“Smoking Joe” was a quite a pet!

By Douglas H. Domedion
Nature Correspondent

As a young boy I had several pet crows over the years. This of course is illegal now. Although they eventually returned back to the wild (I allowed them to roam free) they were very interesting to study and have as pets.

I always named a young crow “Joe” because they could learn to say “Hello Joe” quite easily if they hear it repeated enough. This would happen without splitting their tongues as old myths claim you had to do to get them to imitate the human voice.

A pet crow is always getting into trouble stealing some item from people and then hiding it. One of my crows loved to take coins or a pair of sunglasses and hide them behind the wheel of the car. When I worked at the golf course someone nearby had a pet crow and it would fly over to the greens and steal golf balls.

One of my pet crows would either ride on the handlebars of my bike or fly above me when I went over to my girlfriend’s house. He would sit on the roof for about a half an hour and then start a ruckus, calling to let me know it was time to go home.

Another would occasionally follow Dad and me when we went pheasant hunting and we always had to be alert of where he was as not to accidentally shoot him. Gunfire didn’t bother him and he would perch on the barrel of my .22 and not fly off when I shot. That one was a character as he would hold a lit cigarette in his beak until it burned down enough that the smoke bothered him. I brought a miniature smoking pipe one time and when I offered it to him he would grab it and sit there holding it in his beak like he was smoking!

All these pet crows made good watchdogs and nothing entered the area around our house that they didn’t see and would alert you with loud calling. This of course alerted the dog that would then join in with her barking.

Crows in large numbers can be a serious threat to crops or nesting birds such as ducks. They especially like corn that is just sprouting. They also can be a problem with their droppings and noise when they gather in huge roosts at night, as was the case in the town of Auburn a few years back.

However, overall crows can be beneficial because of the great amount of destructive insects, such as grasshoppers and cutworms, that they eat. They will eat about anything including road kill, garbage, fruit, mice, small birds and even dead fish washed up on shore.

They were hunted heavily in the past because of the damage they caused but this never seemed to effect their numbers. I believe that DDT caused them a lot of problems in the past as it did with other birds such as our Bald Eagle. No one ever worried about the crow though like they did about the eagles. When I think back on it now, many of the nests we checked for baby crows as kids had broken eggs just like the problem the eagles were having. Of course little was known about the negative effects of chemicals on our wildlife at that time.

It seemed that for a long time you just didn’t see many crows in the fields. In more recent times, with the wiser use of our chemicals, they seem to be on the upswing again.

An interesting thing about crows is that they tend to remain in a family groups. In fact, sometimes the younger family members that are not paired up may help build a nest or feed the young.

They build nests of sticks and line them with soft things like grass or feathers. They will use hardwood trees for a nesting site but prefer evergreen trees. The eggs, usually four, are greenish with brown spots. After hatching, the young leave the nest in about three weeks but travel as a family for a considerable time.

Crows are known for their “caw, caw, caw” calls but they also make a great many other noises which sometimes do not even seem to be of bird origin. Their loud and aggressive calling is often heard when they gang up and decide to harass a hawk or owl. The chase will build in intensity and all the crows in the area will join in. They will repeatedly chase, dive-bomb and harass any hawk or owl that enters their area in hopes of driving them off.

Crows are interesting birds and very intelligent. You may want to take the time to notice their lifestyles sometime. Heck, you may learn something from them, but don’t start smoking!

My contact information is 585-798-4022 or woodduck2020@yahoo.com.

Photos by Tom Rivers – Ashley Ward, left, served as a leader of Orleans County Fishing Derby, an event run by the Albion Rotary Club, for three decades. Bill Downey is the event’s new volunteer director. Ward will remain a key advisor for the derby.

ALBION – In 1982, three local Rotary clubs decided to help lure more fishermen to the area with an annual derby, with prizes awarded for anglers who catch the biggest Chinook salmon, brown trout, rainbow trout, and lake trout.

In 30-plus years the derby has grown to about 700 annual entrants who receive nearly $10,000 annually in cash and other prizes, including the $4,000 grand prize for biggest fish.

The Albion Rotary Club has been running the derby since 1984. The event generates about $4,000 in profits and that money is directed to community projects. (Some of that money paid for the big welcome sign at Point Breeze.)

Ashley Ward has been helping to run the derby for three decades. He and his late wife Bonnie owned a bed and breakfast in Carlton from 1980 to 1999. They saw how the influx of fishermen gave the economy a boost with anglers going to restaurants, bait and tackle shops, gas stations, and local lodging establishments.

A fishing derby draws more of those fishermen, Ward said, and gets them to stay longer.

“That’s one reason why we’ve kept at it,” Ward said. “It brings a lot of people here.”

This year’s derby will run from Aug. 1 to Aug. 16. It includes weigh stations in Orleans, Niagara and Monroe counties.

Debbie Murphy of Pennsylvania keeps up an Orleans County Fishing Derby tradition by kissing the winning fish in the derby. Murphy won the $4,000 grand prize with the heaviest fish, a 27-pound, 7-ounce Chinook salmon, during the 2014 Orleans County Fishing Derby.

The derby has made some changes for this year. Ward remains a key advisor for the derby, but he has passed the chairman duties to Bill Downey, who has volunteered with the derby for 12 years.

The derby committee has been selling ads and lining up sponsors for the annual 16-day contest. The committee has changed from a printed journal to a website with a list of rules, advertisers and other derby information. Click here to see the Orleans County Fishing Derby.

Downey believes the website format will be more useful to the fishermen in the contest. They can check the website for daily updates on the fishing leaderboard and get other relevant information with a touch of their smartphone.

The derby committee created a smaller rack card with the derby date and other registration information. That card was taken to eight fishing shows and also will be mailed to anglers who make inquiries with the Orleans County Tourism Department about local fishing resources.

Mike Waterhouse is the county’s sportsfishing coordinator. He said he appreciates the work of the Rotary Club in organizing the annual derby. He said the derbies draw anglers who seek the prize money and the thrill of landing a big fish. He knows many fishermen will stay in the community longer, trying to catch a winning fish.

“They like the prizes and the competition,” Waterhouse said about the derby competitors. “There are people who want to fish in derbies.”

Ward said bringing in more fishermen gives the local economy a boost. That has been his biggest motivation in volunteering with the derby for so many years.

“I realize how important it is because it ties in with our tourism,” he said.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – This boater heads east on the Erie Canal in Albion on Monday afternoon. The boater then passed under the Main Street lift bridge. The canal opened for its 191st season on Friday.

The temperatures will drop on Wednesday with a high of 57 and low of 38. On Thursday, it will be a high of 62 and a low of 45, according to the National Weather Service.

Photos by Tom Rivers

BARRE – This barn on Angevine Road is pictured during a severe thunderstorm on Monday night. I was out near this barn for reports of a house fire. On the way to Angevine Road from Albion, there were numerous flashes of lightning.

This is my first try at a lightning photo. The storm had weakened at this point. I learned from this outing and look forward to trying it again.

The fire was in the basement of the house at 4722 Angevine Rd. The homeowner used a fire extinguisher to take care of the fire. Barre firefighters, and other local departments, responded to the scene.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – Mount Albion Cemetery is always a glorious place, but it is particularly stunning right now with the blossoms out by the arch at the front entrance.

These photos were taken Saturday morning at the cemetery along Route 31. There are other trees in blossom mode in the cemetery. This is a good time of the year to stop by and look around.

Photos by Tom Rivers

A Canada goose was out this morning just after sunrise in the widewaters section of the Erie Canal along Presbyterian Road, just east of Knowlesville.

The canal opened its navigational season at 7 a.m. The historic waterway has been open to boaters every year since 1825.

This photo, taken at about 6:30 a.m., is looking west from the bridge on Presbyterian Road.

The lift bridge is pictured in Eagle Harbor. Orleans County has seven lift bridges, the most of any county on the 363-mile-long canal.

Here’s another goose in the widewaters section. There is a lot of wildlife along the canal.

This photo was taken on Thursday evening and shows the lineup of tugboats and other canal equipment between the Main Street and Ingersoll Street lift bridges in Albion.

Photos by Tom Rivers
POINT BREEZE – There were a lot of people at Point Breeze this evening as the sun was setting. People were fishing, kayaking, throwing rocks in the water and enjoying a stroll along the pier.

Willow Groth, 8, of Albion has a pile of rocks she was tossing in Lake Ontario.

These kayakers paddle into the Oak Orchard River.

The Oak Orchard Lighthouse is one of the landmarks at Point Breeze.

The lighthouse was built in 2010 and was designed as a replica of one that toppled in a storm in 1916.

A full moon was also out, opposite of the setting sun. This photo was taken at the shoreline in front of the lighthouse, looking east.

Here is another one of the shoreline with the full moon.

Photos by Tom Rivers
ALBION – The historic Erie Canal has been filling up with water in recent days. The still water created a mirroring effect this evening at dusk.

The top two photos were all taken in the backyard of Community Action on State Street, looking west towards the Ingersoll Street lift bridge.

The NYS Canal Corporation has scheduled the start of the navigation season on the canal for 7 a.m. on May 8.

The canal opened in 1825 and this year will be the 191st season.

This photo shows the Butts Road canal bridge reflected in the water.

Photo by Tom Rivers – A fisherman is pictured last October in the Oak Orchard River.

CARLTON – The Orleans County Legislature has secured public fishing access for the next five years along about 4,000 feet of the Oak Orchard River, including at some of the most desirable fishing spots.

The Legislature last week voted to renew a lease with Roy Salmon and his son Scott Salmon for 15.8 acres of their property. The Salmons will be paid $12,000 annually or $60,000 over five years.

The agreement runs from Aug. 22, 2015 to Aug. 21, 2020.

The county first entered into an agreement with the Salmons in August 2007. That first agreement was $7,500 annually over three years.

The county in 2007 pushed to reach a deal with the Salmons for public access after the family put about 50 posted signs along their property.

Fishing is the county’s top tourism attraction, generating about $12 million in economic activity in Orleans.

The Oak Orchard is a popular draw, especially in the fall during the annual salmon and trout runs with many anglers coming from around the state and country to fish in the river.

In addition to public fishing access, the agreement allows the Salmon property to keep its vegetative cover to protect water quality and riparian habitat, and to also be available for fishery and habitat management, research and educational programs.

The county has signs on the Salmon property, urging anglers to respect the land, by taking out trash and fish carcasses.

Photo courtesy of Garrett Knaak

ALBION – Garrett Knaak of Albion took this photo last week of a bald eagle on East County House Road.

“I have never seen these locally, although I know they exist,” Knaak said in an email. “I had the photo verified by the DEC in Avon.”

The DEC told Knaak the bird is a near adult bald eagle. It has not quite fully achieved the white head and tail feathers, and still retains some of the brown feathers typical of younger eagles, the DEC told Knaak. This bird is likely 4 years old and just now reaching breeding age, the DEC told Knaak.

Photos by Tom Rivers

ALBION – You live in a place for two decades and you think you’ve found all the nice spots. On Tuesday, while heavy equipment was ripping apart the Clarendon Street bridge, I noticed Sandy Creek ran under the railroad tracks just east of Clarendon Street. I hadn’t seen this place before.

I decided to take a look. I didn’t expect to seen the little waterfalls and the impressive culvert, with some fine Medina sandstone work. That big culvert was built in 1919.

Orleans County has many nice waterfalls and nature trails, but many do not have public access or signage pointing people to the locations.

Places like this are good for the body and soul. As a community we should develop a map, improve signage and accessibility for these special places.

The bottom photo shows the Clarendon Street bridge in the upper right corner before it was knocked down. You can see it through the trees.

Photos by Tom Rivers
MEDINA – Michael Stephenson, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Medina, leads a sunrise service this morning in Boxwood Cemetery next to Glenwood Lake. About 25 Christians from Medina churches attended the service on Easter morning.

Stephenson spoke of the power of Christ’s resurrection and the hope that provides for the world.

Stephenson has been a part of four sunrise services on Easter morning in Medina and he said each time there has been a glorious sunrise.

“It never ceases to amaze me about the timing,” he said.

The service today began at 6:30 a.m. One of the people at the service said, “The lake looks like it’s on fire.”

The cross at the cemetery is a memorial given in May 30, 1971 to “The People of the Village of Medina.”

Dr. Fulton and Marie Hurd Rogers gave the memorial for their parents, Arthur and Ethel Phillips Rogers and Charles and Lillie Horn Hurd.

File photo by Tom Rivers – A boat approaches the Oak Orchard Harbor last summer off Point Breeze in Orleans County.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a letter sent last week to the House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, U.S. Representatives Chris Collins (NY-27) and John Katko (NY-24) requested language preventing the use of any federal funding to implement the International Joint Commission’s Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Plan (Plan 2014) for the 2016 Fiscal Year.

“Plan 2014 is not in the best interest of homeowners and other stakeholders along the Lake Ontario shoreline,” Collins said. “The plan would quicken erosion along Lake Ontario’s already rapidly deteriorating shorelines, lower property values for homeowners and have a negative impact on the region’s economy by limiting recreational and commercial boating. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to fight Plan 2014’s implementation, and am happy to be joined by Congressman Katko in this effort.”

Plan 2014 will increase the frequency by which Lake Ontario’s water levels are raised and lowered, Collins said ina news release today. This has the potential to cause substantial damage to the lake’s south shoreline, which houses hundreds of businesses and residences.

The plan would also raise the current maximum water levels by 2.4 inches and increase the annual cost of shoreline maintenance and protections by 13 percent. These water level changes threaten the economic activities of hundreds of communities, residents, businesses, and farms, Collins said.

He held a news conference last July at the Oak Orchard Harbor and was joined by many county officials from Niagara and Orleans.

Six southshore counties have 10,025 parcels of land with a total assessed value of $3.7 billion, Lynne Johnson, an Orleans County legislator, said then. If they suffer a 10 percent loss, those communities would lose $370 million in value.

Katko also is joining in the call for the federal government not to fund the lake-level plan.

“As a lifelong hunter, sportsman and conservationist, I recognize the value of preserving our natural resources and supporting conservation measures – but the IJC’s Plan 2014 could irreversibly damage the Wayne County shoreline, as well as local tourism, recreation, and agriculture,” Katko said. “Before adopting a plan that puts Lake Ontario south shore communities at risk to suffer millions of dollars of damage, it is critical that a more detailed analysis of the plan’s economic impact is provided. Right now, that means taking steps in Congress to ensure that federal dollars are not provided to implement the Plan.”

The binational International Joint Commission approved the new plan last June, the first significant change since 1958.

Prime real estate could be washed away, gobbling up back yards and the tax base, Collins said. During times of low lake levels, boaters may not be able to get out of harbors and into the lake, harming the fishing and recreational industries that are important economic engines for lakeshore communities, he said.

To see the letter from Katko and Collins, click here.

Photos by Tom Rivers

Spring may have arrived but it’s still below freezing today, with temperatures forecast for a high of 25 and a low of 15.

The top photo shows icicles by the water in Johnson Creek, near the waterfalls in Lyndonville. The photo was taken on Tuesday.

It will be warmer on Sunday, with temperatures at a high of 40 and a low of 34.

These geese were out on Friday along Lattin Road in the Town of Gaines.

Geese and seagulls were out Friday on Densmore Road north of Kast Farms.