh dark hundred. To a special spot a half mile 4x4 drive into a secrete spot. Sounds of humans are gone here. No distant traffic or barking dogs. At marsh edge by 6 am 15 minutes before shooting time. Too dark to see much but heard the swooshing of air thru duck wings as a half dozen woodies dropped into the beaver pond shrouded in darkness before me. Listen to the woowee of the hen woodies. Thinking I love hunting ducks but not so much shooting them now. Old age has crept in. But had they come my way I would be shooting for sure. But they read my mind and headed out the back door. Fog or clouds hung like cotton against the hill beyond the far side of the marsh and slowing oozed thru the trees at ponds edge only to disappear over the water. A single osprey circled the pond as the darkness became day spooking the ducks. My duck eyes were soon gathering in the glolry of the fully colored trees along the far side of the marsh silhouetted against the cotton sky. Not a bad way to start the day. Photo is my son-in-law picking up the deeks. A mighty fine day of hunting.
Two weekends ago now I headed over to the coast on a gloriously sunny and warm day to the Coastal Conservation Association NH Oysterpalooza. Good food and had a chance to chat with friends and former co-workers from Fish and Game. I took some time after to drive the coastal route 1-A south a bit. All along the winding road with the sea to my left I watched for others traveling this same route it seemed. Monarch butterflies were drifting south at sea's edge as well. I counted a dozen or more floating along as if on a wave as the sea broke over the rocks below us. I still am in awe that they are headed to Mexico.
No frost here yet at my house and most of my garden remains untouched by frost. But all has been harvested. My mother has been busy canning both green tomato pickles and the baskets of ripening tomatoes lining her breezeway hall.
We are at or very close to peak color around here. At least all the maples have turned bright orange and red. Every turn of the head fill my eyes with another glorious view seeming better than the last glance. How I want to soak it all in. And this under gray rainy skies. Tomorrows sun will spike things up exponentially. Life is sooo good right now.