On a family outing last weekend, Anthony Jancek took a break from photographing bike racers and took a trip to do some wildlife watching. He was thrilled to find this large nest overlooking the bend of a river not far from the New York-Vermont border:

He fired off a few shots, being careful to use his long telephoto so he could keep his distance from this fellow:

Tony and his family were delighted by the stern bald eagle perched in a tall white pine tree. Clearly the bird was keeping an eye on the nearby nest, built to offer commanding views of the river. The sweet aroma of carrion drifted on the spring breeze, which Tony assumed was dinner for the eagle and his mate, who was huddled down in the nest. Look carefully and you can just see a white head to the left of the green out- of- focus pine beyond the nest:

Not wanting to disturb the birds any further, Tony and his family left within 15 minutes. Though their visit was short, the memory of a privileged meeting with the nesting pair of bald eagles will live with Tony and his family for a long time to come.

Let’s have another look before leaving:

Do you have a photo which you’d like to contribute to our gallery? Great! Just email your picture(s) to us and let us know.

 
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One Texas turtle is basking happily this morning thanks to the efforts of Barney Ward of Old Fat Man Adventures. Barney noticed a moving bump in the road as he was driving along a lightly traveled road, and when he got close, he stopped to investigate. Here’s who he found:

Click on the photo above for an enlargement. The turtle (possibly a red-eared slider) was moving briskly across the road, heading straight for a yard where large dogs lived. Barney didn’t like thinking what could happen if the dogs found the turtle, so recalling instructions he’d read here at TN Outside, he carefully lifted the turtle to a safer place nearby. Here’s the turtle heading for a wet weedy area:

Barney checked back later in the day and found the turtle had flattened a path to the water through the grasses. Thanks for giving the turtle a lift, Barney. A happy ending!

Learn more about how to be a turtle taxi by reading our tips in “Help Turtles Cross Roads.” What about you? Have you saved any turtles lately? Send us your story and some photos if you can, and we’ll include them to our “Turtle Portrait Gallery.

 
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Improvise. Adapt. Overcome.  I collect all sorts of recipes, but this is one of the shortest in my files. It won’t help you make a killer bannock or whip up a three‑course camp meal with one pot and a steel cup, but it’s a useful guide to solving many seemingly intractable problems. Actually, it’s more goad than recipe. If you say these three words often enough, and loudly enough, you’ll probably be inspired to try harder. It works for me. And while I don’t know if Ric Olsen has ever uttered the same magic words, let alone chanted them loudly and often, I suppose he might have. Anyway, I do know he has a keen eye and an ingenious turn of mind. The results are there for all of us to see. But that’s getting ahead of my tale.

Back in September I described how I’d replaced the cane seat in my little Old Town Pack canoe, and I mentioned in passing that I’d raised the seat frame to gunwale height soon after buying the boat. Why did I bother raising the seat? Well, for one thing, it’s more comfortable. It gives my feet room to roam when I kneel. But that wasn’t what sealed the deal. A high seat is also less likely to pin a foot in a capsize. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that Old Town was remiss in designing the Pack. I’m sure they gave plenty of thought to the height of the seat. After all, most canoeists sit on the seat when they paddle this diminutive craft, with their legs stretched out in front of them. So they’re not very likely to catch a foot on the seat frame if they go over. The obvious conclusion? For many paddlers, a dropped seat makes sense. It lowers the center of mass a bit, making “tippy” canoes less tender, and therefore less likely to capsize in the first place. But I like to alternate between sitting and kneeling, and I’ve been known to take my Pack canoe into fairly lively rapids. I also wear wellies on flatwater. So my feet need all the room they can get. There’s a bonus to having a high seat, too: On those occasions when I do sit, it gives me a better view of what lies ahead. Even a couple of inches can make a big difference here.

Of course, there’s more than one way to address any problem. In fact, one paddler’s problem is another’s opportunity… Read more…

 
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