Caledonia Fishing

Drove down from the cities and decided to fish Beaver Creek before meeting Merill at the country club. After a short rain shower I caught two small and two tiny trout, on a caddis dry fly.


View Beaver Creek, outside of State Park in a larger map

Turkey Hunting Time

After not getting a license via the lottery last year, we are in! Can't wait for Thursday when Jim and I will be heading for Caledonia, MN ("Wild Turkey Capital of Minnesota") and to get out in the woods, turkey or no turkey! If the turkeys are not showing up, I am sure there will be a Crooked Creek (see also the excellent MN DNR map, here) trout or two going after my fly.

2009 BWCA Trip Planning: pre-entry options

Some thoughts about the trip: from Yahoo maps and Google maps it looks like it's about one hour from Tofte to Sawbill Outfitters and another hour to Brule Lake. Sawbill Trail must be a dirt road, each of the legs is about 25 miles.

I would like to summarize a couple of options for the beginning of the trip:

We decided on option 1:

1. Tofte Lodging option:

• Pick up canoes at Sawtooth Outfitters in Tofte. Jim made reservations
• Pick up permit at Tofte Ranger Station Before 5PM on 8/18 or after 7AM on 8/19
• Spend night in Tofte (AmericInn has openings and pool!). Dave made reservations
• Head for #41 as early as possible
• Pros: a little more flexibility, comfortable digs, especially if it rains; dinner at restaurant
• Cons: about 30-45 minutes longer approach to entry point

2. Spend night at Sawbill Lake, Superior National Forest Campground option

• Pick up Permit at Tofte Ranger Station before 5PM on 8/18
• Pick up canoes at Sawbill Canoe Outfitters
• Sleep at SNF Campground next to outfitters. Wide open availability as of April 27)
• Head for #41 as early as possible
• Pros: less time to entry point (15-30 minutes time savings)
• Cons: break camp, need packed dinner, slight detour to get to entry point, if it rains, wet gear before taking off.

2009 BWCA Trip Planning

Finally got together with Jim and Dave to discuss this year’s Boundary Waters trip. For a while I had a sense that we would never get it off the ground so I am glad that we made a decision on date and location: BWCA Entrance Point #41 on Brule Lake, off the Sawbill Trail. For me, this is a new location. The vast majority of my trips were from Echo Trail and the Ely area, and one from the end of Gunflint Trail. Jim said that he and Mary had done a trip from Sawbill Lake. We are excited to take our group to a new area!


View BWCA 2009 Planning in a larger map

On the recommendation of a colleague I bought a new book, Exploring the Boundary Waters: A Trip Planner and Guide to the BWCAW by Daniel Pauly. An excellent guide! Dave had bought it this spring, too he liked it as well. I hear that Pauly is also behind Voyageur Maps, an alternative to the Fisher and McKanzie maps; they also have a good online presence. Here is a link to the map for the wider area around Brule Lake (Voyageur Map #9).

Sand Dunes State Forest

During orienteering outing to Sand Dunes State Forest had the good fortune to see two sandhill cranes take off from a marsh accompanied by their characteristic trumpeting. The woods were still devoid of greenery, the grass yellow and dead. Some of the hardwoods had buds that looked like they were ready to explode. The sun packed a real punch even when the wind early in the morning sported a raw edge. I am feeling its effects in my neck. Tom spotted a good-sized snake, later identified as a fox snake (Elaphe vulpina), that hissed at him. Looks like Tom caught this snake at the very northern edge of its distribution in MN.

Another presence over wide swaths of Sand Dunes SF is prickly ash (Zanthoxylum americanum). My arms and legs can attest that it deserves its name. Fortunately, the fields of poison ivy were not yet in evidence, but the setter and vetter of the orienteering course said they saw plenty of berries on last year's growth. I seem to have made it through without any exposure.

The Urban Wild: the Peregrine Falcons of Hamline-Midway

One fine day I came home from a jog with dog. As I was swinging from Hamline onto Englewood, I noticed a few feathers floating in the air. I looked up and noticed a bird of prey sitting on top of the highrise. I finished my run, picked up my binoculars and walked back. I easily identified a peregrine falcon snacking on the pigeon it had just caught.

That was a couple of years ago; I am glad to see that they are still around. James, my youngest told me a couple of weeks ago that he came across a bird of prey eating a pigeon at the intersection of Hamline and Seminary. From his description (large, black back and wings, white and speckled underside) it had to be a peregrine. I also found a couple of pigeon skelletons on our block and noticed one injured pigeon that (one that got away?). I did a google to see if anyone else did notice and came across a posting by Kirk and Mona of the Twin Cities Naturalist Podcast on a peregrine falcon traffic incident, with video from KARE11. It can be accessed here.

Of course there are other birds that prey on pigeons. I eleminated most of them because of size, behavior and range.

Cooper's hawk, sharp shinned hawk: hunt in thickets rather than in the open.
Goshawk, gyrfalkon: range and habitat
American kestrel, merlin: rather too small

Here are the loctions of my other sightings and observations:


View Peregrine Falcons in Midway, St. Paul, MN in a larger map

Tankah Bay and Cenote Manatee

Tankah Bay, What a cool place, Casa Cenote is a laid back restaurant at the beach (try the fish tacos). Across the dirt road is Cenote Manatee (scroll down on the page behind the link, fee was 20 pesos, a river vanishing underground with quite a current. On the other side of Casa Cenote it emerges a few steps from the beach from a gaping hole. When we were there, a massive school of fish (sardines? I'll have to wait and see if my photos are good enough for identification) kept right in front of the river outlet. Diving into the school gives you an eery sense of loss of orientation. Mac, Colin and James got a little scared at one point. Also, the current from the river is quite strong. But if you drift and paddle north along the beach you will soon come to the edge of the dropoff. I dove to the sandy bottom and followed the swarm when I suddenly saw several good sized tuna dash off. I tried and tried but was unable to see them again. James and I also observed a houndfish (Tylosurus crocodilus) skip on the surface with its catch, almost like a flying fish. I was able to get a picture later while swimming in Cenote Manatee. And I just have to get this fish in somehow, in the shallows we saw quite a few of the omnipresent slippery dicks (Halichoeres bivittatus).


View Tan Kah Bay and Casa Cenote in a larger map

On the way out we saw a turkey vulture, the first one, it seems that black vultures are more common.

Akumal--Last Day

It's blowing quite hard again today, good thing we went snorkeling yesterday, visibility won't be as good today. At dawn I went up to roof-top terrace to look at medow (or treeless area) just west of our building. I scanned the edges for quite a while. My patience was rewarded, albeit with a rather ordinary and less than exotic animal: a good-sized racoon. I sat at the edge of a small clearing in the mangrove, looking around, scratching and after at least two minutes slowly continuing its way. When I had seen the open areas earlier, I had wondered how to reach them. Observing the racoon, I realized that even if I would reached the meadows, I would probably have a hard time getting along: there was water surrunding the racoon and the early morning light revealed water in many other places.

I returned to Laguna Legartos after my jog. Saw a big flock of the little blue herons, three cormorans and a parrot in flight. I walked across a rock outcropping that I had thought to be a peninsula. Now I realize that it is almost a bridge connecting the SW side of the lagoon with the NE where I saw the continuation of the trail. There was short stretch that required a few steps of wading. I did no want to do this in my running shoes so I relented.

Akumal Halfmoon Bay Beach

Finally less wind, which means fewer waves and less surf. There are still whitecaps but by far not as many as ealier in the week and the sea has by and large a friendlier appearance. I had writen off the two dives I had hoped to do but I would at least get some snorkeling in. James and I went out, the water clarity was much improved over our forays earlier in the week. Quite a few fish, at one time James and I were surrounded by a large school of mullets tha seemed to be circling us. We did not see the baracudas though a fisherman had promised. Lots of fan and brain coral. Lynn, Colin and Mac relieved us when we were tired. James said he saw a turtle. After the boys returned to the flat and Lynn settled in her lounger I went for another round. Saw two turtles a small one and a larger one, and more fish, in many different colors.

I love to follow te pelicans on their hunt for fish. It is amazing how a bird as large and heavy looking (I heard they are actually quite light) are able to survive a plunge into the water without any damage. I also seem to recall that they stun their prey by hitting it with their bodies (see here).

Sian Kaan Biosphere Day Trip

Our ride was there at 7:50 sharp, with Antonio our guide from Sian Ka'an Community Tours for the day and the driver. Loaded three sleepy boys, Lynn, myself and snorkling gear. Then off to Tulum for financials and to pick up two other clients, a German couple from Garmisch. A quick Chili Relenos taco from a roadside stand and then off to start the activities of the day. We started at the Muyil archeological site. Hot and stuffy in the jungle, just off Mex 307, a few miles south of Tulum. Saw a trogon but not much other wildlife, probably too hot already. The Muyil ruins are nice and almost deserted. Antonio, a local Mayan did a great job mixing natural and local history. Brought the perspective of the natives, too, who have a hard time eking out a living in spite of all the tourist development. Shared a lot of stories about his dad and from the time prior to the road passing by Muyil. He pointed out some poisonous and medicinal plants, most notably the chechen tree (also black poisonwood. looks like it is a good furniture wood, which Antonio mentioned too.) and was quite knowledgeable about the local fauna in general and bird life specifically.

Some landmarks we visited can be found here. We took a boardwalk trail from the archeological site to a lagoon, stopping on the way to climb a rickety looking fire tower. After a snack, we boarded a motor boat and headed across Laguna Muyil for a canal dug by the Mayans which we took to cross to Laguna Chunyaxche. From here we haded to the river outlet towards Laguna Boc Paila and stopped at a Mayan ruin, a customs post or toll house, according to Antonio. We changed in to swim gear and floated down the river. I have to say that I am not a big fan of floating inactively like that, but the mangrove thickets on the side gave some interesting observations, primarily various epiphytic plants. The boys moved ahead, like a bunch of otters, making sure that we would not see too much bird life.

After about a couple of kilometers we boarded the boat again and headed back to Laguna Muyil for a nice sit-down lunch of tamales, tacos and empanadas. There was a film crew working on a promotional video to advertse tours. The actors, all employees at hotels in the Playa del Carmen area somehow did not seem real.

On the way back to Akumal, we stopped at Cenote Escondido, a beautiful swimming hole with a nice cliff to jump from. Quite a variety of fish, too, and a big iguana in a tree.

A few hundred meters before arriving back ome I noticed some people looking and pointing intently at something at the roadside. There was an aguti, a rodent that takes the place of a rabbit or hare in Central and South America.

Gran Cenote, Tulum

Gran Cenote is on the road to Coba, about 5km outside of Tulum, entrance fee 100 Pesos/person. From outside, it looks like a cheap road-side attraction, but the cenote is spectacular. If you are snorkeling with a dive light, you can point the beam into holes of bottomless blackness, framed by white stalactites. Point your beam to the ceiling of the caves and you will find some bats awaiting dusk. They may be stirred out of their rest by the flashlight. The water is of a spectacular clarity.

Akumal is changing

Greg keeps telling me that when he came down here 25 years or so ago, for much of the way from Cancun the road was so narrow that the crowns of the trees from opposite sides of the road were touching. Now it's a 4 lane highway, from the looks of it soon to be a freeway. Major resorts and small towns, Akumal included, are building bridges across the expressway. Farewell sleepy Riviera Maya! On the upside, they do take recycling serious here. every building, every hotel and restaurant has recycling containers for various items. This is better than what you'll find at Florida condo complees (at least the ones I have visited) and Wisconsin or UP of Michigan recreational areas.
The sea is still quite rough today. Nevertheless James and I wen out for a little snorkle tour. Visibility was quite a bit better, alas no turtles.
Turtles galore on the other hand at Laguna Legartos. I couldn't count all the heads poking out from between the algea. Also, an interesting wading bird with gigantic feet and a relatively short beak, walking on top of the water plants, an my two cormorants diving and heartily feasting on fish. On the way there, I saw an orange oriole and a tropical mockingbird. Took a spur going W from the main trail, well marked with a little stone pyramid and found a sinkhole, partially submerged. Somebody is going through quite a bit of trouble maintaining these trails and breaking new ones, like the one to the sink hole.
Went to Yal Ku lagoon for some snorkling. Too late, already very busy and the water was quite troubled. Fortunately, the closer we got to the inlet, the clearer the water got. Like before, tons of fish, mostly Seargent majors but many others, too. Good way to spend the morning! Mac had a grea time, too.