I normally never listen to music or the radio while out birding, as I find it distracts me from finding my feathered friends, but on Saturday mornings I make an exception … because on KDAL Radio out of Duluth starting at 6 am for two hours, it’s the FunTime Polka Party! Imagine if you may this scenario … streaking through the pre-dawn darkness in your car while Hoop Dee Doo from Frankie Yankovic fills the Northland’s frigid winter stillness (video link for blog subscribers). One may also listen online.
Such was the case the last two Saturdays including when I saw this young bull moose in Sax-Zim Bog about 1/2 mile east of the highway 7 / 133 intersection on 133 … foraging south of the road in the recently logged area. Towards sunset yesterday evening I good friend of mine saw the moose in the same region.
The young bull moose (antlers already broken off)
And if you want the full, immersive experience, I pulled over in my car while on the way up to Greenwood one week ago … Polka Power Birding (and Moosing)(video link for blog email subscribers)
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Rich, this is awesome! I never would have believed you if you told me as an angsty teen (more in tune with either punk or emo-alt music of the time) that polka would form such a wonderful memory for me.
I am NOT a dancer, quite the opposite – the idea of it makes me sweat. It’s not that I don’t have good rhythm, I just can’t do it and not only don’t find it enjoyable… I would rather give a difficult speech to a full auditorium in my underwear than dance.
But it turns out that when you’re young[er], are out with Amy and friends, win a certificate for eating a full meter of sausage (and invent a fake German name for the award), sticking around for polka in the basement doesn’t sound so bad!
The athleticism of all of those “older women” in dirndls, hopping and twirling – it blew me away! What a blast.
I hope that you are all having a wonderful December – Amy and I have been on XC skis just about every day, which is a nice change from the last couple of winters!
p.s.–> extra credit if you were humming the theme to Northern Exposure when you spotted the moose 🙂
Sorry … no visions or tunes about Cicely, Alaska were bouncing around my head!