Wahkeena Nature Preserve
"… to be used for nature study and as a preserve for birds and other wildlife."- Carmen Hambleton Warner
A Day in the Life – Part 3
With the temperature approaching 40 degrees today, the Rhododendron leaves, that were tightly curled a week ago, are fully uncurled today.
With the weather so nice, Nora and I thought it would be a good time to check out frozen Lake Odonata. We were curious about the thickness of the ice, so I got out the cordless drill and a spade bit and drilled some holes. The thickness averaged 6 inches. FYI 7 1/2 inches of ice will support a passenger car. Last year at this same time the ice was 12 inches thick! That was enough to support a 7-8 ton truck!
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| Drilling hole on Lake Odonata |
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| Ice depth 6 inches |
Below is a picture of the beaver lodge. I am 6″2″” tall, so as you can see this is one huge lodge. The lodge is also about 24′ wide at the water (ice) line.
Along the edge of the dam, a dead shingle oak is being excavated by a Pileated woodpecker, Ohio’s largest woodpecker and a common bird at Wahkeena.
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| Pileated woodpecker hole at base of tree |
A closer look inside the hole shows the reason for the tree’s death and why the woodpecker chiseled out the hole. Wood munching insects has already feasted on the trees interior. Can you say food web?
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| A look inside the hole. |
Posted by Tom w/pond photo credits to Nora.
Stay Tuned………………