Observations on the Absence of Wildness

I am currently reading the fantastic book "Dersu the Trapper" by Vladimir Klavdievich Arseniev (1872-1930), and I will eventually write a review on it, but I just came through a passage that I must quote in full:

"'All around soon all game end," commented Dersu. "Me think ten years, no more wapiti, no more sable, no more squirrel, all gone.'

it was impossible to disagree with him. In their own country the Chinese have long since exterminated the game, almost every living thing. All that is left with are the crows, dogs, and rats. Even in the seas they have exterminated the trepangs, the crabs, the various shell-fish, and all the seaweed. The Pri-Amur country, so rich in forest and wild life, awaits the same fate, if energetic measures be not taken soon to prevent the wholesale slaughter by the Chinese."

I can confirm the sad state of wildness and wildlife, or the lack of them, from my many trips to China, between 2002 and 2014. By and large, I could only observe the odd sparrow or maybe a pigeon, and very seldom a stray dog. Although the Chinese make a point of having many trees in their cities, they are all transplanted, groomed, without the savage soul found in nature.

During my last trip there I was so depressed that upon coming back to northern Michigan I almost had to immerse myself in our woods in order to recover a semblance of sanity.

Up North

The view from my bed in the morning

(The bug net jut disturb cameras!)

My apologies for not writing or posting anything for a month. March was an intense month, due both to work and to our move from the Mattawan, in the Kalamazoo area to a new home in the Old Mission Peninsula, in Traverse City.

Since our arrival last Wednesday the weather has been great, and I cannot get tired of having a view to the West Arm of Grand Traverse Bay from almost every where in our new home, including from my bed when I wake up.

Even with all the homes and human presence around, nature appears o be doing very well around this fantastic country. Around he house we have squirrels, raccoons, rabbits, songbirds or all kinds, including deep red cardinals, morning doves (which are not songbirds, but a fantastic game bird), crows, ravens and black birds. Not to mention the waterfowl at the bay! There are ducks galore and a good, but not excessive, number of Canada Geese.

Twice, coming back from the Mission Point Lighthouse, which sits in a State Park where "hunting is allowed per DNR regulations", we saw large herds of deer that are congregating at this time of the year, before they break up during summer.

I know that fish abound both in the lakes and stream, and the shallows just in front of our home are supposed to be great spawning grounds for small-mouth bass.

The sunsets are a deeply moving spectacle, and I cannot avoid thinking about the Little Prince and how moved he was by every single sunset, even on the days in his small asteroid when he would moe his chair back and watch them over and over again.

But the most fantastic view I had so far was on Wednesday about high noon. I was driving from town to our home and from Peninsula Drive I saw a Bald Eagle eating a fish on he beach, while many other birds, especially crows and ravens kept a respectful distance. That was the first time that I saw a Bald Eagle in the wild, and I will be looking forward to other opportunities.

There is a lot going on. We are still unpacking and the following weeks I will be traveling for work again, but I promise that we will spend as much time "up North" as possible, and I will carry my binoculars in my truck from ow on, so I can better observe the nature around us.