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A morning on Ringneck marsh

By JIM NIGRO

Hardly the mental image conjured whenever one hears the word marsh, Ringneck Marsh has greened up considerably in recent weeks.

A young angler tries his luck from the shoreline...........   

while his brother fishes from the dock. Part of Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, Ringneck Marsh is home to northern pike, largemouth bass and panfish.

A variety of furbearers and birdlife also call Ringneck home. An osprey nest is seen in the above photo ......

and a pair of adults tending to the nests occupants. To give you an idea of how big this stick nest is, an osprey is a large fish-eating bird with a massive wingspan -- perched atop this nest they look pigeon-sized. For much of the morning this pair alternated between visiting the nest and soaring high above the marsh.

Discovery! When the fish failed to cooperate, this young angler took to exploring among the shoreline rocks and was rewarded for his efforts.

These fellas stuck it out a bit longer.....then joined their brother exploring the shoreline and searching for frogs, snakes and aquatic bugs.

Calling it a day!

tom hunt

Years ago, I use to ice fish this water in the Winter. It was loaded with small Northern Pike we use to call Hammer Handles. I action was so intense we could not keep up with baiting the hooks with live minnows. Sometimes we would catch pike in areas that were on one foot deep. The DEC wanted the area fish out as the pike were feeding on the ducks in the Summer time.

Jun 19, 2015, 4:46am Permalink
Mardell Lamb

Hi Jim,
It's nice to see these kids out fishing instead of playing video games. Love it!
Have a wonderful weekend, and
"Happy Father's Day."

Jun 19, 2015, 12:04pm Permalink
JIM NIGRO

Good morning, Mardell - nature beckons to the young - and the young at heart, regardless of age!! Thank you and hope you have a great weekend as well.

Jun 20, 2015, 8:19am Permalink
Jami Bartz

I agree with Mardell! I am thankful those young boys have a love for the outdoors. Today we watched a pair of Cardinals take care of their wayward baby (must have flown a little too early and landed in a bush in front of our picture window). We had to talk one of the boys out of "rescuing" the bird from the bush. Instead he took a worm from his bait stock and threw it on the patio. The father Cardinal snatched it up and fed the baby. Every so often I find them looking out the window to see watch our little Cardinal family.

Jun 20, 2015, 3:53pm Permalink

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