Elk Rapids Almanac - December 2020
December 8: If you have the chance, try to go for a walk at night down North Bayshore Drive. I always hear so many owls. I have even seen one too. I have been doing this pretty often during the month of December. -Frannie Klein, Elk Rapids student Eco Club.
December 13: Yesterday I was walking the beach at Maple Bay. I flushed a white spotted bird and realized it was a Snowy Owl. I have been looking for them lately due to reports of their presence on our area. -Gary Stauffer.
December 19: A rescued and rehabilitated Snowy Owl was released back into the wild today at Maple Bay Preserve. The owl was discovered a month ago, injured and starving along route 31 near Pellston. The mature male owl, now fully recovered and ready for release, calmly surveyed his surroundings while cradled briefly by a North Sky Raptor Rehabilitation caretaker. The caretaker walked to the middle of the field, lifted him into the air, and with a faint swish of his wings he ascended and disappeared over the treetops toward the bay---a truly inspiring sight, captured in photos by Tom Baird. -Royce Ragland.
Note: With an impressive wingspan up to 6 feet, snowy owls are a magnificent sight increasingly observed in the Elk Rapids area. They are both nocturnal and diurnal, hunting their prey during nighttime or daylight hours. We should avoid getting too close to them as it may disturb their search for food. They are known to dive bomb humans in nesting grounds, and have been known to attack artic wolves.
More info: Where and How to Spot a Snowy Owl in Northern Michigan, with expert Elliot Nelson, of Michigan Sea Grant Extension Service.
https://mynorth.com/2020/12/where-how-to-spot-a-snowy-owl-in-northern-michigan/;
www.Treehugger.com
December 21 marks the Winter Solstice, the day with the least amount of sunlight. Your shadow at noon is the longest shadow you’ll see all year long, as the next day the sun’s path begins to advance northward again, reaching it’s most northerly point on the Summer Solstice, July 21.
Ancient legend states that forest animals can speak in human language on Christmas Eve.
Thought: “Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders. We see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread”. -Wendell Berry.
December 8: If you have the chance, try to go for a walk at night down North Bayshore Drive. I always hear so many owls. I have even seen one too. I have been doing this pretty often during the month of December. -Frannie Klein, Elk Rapids student Eco Club.
December 13: Yesterday I was walking the beach at Maple Bay. I flushed a white spotted bird and realized it was a Snowy Owl. I have been looking for them lately due to reports of their presence on our area. -Gary Stauffer.
December 19: A rescued and rehabilitated Snowy Owl was released back into the wild today at Maple Bay Preserve. The owl was discovered a month ago, injured and starving along route 31 near Pellston. The mature male owl, now fully recovered and ready for release, calmly surveyed his surroundings while cradled briefly by a North Sky Raptor Rehabilitation caretaker. The caretaker walked to the middle of the field, lifted him into the air, and with a faint swish of his wings he ascended and disappeared over the treetops toward the bay---a truly inspiring sight, captured in photos by Tom Baird. -Royce Ragland.
Note: With an impressive wingspan up to 6 feet, snowy owls are a magnificent sight increasingly observed in the Elk Rapids area. They are both nocturnal and diurnal, hunting their prey during nighttime or daylight hours. We should avoid getting too close to them as it may disturb their search for food. They are known to dive bomb humans in nesting grounds, and have been known to attack artic wolves.
More info: Where and How to Spot a Snowy Owl in Northern Michigan, with expert Elliot Nelson, of Michigan Sea Grant Extension Service.
https://mynorth.com/2020/12/where-how-to-spot-a-snowy-owl-in-northern-michigan/;
www.Treehugger.com
December 21 marks the Winter Solstice, the day with the least amount of sunlight. Your shadow at noon is the longest shadow you’ll see all year long, as the next day the sun’s path begins to advance northward again, reaching it’s most northerly point on the Summer Solstice, July 21.
Ancient legend states that forest animals can speak in human language on Christmas Eve.
Thought: “Outdoors we are confronted everywhere with wonders. We see that the miraculous is not extraordinary, but the common mode of existence. It is our daily bread”. -Wendell Berry.
Snowy Owl - Picture by Tom Baird
Snowy Owl - Picture by Tom Baird
Snowy Owl - Picture by Tom Baird