Bald eagles visit Marion County Lake
By TOOTSIE SNELLING
Marion County Park & Lake Reporter
We've gotten several calls about the eagles out here. Yes, there is a pair and sometimes only one Bald Eagle that visits the lake daily. They are not nesting here, only passing through. They can be seen sitting in the trees across from the beach area and flying over and around the geese.
The geese get really nervous when they are around. The eagles seem to delight in swooping down and scaring them. Sometimes they sit on the ice and pick at shad or fish that have died and are floating.
One goose was frozen to the ice Saturday and couldn't fly. The eagle spotted it and flew down by it. But, the goose kept flopping its wings and the eagle couldn't get close enough to do anything, so it finally flew away. The goose finally got loose and joined the others.
The old saying, "safety in numbers is true." If the eagle gets too close in swooping, the geese flop and flap their wings creating a spray. The eagle doesn't like getting wet and can't see what he's after.
We have an unusually high number of geese right now. Maybe I say that every year, but it seems like more to me. As usual they keep the area right below our house open so they serenade us nightly. I think I'm beginning to understand their lingo!!!
Fishing in the heated dock still is slow. We get several people trying daily, and they catch a few now and then. But lately the best time seems to be between 2 and 4 a.m. Now it's a dedicated fisherman who gets out at that time! The best bait is a jig or small ice jig tipped with a spike or meal worm. Now you're gonna ask what is a spike? Well it's a maggot, not the slimy ones you think of. These come packed in sawdust and aren't slimy, but I don't count them out anyway, I'll handle regular worms, but not spikes, that's Dale's job.
We attended a party for Seth Snelling's sixth birthday Sunday afternoon. His other grandmother, Margie Sandwell and his uncle Kim Koop have birthdays in January and were celebrated, too.
We enjoyed the super bowl. My team won! Leann, Mark, Kiana, and Levi Lewman, Dean Snelling, and Dan came out to watch the game. I think we had more fun listening to the commercials and trying to decide which one we liked the best. The horses and the zebra referee was our pick.
When it was cold and snowy, I got out my once-a-year puzzle, a 1,500 piece one. It just did fit my card table. I've put together lots of 1,000 piece ones, but never 1,500. It was quite a challenge. Any one wanting to borrow it, let me know, it's a good pastime for the long evenings.
I called my brother in Florida to tease him about the cold weather down there. He said he picked his oranges early and that he had lost some tomatoes to the cold temperatures. They were running their furnace a lot to keep warm. He said they actually wear coats when going to work in the mornings!
If you haven't picked up your trash bags yet, please do so soon. We will be getting in our spring order soon and don't have room for all the bags. If you aren't on the trash list, you can call Florence City Hall to get on the list to have your trash picked up.
