I just got this email from my brother in central Minnesota on a lake about 100 miles north of Minneapolis near Onamia where I grew up. I thought it interesting enough to pass on.

It really got cold last nite--11F. The wind died last nite,also, and the lake froze over. Eating breakfast I saw a flock of something on the new ice. Turned out they were about 100 coots. They can't take off from ice.
Soon, a bald eagle arrived. He would soar over the coots and they would scurry around on the slippery ice. Then there were two eagles, then three, then four--taking turns gliding at the coots and then landing near them. Finally one of them seperated a poor coot from the rest and feasted. Right now there are 23 bald eagles, eating coots, and about 77 coots looking for open water.
For those not receiving the wild turkey email, last week there were 10 turkeys roosting over nite in the big oaks behind my bedroom. One at a time they woke up, stretched, pruned and then flew down into my yard.
Such is life in the wilderness.

Hugh Jennings
Bellevue, WA
hughbirder AT earthlink.net