Bremen Conservation Club

06/01/2026

Without the generosity of others this event wouldn’t be possible! We are half way there! 4 weeks and counting 🇺🇸🙏🧨

06/01/2026

You choose who gets your donation!
Roll around the Lake with Traci and Jay
Sat 6/27/26!

05/31/2026

Half way there! We need your help! 4 weeks and counting! 🙏🇺🇸🧨

05/31/2026

The lawn outside your window has a shift change at four in the morning.

You don't see it. You are asleep. But most mornings for the past week and through the next six months, a scheduled handover takes place in the grass twenty feet from your bedroom.

The night crew is clocking out. The day crew is clocking in.

🦇 Night crew, still active until about four fifteen.

A big brown bat is making her final loops over the yard, eating moths and beetles attracted to the porch light. She has been hunting for seven hours. Her stomach is full. She will return to her roost under the eave within the next half hour.

A red fox pair is finishing a hunt at the edge of the property. They caught a meadow vole at three eleven. They will carry it back to the den for the kits.

A raccoon is walking along the top of the fence, heading home. She has been in your trash can, the neighbor's compost, and the drainage ditch behind the yard. She is the last mammal moving.

🐸 A gray tree frog has stopped calling from your oak. He will descend and tuck himself into bark by four thirty.

A great horned owl is carrying a cottontail rabbit back to her nest. She caught it at four oh four. Her chicks will eat in about twelve minutes.

☀️ Day crew, starting at four fifteen.

A cardinal is giving his first song from a perch on the fence, pre-dawn. The cardinal is usually first — something in his biology pushes him to sing before the sky is even lit.

A mourning dove is cooing from the neighbor's gutter. The robin is not yet up.

By four thirty, a song sparrow is singing. By four forty-five, a robin is on the lawn. By five o'clock, the warblers are calling from the canopy. By five fifteen, every diurnal songbird in your yard is awake.

🐦 The fox pair is gone. The bats are asleep. The owl is on her nest. The day belongs to the birds.

🌿 The shift change happens five hundred feet from you, most mornings.

You have probably missed it. You could see it once. You probably won't see it twice.

Set an alarm for three forty-five. Sit outside with a blanket. Do not use a phone screen. Listen.

You will witness something happening in your own backyard that has been going on at the same time, in the same sequence, for longer than humans have been in North America.

05/31/2026

05/30/2026

Don’t for get to support the American Legion Auxiliary.!

American Legion Auxiliary will be hosting their Swiss Steak Dinner at the BCC in June!

05/29/2026

Female birds with confusing names.

05/29/2026

Panfish like bluegill, crappie, perch, and sunfish feed most actively when light conditions make them feel safe while still letting them hunt effectively. The best times of day usually revolve around changing light levels rather than the clock itself.

Early Morning: One of the Best Windows

Just before sunrise through the first 1–3 hours of daylight is often prime time.

Why it works

Low light helps panfish move into shallow water to feed.

Insects and small baitfish become active near the surface.

Cooler water temperatures increase comfort, especially in warm months.

What to expect

Bluegill often cruise w**d edges and docks.

Crappie may suspend near brush piles or submerged timber.

Surface bites and bobber action can be excellent.

Evening: Another Major Feeding Period

The last 2 hours before sunset until dusk can be just as productive as morning.

Why it works

Declining light reduces predator visibility.

Aquatic insects hatch heavily around dusk.

Panfish move shallower again after hiding deeper during bright midday sun.

Best approach

Fish near shoreline cover, w**d lines, fallen trees, and shaded structure.

Slow presentations often work best as fish become more aggressive in fading light.

Midday: Depends on Conditions

Bright midday sun can slow the bite, but not always.

In clear water

Panfish usually:

Move deeper

Hold tighter to cover

Become more cautious

Look for:

Drop-offs

Deep w**ds

Boat docks

Brush piles

On cloudy or windy days

Cloud cover acts like an all-day low-light period, so fish may stay active longer in shallow water.

How Light Conditions Affect Feeding Activity

Low Light = Higher Confidence

During dawn, dusk, overcast skies, or lightly stained water:

Panfish roam more freely

They feed more aggressively

Larger fish may move shallow

Bright Sun = More Caution

In strong sunlight:

Fish seek shade and depth

Feeding windows shorten

Smaller presentations become more effective

Sudden Light Changes

Fast-changing weather can trigger feeding:

Incoming clouds before rain often improve the bite.

Right after a cold front with bright skies, panfish may become sluggish.

Seasonal Light Patterns

Spring

Longer shallow-water feeding periods

Morning and afternoon both productive

Summer

Best action usually early and late due to heat and bright sun

Fall

Panfish feed heavily for winter and may bite throughout the day

Winter (ice fishing)

Midday can actually be best because sunlight slightly warms shallow areas

Quick Rule of Thumb

Clear sunny day: fish early morning and evening

Cloudy day: fish can bite all day

Hot summer day: deeper at noon, shallow at dawn/dusk

Windy day: wind-blown banks often concentrate food and active panfish

Helpful Visual Cues

05/29/2026

If milkw**d is growing in the yard — planted or wild — the monarch eggs may already be on it.

Flip a leaf over gently. The underside of upper leaves and new growth is where females usually lay. One egg per leaf, firmly attached. A tiny off-white oval, about the size of a pinhead, with vertical ridges visible under magnification.

🌿 What it's not:

- Yellow dots with black legs clustered together = oleander aphids. Common on milkw**d. Not eggs.
- Bright white round droplets along the veins = milkw**d sap. Not eggs.
- Monarch eggs are solitary, oval, ridged, and off-white.

The female found the milkw**d from the air, landed on it, confirmed it with taste receptors on her feet, and placed one egg on one leaf.

🐾 If you find one:

- Leave it in place — hatching takes a few days
- The caterpillar eats its own eggshell first, then starts on the leaf
- Don't spray, trim, or relocate the plant while eggs or caterpillars are present

The milkw**d is the only plant monarch caterpillars can eat. The egg on the underside is proof the relay found your yard 🌿

**d