Mudpuppy Night 27 February 2026

[Frederick W. Schueler]

Here's my report on last night -

20h00-21h23 - -5°C, clear, nearly full Moon, overcast, Force 1 breeze.
Ice above the dam not noted - a Mink-like trackway along the east-side
wall & some cf Cottontail tracks on the east side - spillways solidly
sheathed with ice and flow about equal among spillways - flow 3.5 cubic
metres/second, average flow is 6.8 cubic metres/second - ice cover
across the creek from about at the dropoff with a moderate carpet of
white foam above the ice - no ice bits floating in the eddies until
things were disturbed by observers - small patches of open water below
the bridge - W side woods with deep snow and many trackways that seemed
to be Cottontails & Grey Squirrels, some bounding, but no tracks that
looked like Otters - none going down to the creek. Vantage Point ledge
solidly covered with snowy ice. A multitude of observers & visitors; the
only aquatic creatures noted were 10 Mudpuppies, of which 8 were PIT tagged.

The Macoun Club will be coming tonight, and the forecast is for 13 mm of
rain next Friday, so this may be the last night when we see Mudpuppies -
but of course forecasts a week ahead are sketchy.

fred.
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---------Frederick W. Schueler & Aleta Karstad ------------
Fragile Inheritance Natural History - https://fragileinheritance.ca/
6 St-Lawrence Street Bishops Mills, RR#2 Oxford Station, Ontario K0G 1T0
on the Smiths Falls Limestone Plain 44.87156° N 75.70095° W
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