The Ice is Talking Tonight

[marlboro180]

Ok, so I can not sleep. The coyotes were out eariler, got a kill.The moon is out and they are having a good night. My dogs went nuts while the howling was going on. So I get to go out while they are on their last out to make sure nothing happens....
Then I go out to investigate on my own , nothing.No tracks, too darn cold. Not enough snow to track anyway. Then out comes the great horned owl. Gotta get a pic. He flies off into the night after I track him for an hour. No PIC!

Then, I try to go to bed, and the ice on our river starts talking. We went into a pretty good cold plunge these past few days during fairly high water. It is now hovering at a whopping 1 degree and the ice is complaining a lot. Appropriate that I watched a show about water today- ( Modern Marvels- Water) that water expands at 9 percent its volume when frozen. (hmmm, wonder why closed vessels filled with water burst, hey?)

So the ice has been cracking a bit these past couple days, but tonight it is a constant barrage. The water level under the ice is going down, and the ice is cracking under its own weight, seemingly amplified by this cold. Everytime I try to go to sleep, the ice cracks, the dogs get jumpy and I cant sleep.

The crack shook the house and all the dogs skeetered to their safe spots like I was yelling at them

Just had to share. Gonna try to make it through the night. Maye I will get some sleep.

Sounds like crazy weather across a band in the south, good luck to those that have hanging ice everywhere!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Good Morning....... I do not live near the lake however I do fully understand. It is -4 here and we have 25 mph-30 mph wind gusts. That will thicken the ice up very nicely!

I guess many people have not experienced the popping and cracking........ I have seen people just panic the first time they feel it.

 

[a70eliminator]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Almost lost our fishable ice with last weeks warm temps. but it's on again.
Freeze cracks good thawing cracks bad.

 

[kenmyfam]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Sounds like you had a real interesting night. Hope you get some sleep

 

[windsors03cobra]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

I wonder which lake it is ?

I kinda like winter I enjoy some of the activities that can only be done during the winter. I heard they were going to get 4"-8" of snow in a place where very little snow usually falls.

 

[JB]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

With all that was going on in your neighborhood why would you want to sleep? Sounds like a great evening to be reminded of where you are.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Windsor- It is actually the Milwaukee River, Just north of Milwaukee. Can see flow rates as low as 300 cfs, up to 7500 cfs in a flood event

Now sitting 3 feet below flood stage, at about 1500 cfs. It looks like the curves in the graph are from ice breaking out near the gauges. It seems to correlate to when it ( the ice) gets really noisy. A quick drop in water level, the floating ice now has less support, and the barrage of cracks starts.

Bob- The weird noises are the ones that sound like a whale call. Really neat. I only get leery of the cracking noises when the ice is thin or a severe change in water level.

JB- Yeah, it really is a great location and always nice to be reminded. Not far from a major metro area, yet the wildlife is great. Got the first nesting pair of bald eagles in SE WI nearby, they and their offspring can be seen weekly. Hawks and falcons swooping up mice from the yard, fox and her kits in the woods, fish in the river right out my door, ice skating in the evening with my kid. So much to do , but sometimes I do want to sleep! Got a few hours shuteye at last , but still wanted to get a photo of that owl anyways. It was still around when I got up, but too far away for a photo.

 

[Tig]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Our ice was booming last night also. I was cleaning fish around midnight and went down to the river twice. Second time there were coyote tracks crossing mine. Busy place even in the dead of a winter night.

 

[avenger79]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

first read your post I thought man sounds like around here at night. then I looked at your location, oh yeah that makes sense.

i don't live near the water but i sure get the coyotes at night.

worst ice cracking i heard was long ago by my grandmas house on the namadji river in superior. thunderous noise.

 

[Lone Duck]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Ok, so I can not sleep. The coyotes were out eariler, got a kill.The moon is out and they are having a good night. My dogs went nuts while the howling was going on. So I get to go out while they are on their last out to make sure nothing happens....
Then I go out to investigate on my own , nothing.No tracks, too darn cold. Not enough snow to track anyway. Then out comes the great horned owl. Gotta get a pic. He flies off into the night after I track him for an hour. No PIC!

Then, I try to go to bed, and the ice on our river starts talking. We went into a pretty good cold plunge these past few days during fairly high water. It is now hovering at a whopping 1 degree and the ice is complaining a lot. Appropriate that I watched a show about water today- ( Modern Marvels- Water) that water expands at 9 percent its volume when frozen. (hmmm, wonder why closed vessels filled with water burst, hey?)

So the ice has been cracking a bit these past couple days, but tonight it is a constant barrage. The water level under the ice is going down, and the ice is cracking under its own weight, seemingly amplified by this cold. Everytime I try to go to sleep, the ice cracks, the dogs get jumpy and I cant sleep.

The crack shook the house and all the dogs skeetered to their safe spots like I was yelling at them

Just had to share. Gonna try to make it through the night. Maye I will get some sleep.

Sounds like crazy weather across a band in the south, good luck to those that have hanging ice everywhere!

AHHH YES !! I am with you bud. There is nothing like going for a walk on a cold winter moonlit night with the snow squeaking under your boots. Moon is up and the shadows are long. Sit on the porch with a hot cup of coca and a dash of rum. and listen to the wolves howl. Now that is living.

 

[Fly Rod]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

No wonder the coyotes were howling last nite, this is the month of the wolf moon. The wolf moon will be full Saturday night. We do not have fresh water rivers where I live, just brooks, we do have plenty of coyotes and deer.

Does an owl really give a hoot

 

[marlboro180]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

No wonder the coyotes were howling last nite, this is the month of the wolf moon. The wolf moon will be full Saturday night. We do not have fresh water rivers where I live, just brooks, we do have plenty of coyotes and deer.

Does an owl really give a hoot

Funny you said that about the wolf moon. Just got sent this link:http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20100129/sc_space/biggestandbrightestfullmoonof2010tonight

You are right Lone Duck, beautiful crisp night with a full moon is gorgeous.

 

[mikastorm]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Sounds like you had a real interesting night. Hope you get some sleep

He just needed a good bow movement.lol

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

It's amazing how much noise the ice actually makes. And also how much it actually moves. I spend a lot of time ice fishing and constantly hear big cracking noises and feeling it move or drop beneath my feet. It's kind of a rush but I know it's perfectly safe.

 

[paulspaddle]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Good Post Marlboro. I too can relate how cool it is to put on some warm clothes and hang out on the ice at night. The "snap" and shutter of thick ice is nothing short of awesome to experience.

Spring just before the ice actually breaks up into pieces is when the lake seems to be the most noisy.

 

[madgadget]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Some of you have to record this sound, I have never heard it and I'm curious!!

 

[marlboro180]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Some of you have to record this sound, I have never heard it and I'm curious!!

Wish I could, but can not figure out how to convert the old Nagra to this days tech,,,,,
Going out now to make some more ice via the 2 inch pump.

 

[Thajeffski]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

here's what it sounds like..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JfhKCJ8zcU

too bad the stupid camera guy couldn't just put the camera down so we could hear it easily !!

here's a better one..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VbyyhCscVc&feature=related

 

[marlboro180]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

here's what it sounds like..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JfhKCJ8zcU

too bad the stupid camera guy couldn't just put the camera down so we could hear it easily !!

here's a better one..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VbyyhCscVc&feature=related

Great! Now you gave me the inspiration to record the owl, the coyotes and the ice cracking, mix them together for a nature mix tape!

 

[rbh]

Re: The Ice is Talking Tonight

Never been around when the ice broke up on the river and you could hear it, but I was off on a ice fishing/camping trip years back and it dropped to minus 40 c/f +- from 0c/32f +-, all night long you could hear the trees exploding from the pitch expanding.