Slowly, warmth is creeping up into the north. Sure, it may backslide for a day and there may be snow flurries, but overall, the trend is relentless and spring pushes forward. Fishing opener and Mother’s Day were earlier this year, and while many lakes were open, there were definitely still some which were ice bound. With the bright sun and some gusty winds, those remaining lakes will be open soon, if they aren’t already.
While lakes may have been open for the opener, another sign of spring didn’t quite make it here for Mother’s Day. We almost always mark our first hummingbirds of the year on or near Mother’s Day, but this year the tiny migrants are still hanging out to the south where flowers are open for business and there is nectar to be found.
Feeding hummingbirds is a lot of fun. Be sure to wash and sanitize your feeders before you fill them. Feeders often get mold in them over the winter, and the mold can damage a hummingbird’s liver. Use sanitizers which will leave no residue after rinsing. A weak bleach solution of one tablespoon per gallon left to air dry on the surface will leave no harmful chemicals behind and will sanitize most hard surfaces such as hummingbird feeders. Use sugar water ‘nectar’ to fill your feeders.
The usual mix is a four to one ratio – four measures of water to one of sugar. If you’re using normal tap water, there’s no reason to boil it. Mix hot tap water with the sugar, and allow the sugar to dissolve. If you do boil the solution to dissolve the sugar, be sure to cool it completely before using. I usually use a glass two-cup liquid measuring cup filled with two cups of hot water, add a half cup of sugar, and just wait for it to dissolve and come to room temperature.
Some sources say that early in the spring, when the birds are stressed from migration and need a little extra, you can up the mix to one part sugar to three cups water. That creates an energy drink for hummers… and can also get them to really like your feeder. By the end of May, you can go back to the four to one mix. Many commercial feeders hold far more sugar water than is necessary for our relatively few hummingbirds, and the mix will go bad and turn cloudy before it is used up. It’s better to only partially fill the feeder, and clean and fill the feeder more often.
Store extra sugar water in the refrigerator, but allow it to come to the outdoor temperature before filling. Not only is cold nectar bad for the birds, but putting cold nectar into the feeder will often cause it to squirt out later when the air space in the feeder warms up and expands.
Our fire danger has been high lately, so we are hoping for some spring showers. In an effort to minimize the risk to first responders in the event of wildfire on National Forest System lands, the Superior will continue to restrict campfires and the usage of wood burning and charcoal devices. However, we have revised the April 17, 2020, campfire ban to allow for the use of gas stoves and gas grills. As always, fireworks are not allowed on the National Forest.
In alignment with current federal, state and local guidance for social distancing and to ensure health safety of its employees, visitors and volunteers, we have also continued the closure of developed recreation facilities, including campgrounds and restrooms, as well as suspending trash pick-up until further notice. In addition, all overnight camping is shut down, and there is a group-size limitation of 10 people or fewer per group. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness remains closed to overnight use, but permitted day use is allowed.
Despite these limitations, the Forest remains a great place to go and take a drive to get away from it all. If you do go out driving, you may run into signs of another animal, which has been absent most of the winter.
With the lakes opening up, beavers are finally able to get out. Talk about sheltering at home and social isolation – beavers have been trapped in their lodges and in the water below the ice since last fall. Tree branches brought below the surface have acted as a larder over the winter, but the animals appear to be eager beavers in search of something tastier this spring, and the result is that we’ve seen a lot of trees down where beavers have been busy.
High spring meltwater also may be going over the dam, spurring beavers to do some repair work. A beaver’s idea of repair often doesn’t fit with our idea of repair and spring is when we see road flooding from beavers deciding to dam our culverts, or just from beavers creating a larger beaver pond that overruns the road. If you find a spot on the road system which has been affected by beaver activity, let us know so repairs can be made by us, not by the beaver.
Beaver cuttings are the only timber harvesting activities going on currently as the roads are still too wet to hold large trucks. They are drying out quickly though, with most larger roads in good shape. Smaller roads, which weren’t plowed in the winter, are still impassable.
Even if you can’t build a campfire right now, you can still have a nice shore lunch on a gas campstove with a couple of walleye fillets covered in saltine cracker crumbs, fried in butter. It’s time to leave the basement office and find a little sunshine. Enjoy your Forest!
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