Why a blue bird on a fence? I say “why not!”
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If you’re out in the woods and you find a big W painted on a tree, just remember W is for wildlife. When planning and laying out a timber harvest, foresters have to protect the other resources in the forest, … Continue reading
This gallery contains 20 photos.
Summer ended and with it the wildflowers, or so it seemed. So I’ve watched and found many wildflowers here are still trying to squeeze out the last bit of warmth from the season. Most have lost the luster of Spring. … Continue reading
The Gray Fox
When I was a young child my mother had the record album Jimmie Rodgers Sings Folk Songs. I loved this record. One of the songs on it was The Fox And The Goose.
I came upon this little gray fox not long ago, and this song played in my head all day. I think the fox was a vixen, because she posed like a Parisian runway model.
The Fox And The Goose
by Jimmie Rodgers
Well, the fox went out upon a windy night,
Prayed to the moon, a gonna give him light,
He had many long miles to go that night,
Before he’d reach-a that town-o, town-o, town-o,
He had many long miles to go that night,
Before he’d reach-a that town-o.
Well the fox, he came to a great big pen,
Where the ducks and the geese, they were kept therein,
He said, “One of you’s a-gonna grease my chin,
Before I leave this town-o, town-o, town-o,
One, one of you’s a-gonna grease my chin,
Before I leave-a this town-o.”
Well, he grabbed the grey goose by the neck,
Throwed a duck up across his back,
And he did not mind their quack, quack, quack,
And their legs all a-dangling down-o, down-o, down-o,
No, he did not mind their quack, quack, quack,
And their legs all a-dangling down-o.
Well old Mother Flipper-Flopper jumped out of bed,
Threw back the shutter and stuck out her head,
And yelled, “John, John, John! Well, the grey goose is gone,
And the fox runs away from the town-o, town-o, town-o!”
“John, John, John! The grey goose, he’s gone,
And the fox runs away from the town-o!”
Well old John went up to the top of the hill,
He blew his horn both loud and shrill,
And the fox said, “I better hurry up with my kill,
They’re gonna soon be on my trail-o, trail-o, trail-o!”
Yes the fox said, “I better hurry up with my kill,
They’re gonna soon be on my trail-o!”
Well the fox, he came to his cozy den,
There sat the little ones, eight, nine, ten,
Said, “Pop, Pop, Pop, you better go back again,
‘Cause it must be a mighty fine town-o, town-o, town-o!”
“Pop, Pop, Pop, you better go back again,
‘Cause it must be a mighty fine town-o!
Well the fox and his wife, without any strife,
Cut up the goose with a fork and a knife,
And they never never had such a feast in their life,
And the little ones chewed on a bone-o, bone-o, bone-o,
No, they never never had such a feast in their life,
And the little ones chewed on a bone-o.
The End
Teka with the wind in her face.
We have been on the road a lot lately, but it is now time to check in with you all. One weekend not long ago we took the Blitz and Teka to a hunt test in Smith River, California. Go a bit North of Smith River and you’re in Oregon. Here are a few pictures from our travels and a bit of pen and ink.
The cormorants moved like poetry in the surf.
Sailer yard art, you have to love it.
We stayed at a RV park with this ship in the front yard. I thought lumberjacks had big yard art, but I have to admit the sailors win the “BIG” prize.
A pair of cormorants in the surf were my inspiration.
Blitz and Teka on the beach near Brookings, Oregon.
Sitka Spruce cones.
Blitz chills after an exhausting day of events. “Don’t get up Blitz, but I need to get into the refrigerator!”
Mary and Blitz take a stroll on the beach.
Sunset where the Smith River meets the sea.
On the road home and Blitz dreams of ducks.
Osprey
Osprey portrait in pen and ink.
The osprey family has been quite busy lately. The young birds have been practicing for their first flight.
The young osprey in training.
The parents had been flying around the tower trying to entice the fledglings to take wing.
This is how it’s done kids.
Then the heat came. We had seven straight days over 108 and it peaked at 116. It was way too hot in the nest tower!
Trying to assume a cool position in the tower.
This was the incentive to motivate the young osprey to fly. After the first day of extreme heat, they fled the tower.
The osprey nest was finally empty.
Down along the river in the shady oak trees is where they took refuge.
This is much better than roasting in that steel tower.
When the heat settled down, back to the tower they went. After, being in the tree I thought they might not return to the tower. As it turns out they weren’t entirely ready to give up the nest.
The nest tower is still home.
They still want to roost there at night, and they know this is where they get fed. They are like teenagers that still depend on mom and dad.
When it’s time to eat, they tell their parents in no uncertain terms.
The parents seem to debate each other whose turn it is to take care of the noisy offspring. They rarely go into the nest anymore unless they are dropping off a fresh fish meal.
I fed them last time!
Mary posted the latest pictures from our wildlife camera. Some pretty neat shots and a composite she put together.
The area where the trail cam is located has blackberries and some old apple trees. Both favorites of the local black bears. They come by to check the ripening status of the fruit.
We like our little get away up in the mountains. No cell phone coverage, no electricity, it is a place we can truly be unplugged.
Enjoying the view of our neighbors, even if it is their backside – bliss.
The Fledgling.
The osprey chicks don’t look much like chicks anymore. They are nearly fledglings.
Feeding the babies.
Parent brings a fish. They have grown fast and eat the fish on their own.
Careful where you stand while taking pictures.
Projectile poop keeps the nest clean.
Sorry, didn’t see you there, hehehe.
Wing exercise is important preparation for that first flight.
The osprey parents are constantly flying in and out with fish.
We hit a hot spell a little while back, 109 F one day and 111 F the next. Osprey will fluff up their feathers and pant like a dog in the heat. When it gets that hot one of the osprey parents will stay in the nest and shade the chicks.
It’s been hot here!
It’s really hot on the tower.
This hot neighboring osprey shades it’s babies.
Mary and I have our little get-away spot we love to go to. When we are there, we have lots of friends stop by. Check out her post!
We originally set up hidden cams at various locations to catch claim jumpers. It’s a nice treat to capture the local critter population. Here is a sampling of what passed through the last 2 weeks. Of course, panning a little bling with my Tim is pure bliss.
I’ve been watching, taking pictures and watching some more to get a shot of the osprey chicks. Mostly, what I got was this.
The Look! Are you lookin’ at me!
Sitting on the poles eating fish. It’s all good fun but where are the chicks?
What’s for lunch? Fish of course.
Then yesterday a chick got high enough on the nest to get a shot. I have seen them through the nest since last week, but I couldn’t get a clear picture.
Finally, a baby picture!
Not the sharpest picture, but a start. It looked like she was feeding two, but I never got a look at another.
Blue skies from now on.
I was planning a sketch of the view through the nest from last week, since I couldn’t get a shot. This was the rendition I was planning. A quick and dirty sketch of the scene with a few less sticks.
Feeding Time
This is also my Thursday drawing for Z’s challenge for art at Zeebra Design.
THE FORESTER ARTIST 