The He Man fisherman and the river

[rayinpenn]

Yesterday my wife’s hummingbird feeder had its first visitor of the year. I love those buzzy little guys they,- like a caprese salad with ripe tomatoes they say summer like nothing else. My out door bug has been switched on by a couple of sunny days in the 70s and tons of gardening.

So it was inevitable when the fisherman magazine arrived fishing fever set in and I had a need that I to fill. No reason I shouldn’t go -right? It was kind of chilly today and it much will be gardening will be happening. Might as well see what this retirement thing is going to be like- right? As much as I love fishing you’d think I would go more often. The trouble is the as soon as it gets warm the only decent place to fish nearby (the next one is an hour and half away) will be over ridden with swimmers, canoeist and kayakers. They will also trash the place. It is more then sad because there is a covered bridge lots of mature trees and it is really a beautiful stream. So my fishing is limited to when we go on vacation.

So I acquired the necessary licenses (PA & De) put them on my cap (they must be displayed), affixed my special pliers with pouch to my belt and set out for the spot. Perhaps 20 minutes away. I arrived to find a half dozen cars in the lot. Funny thing not a single person was fishing. There were a bunch of guys on mountain bikes - clearly some kind of club. There were a couple of people who appeared to be having a clandestine amorous rendezvous and there were a couple of dog walkers. Nope, not a single soul fishing. I thought fine by me I hate crowds. The crystal waters looked fishy. I have a tackle box full of those expensive Mepps spinners. (I caught a monster Pike on one of those babies within sight of fort Ticonderoga). And of course I brought a backup two containers of worms should all else fail. I never met a stream fish that could resist a real wiggly worm.

I checked my ultra light reels drag to make certain the line would give should I hook a real monster like any real he-man fisherman would. That’s what i like about fishing you never know. Did I mention of have all manner of rods and reels in my basement. You know a mans got to have equipment -right? The monster hit on second cast and it was the only fish of the trip.

I hope this isn’t some kind of indication of future retirement fishing.

 

[RAE]

I love to fish, but one of the things I like about fishing around here is that there are usually few or no people around where I go fishing (usually smaller lakes that are not that easy to get to). If I had to deal with crowds of people, I'd probably go a lot less often.

 

[aja8888]

We have the Gulf of Mexico for real good fishing. Inland Texas lakes produce world class Largemouth Bass.

It's all about location, like real estate.

 

[Freedom56]

Speaking of hummingbirds... this one is nesting in our yard. The little bird was tripping the motion detector on our security camera as it flies in and out of its nest. There are two tiny eggs in the nest. Our yard is loaded with flowers so these birds can feast.

 

[Red Badger]

Speaking of hummingbirds... this one is nesting in our yard. The little bird was tripping the motion detector on our security camera as it flies in and out of its nest. There are two tiny eggs in the nest. Our yard is loaded with flowers so these birds can feast.

I put out our four HB feeders yesterday. DW and I love having a heliport surrounding our deck.

 

[rayinpenn]

Speaking of hummingbirds... this one is nesting in our yard. The little bird was tripping the motion detector on our security camera as it flies in and out of its nest. There are two tiny eggs in the nest. Our yard is loaded with flowers so these birds can feast.

Almost all hummers here are ruby throated...

 

[Freedom56]

The hummingbirds near our home have metallic violet spots on their throat. I snapped a photo of the two little eggs.

 

[rayinpenn]

The hummingbirds near our home have metallic violet spots on their throat. I snapped a photo of the two little eggs.

I think yours may be Rufous hummingbirds
https://www.google.com/search?q=typ...rida&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

 

[Freedom56]

I think yours may be Rufous hummingbirds
https://www.google.com/search?q=typ...rida&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Good to know. I'm going to periodically take some pictures and video of this bird. I have never seen humming bird chicks this close up before. The cats and other birds usually get to the nest first. However, this year our large owl that took care of the cat that hangs around our home and dumped it on our neighbors roof. We also have a hawk living in the trees behind our home who takes care of other birds (pigeons, quails) and any rodents. It does a great job.

 

[RobbieB]

Fishing (onna boat in the Delta) is on the list after the home improvements and the wedding.

 

[rmark]

We got our first hummingbird at the feeder yesterday. Awfully big lure for that fish.

 

[Mdlerth]

Lazy birds, never earning their keep

However, this year our large owl that took care of the cat that hangs around our home and dumped it on our neighbors roof. We also have a hawk living in the trees behind our home who takes care of other birds (pigeons, quails) and any rodents. It does a great job.

Speaking of the beautiful outdoors...

We have a vast population of barred owls in the neighborhood, not to mention a variety of hawks. Last year I even saw a bald eagle soaring over a nearby road! But they're all slackers (obviously a bunch of pampered millenials - ha ha! JK!).

You'd think with all those hungry raptors flying around, we'd be squirrel-free. Nope, not even close. Every year there are more and more of those d*** tree rats scampering about, gnawing on the deck and depositing fresh capers everywhere.

I wouldn't be surprised if all the bird feeders in the neighborhood are attracting and maintaining a population of feathered prey that distracts the airborne rodent-catchers from doing their jobs.

 

[HFWR]

Unless I whack one in the head with a sinker, the fish are safe...

 

[Scuba]

Speaking of hummingbirds... this one is nesting in our yard. The little bird was tripping the motion detector on our security camera as it flies in and out of its nest. There are two tiny eggs in the nest. Our yard is loaded with flowers so these birds can feast.

So cute! You’ll have to post an update when the eggs hatch.

 

[audreyh1]

I think yours may be Rufous hummingbirds
https://www.google.com/search?q=typ...rida&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

Breeding range for Rufous is from Oregon to Alaska and they have no purple/violet splotches either. There are several breeding hummers in Southern California. Look through those.

 

[f35phixer]

southern maryland - just got our first hummer....

 

[rayinpenn]

Breeding range for Rufous is from Oregon to Alaska and they have no purple/violet splotches either. There are several breeding hummers in Southern California. Look through those.

Only know what i read
“Hummingbirds live only in the Americas. Of the 338 species known, 16 are found in the United States and 3 occur in Florida. Black-chinned and rufous hummingbirds occasionally can be seen in Florida during the winter. The ruby-throated hummingbird (Figure 1) is by far the most common hummer in the state.”

 

[MRG]

We got our first hummingbird at the feeder yesterday. Awfully big lure for that fish.

I've seen ducklings taken off the St. Lawrence by northern pike and muskie. They're the original "Big Gulp".