Mohawk Island

From Wikipedia

Mohawk Island is a small (4 hectares) island in Lake Erie, in the province of Ontario, Canada. It was formerly known as Gull Island. The island contains the ruins of the Gull Island Lighthouse, built in 1848 to guide ships into the Welland Canal. It was automated (no longer requiring a human keeper) in 1933, and decommissioned in 1969. It is located close to the shore of Rock Point Provincial Park. Currently, no humans live on the island, and it is mostly inhabited by birds. It is an important nesting and loafing area for gulls, terns and cormorants; furthermore, the island provides a stopover site for migratory birds such as Canada geese. In 1977, the Canadian government established the island as Mohawk Island National Wildlife Area to protect nesting birds. Although the surrounding waters are popular for recreational boating, people are generally not allowed to visit Mohawk Island. No visits are permitted during nesting season, which is defined as from April 1 to July 31

Depending on the weather I am going to try and get out there this weekend in my kayak and get some more pictures of the lighthouse. However even when I was there the other day the island was covered with birds and I have been told there not to friendly when you get out there................................................................................................................................................No visits April to August 31st, now. It looks to have had two fireplaces. The lantern was removed from the limestone tower. It went automated as the last keeper, Richard [Dick] Foster and his son James, died in a blizzard on their way home from the island December, 1932. Their bodies were recovered on January 2nd, 1933 but no mention of where they are buried and are not in the Highbanks, closest, cemetery. The Canadian government should have provided supplies and transportation to the island in, a larger boat, as this job was that important. The government website actually says no hunting as well. Bird feces would probably be the biggest danger here to breathe[3micron filter mask] and for open cuts.............................The following poem was written to commemorate the last keeper and his son, and was published in the Dunville Chronicle: [u]Death Gains a Victory[/u] Three days amid the ice and winds, They fought their lives to save, The sky o'erhead was dark with clouds, And dark beneath their grave. The slush ice closed about its prey, Breaking with a thudding crash. And when the anchor ice gave way, It fell with dull, low splash. Father nor son, ne'er thought to swerve, As the boat drifted to and fro, With weary heart and tranquil nerve, Each felt his life's strength go; Each felt his life's strength go and knew, As time drew slowly on, That less and less their chances grew-- Night fell and hope was gone. Their bodies numbed by the bitter cold; No, not a crust of bread; No shelter from the nagry blast, A sand bank was thier bed; Oh, motherland, while thy native sons Can live and die like these, Keeping from shame that honored name, As mistress of the seas...author unknown......[Mobileworks add]