I do know better, really I do.
Something I've been meaning to do for awhile now, actually since before the Christmas Bird Count, is take a trip down past the St George Society Cliffs, out to Nuvua and search for Gyrfalcons.
Prior to last winter I believed, and had been led to believe that Gyrfalcons do not winter this far north, that our breeding birds disperse farther south after the breeding season is done and the cold and sunless period closes in on us.
Last year, however two credible sightings of Gyrfalcons in January led me to believe that at least some winter here. That was followed by another sighting of "a falcon or owl" here in the neighbourhood of the Gyrfalcon aerie that made be believe that it might be more regular than is thought, and made me resolve to do some dark season birding.
I made a half-hearted attempt during the blizzard that was our Christmas Bird Count in Arctic Bay, but gave up before I got past the end of town.
One of the problems with Leah's snowmachine is the nature of how she uses it. Because it is a large four-stroke machine it only has an electric start. Leah however usually takes only short rides this time of year, going from point A to point B. In the cold weather this means the battery easily gets run down from the combination of a cold engine that needs cranking, and not enough charging of the battery.
So yesterday Leah was unable to start her machine, and after I got it going, her brother took it for a run to charge it up. Which would have been fine, but he stopped to get warmer clothes, and it wouldn't start again. It stayed overnight at her parents house, her dad got it going and her sister dropped it off here today. I quickly threw on some warmer clothes and ran out to take it for a run to charge the battery (before it overheated from idling as the radiator is above the track, requiring movement and ideally snow to keep things cool).
I intended to whip around the bay for a while, charge the battery, but despite it being -30C with a 20 km/hr wind I didn't feel that chilled. Coupled with an interesting email conversation I had, and my already desiring to see if the falcon was around, I decided to make for the cliffs and look for the Gyrfalcon.
As I rounded the corner at Uluksat and into the wind (added to the wind I was generating on the machine) I began questioning the, um, wisdom of my decision. Mostly I wasn't too cold, but I had only gloves on, and by the time I got a quarter of the way along the cliffs my fingers began to sting steadily. I met several hunters coming back to town, and passed the last one shortly before I reached the aerie.
It was overcast, snowing, and as a result it was darker than it normally would be at 1:00 pm in the afternoon. By now my fingers, especially my right hand, were stinging quite a bit, and I knew it was time to turn around. I didn't have binoculars with me, this was spur of the moment after all and I was confident I could separate all the suspect species with the naked eye, but the cliffs were splattered with snow. Unless the bird was on the wing (assuming it was even near there) I'd never see it. As I slowed down to take a better look, the machine sputtered. That sealed it, I gunned the engine and turned back for town, rushing to get ahead of the last hunter in case I had troubles. I did not want to walk back.
About this time I also remembered that there are heated handles and throttles on these machines and turned them on. They did little good and I didn't feel the warmth in them until I turned the corner to town, which served to remind me that my fingers were very cold, and that I was going to pay once I got them back warmed, thawing out.
I was right, and as they began to warm the pain increased. I knew it was nothing serious, but boy did it hurt for the fifteen or twenty minutes it took to return to normal. They say you learn something every day. Does it count when it is something you already (should) know?
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