Enid and the Ravens

Henry is a raven who shares Viking Island with us. For years he watched over the island and came flying in for a visit when I called. We were friends. Twice he built a nest on the water tower and I had to move him. The first time his little ones were left on the ground. He and I brought them up together. The second time, my nephew, Colin, and his friend, Kyle, built a fake water tower on the east side of the island. We moved the nest and little ones. Henry were fine with that.

Last year, Henry did not return to the island and I missed him. I watched the sky and called all summer but he never answered. When I arrived at Viking Island on Sunday, one of his little ones (I think) was back with a partner and busy constructing a nest on the top of the water tower.

Hmmm another move coming up!

I am not too great at climbing that tower....pretty wimpy about it actually. With Hugh holding the ladder and Henry flying around above us, I tried to take a peak in the nest. It appeared that it was built and not occupied so we took it down. Under Henry's watchful eye, I moved the nest. It needs some expert revamping but I hope they are willing to move again!

Please Henry, leave home and move into your own place!!

Flight down Red Lake

Hugh and I took a Sunday flight out west on a beautiful spring day. The ice on Red Lake is completely gone from Fisher Islands west. In front of Forestry Point, there is still ice shore to shore, but it won't last long. On Wednesday, Dan Baughman plans to boat up Red Lake to Bow Narrows Camp with his big boat. This will be a record for him and for the books.The water is low everywhere. Check out Hugh's new dock at Optic which now looks like an observation deck!

Howey Bay - the morning of April 16th!

This is a picture of Howey Bay this morning. It is amazing to see the ice breaking up so early in the spring. This is sure to be one of the earliest break-ups in history. It will be interesting to see how different the fishing is this summer...the fish have a month head-start.

This week's forecast is for warm temperatures, sun and wind. So, the ice should be gone in no time! People are starting to worry about haw this weather will affect forest fires in the region. Harriet plans of working for the Ministry of Natural Resources this summer, fighting forest fires. She may have a busy summer!

Parked at the Bridge and ready to go

Hugh has the plane on floats. He'll be taking a trip around soon to check ice conditions on our lakes to the west.
Thank you Joanne for pictures of Hugh's first landing of the year.

take- off from the Ice, land on the river

Each year this is a big event. Push the plane off the shore onto the ice. Check it out and take the first flight of the season. The plane looks unnatural perced up on the ice but Hugh assures me that the take-off is fairly normal. He waits until the ice surface is very smooth and a touch soft, then, checks the runway carefully.

The ice is weak. The plane left a depression in the ice and Hugh was happy to be off. He landed successfully at the river and the plane is now on floats parked at the bridge.

Our season has begun!

Viking Island on TV

Last August Tas with Real Outdoor Destinations came to Viking Island to film a TV show. Here are just a few clips from the show. If you would like a DVD of the show, I can mail one to you.

Thank you Wade and Gwyneth for hosting this show
and letting me sit back and watch !

Ice Update: April 8

Hugh was out measuring the ice again today. It is down to 16 inches
now. Drilling was ridiculously easy. No ice chunks came out of the hole....just slush. Hugh is sticking with his ice out prediction of April 19.

Miners of West Virginia

In this mining town, like every mining town across the world, our hearts go out to the miners in West Virginia. We hold out hope for the four still missing and listen for updates. We are happy to see pictures of miners pulled alive from the flooded mine in China.

Red Lake is a gold mining town. Everyone here is tied in some way to the Gold Corp Mine. My son, Arthur, works a mile underground as a heavy duty mechanic. He likes his job and the men he works with. It is definitely the right job for him. Everyday he confronts another challenge troubleshooting and fixing the equipment, old and new, at the bottom of the mine.

Gold Corp has a fantastic safety record which the miners are proud of and work to uphold. However, they all know that nothing is perfect and they live with the risks of being underground daily. They listen to the rock pop around them as it moves and releases pressure. They keep in mind where the closest refuge station is. If they smell stink gas, released as a signal, they head for surface.

They are proud to be Miners even as they feel connected

to their fellow miners in West Virginia and China

Fixing the Dock ??

He doesn't look like he's working TOO hard, but hopefully the dock will be ready for open water. The plane is ready to fly and there is just enough open water on the river. We will just wait for the perfect ice conditions to fly it off; smooth and a tough soft.

Real Outdoors with Craig

I now have the original version from Real Outdoor Destinations. If you would like a copy, please let me know and I will send a DVD to you.

Here is a short clip....

It's what he does

Hugh predicts an Early Break-up...Even a Record

Hugh is getting ready to fly the plane off the ice on floats and land it on the river where the ice is gone. I'm hoping he will take a flight around to see what's happening on the lakes to the west.
I am always anxious but excited to see that plane rev up and take off from the ice. I can hear the ice battering the floats and I am just willing that plane to reach for the sky.
It is the day that I realize that I am not ready... there is so much to do before opening day.

Once the plane is in the water, our season has begun!

Break up Dates

Florence has kept records of break-up since 1966. She records the day a plane lands on floats on Howey Bay.
On April 20, 1987, Hugh landed on Howey Bay with CF-BYA, the Cessna 180.
In 1959, she remembers going by boat up Red Lake to Trout Bay portage on April 29.
On the other hand, on May 21 in 2002, we were finally able to move the Beaver to our dock in front of the office.
Unless there is a huge big snowstorm, and terrible cold, 2010 will be the earliest break-up on record.

I am predicting April 17 for 2010....no money on that!

Oh yes it could snow and freeze yet!

I wonder how these big differences in break-up times affects fish spawning. Sometime during the 1980's, there was a widely successful walleye spawn. I have watched that age class grow up. It accounted for a huge percentage of the fish in the lake. Now these are the fish measuring around 26 inches and we see lots of them.
I wonder if an early break-up is a good set-up for another very successful spawn. I can hope but don't know the science behind this.

Last time Ice Fishing for this Season

Dominic Dodic, Vito and Carmine Masi are fishing right out in front of Green Airways today. They say the ice is already candling and going fast. For tonight, though, they will be feasting on fresh fish. As I visited Dominic had something big on his line, but his line snapped. They had 2 northern in their creel and were watching fish on their vexlars.
A couple of years ago, I watched Dominic land a huge lake trout from this very spot right in downtown Red Lake.

Hmmm, with fishing this good by the town docks,

why do I promote fly-in fishing??

Carmine predicts ICE OUT on Howey Bay

........April 17 (could be an all time record)