Bigger on the Inside

Posted on April 14, 2013 by foresterartist

This is a post from our yard by the Backdoor Artist. I held the ladder while Mary captured this great image of one of our resident turkey vultures.

Sneaking Bliss

Peering down the vulture hole, I am amazed at the ability of the turkey vultures to climb in and out of this nesting location. It is fourteen feet from the opening to the base.

It is unclear whether this brooding vulture is on eggs or new chicks. It should be nearing time for the eggs to hatch, if my calculations are correct. On March 5^th & 6^th, I recorded the pair breeding at the entrance and the female retreating inside the nesting cavity. I am making an educated guess that this was around the time of laying their eggs. Most sources site 34-40 days incubation. Sources are vague on the day count, but in all fairness who counts days for vultures hatching? The UStream Missouri turkey vultures incubated for 34 days in 2012.

Both parents incubate the eggs and share in raising the chicks. I do not…

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The Logger’s Dog

Posted on April 9, 2013 by foresterartist

I’ve known Bob for a long time. Bob is a Logging Supervisor or Woods Boss. His operations are a going concern. Bob is all business and his guys make logs in a hurry. When I go out and talk to his crew about log quality Bob gets nervous because I’m slowing down his operation. He isn’t the kind of man that one would think of as going around showing off a piece of art, but that is what he has done for nearly twenty years.

logging, logger, log truck, loader, processor, wood, forest, forestry, photography

Bob’s landing, whackin’ and stackin’ .

Twenty years ago Bob decided he needed a dog. When he got his new dog he told me, “All of you foresters have dogs in the back of your trucks, so I decided to get one for my truck.” If you have ever seen the back of a logging boss’s truck you would know that his dog would need chemical resistant feet and armor plating. Their trucks are full of hydraulic fluid, oil, truck parts, tractor parts, chokers, cable, tools, and all manner of oily, heavy metal things bouncing around loose in the bed. So Bob’s dog was special….unique even

chainsaw carving, dog carving, logger's dog

Meet Would, Bob’s dog.

Bob’s dog is named “Would”, not Wood even though he is wood. If you ask him why “Would”, he will say, “He would bark if he could and he would s–t if he could, therefore he is Would.” Bob recently got a new work truck and when he didn’t put Would in the truck he caught so much hell that he had to load him up again. Would has been Bob’s constant woods companion for the last twenty years. He never whines, growls or barks. He doesn’t need food or water and doesn’t mind all the stuff in the back of Bob’s truck. I think Would has mellowed over the years, even developed a fine patina. He may be the perfect logger’s dog.

Chainsaw carving, dog carving, dog, golden retriever, Blitz, logger, forester

The forester’s dog and the logger’s dog.

I had Blitz join Would for a group shot. The two of the got on famously. Blitz is, after all, the consummate stick dog. Fortunately, she didn’t chew on his ear. I tried to get Bob in the picture, but tough old loggers don’t always like having their pictures taken.

Pheasants And The Meaning Of Life

Posted on April 2, 2013 by foresterartist

This painting for me is more than a picture of a beautiful rooster pheasant. It is me trying to express the essence of something in my life that is significant.

This painting has been on the board a long time. It is destined for my office. Oddly, I’ve never hung any of my art in my office. I guess it is about time.

Blitz joyfully returns with a bird.

Pheasant season ended a few weeks ago. It is a time when our dogs get to live their bliss, as Mary is so fond of putting it, living-bliss. I’ve re-blogged her post, because it is also about the dogs doing what they are born to do. They are working dogs and hunting is their work. They are happiest when they are working. What they do is written in their DNA.

Teka can’t wait for her turn. She stakes out my truck.

I suppose the same is true for me. If I was plopped down in the American West 200 years ago I think I would have been perfectly happy. Engaging in hunting with dogs, friends and family keeps me connected to my roots and more primitive self.

Teka was born to hunt birds.

golden retriever, hunting, photography, Pheasant

Teka delivers a pheasant to her person, Doug.

Dogs are pack animals and pheasant hunting helps them live their pack experience. The difference is that we are now their pack, but the satisfaction to them is the same.

Teka relishes bringing the bird to Doug and receiving his appreciation.

If I didn’t have bird dogs I probably wouldn’t bird hunt. The pleasure they bring to it is what makes it complete. These dogs have such heart in what they do. Hunting without them would be like dancing alone.

Blitz on a water retrieve.

Procuring food is such a basic human activity. By acquiring food myself, I appreciate the meal much more. To spend the time hunting and experiencing the joy of success with my partners makes me think about what our hunter gatherer ancestors did on a daily basis. Then to have to go through the process of cleaning and preparing this food, it puts me very in touch with the reality of what was given.

Blitz is happiest while doing her work.

When I hold the pheasant in my hand that I just killed and Blitz just fetched, I experience a blend of feelings. There is joy in the success and satisfaction of providing this meal to my family. There is appreciation for the beauty and for what this creature lost, it’s life. That leaves me with some sadness, but it is the reality of life. It causes me to not take meat in the grocery store for granted.

Blitz has a lively pheasant.

The time out in the field away from the day to day activities is a welcome break to go enjoy a more primal experience. There are things all around to be noticed that add to the richness of this time spent.

geese, Canadian Geese, photography, wildife, nature

Canadian Geese hiding in the grass.

This time means so much when spent with family.

My oldest son, Chris with his girl Nellie. This will be her last pheasant season.

family, sons, golden retriever, hunting, pheasant

My sons and Nellie.

This is also a time for me to remember my old loyal hunting partners from years past. The ones that gave me so many fond memories. Last year was Hawk’s last season only we didn’t know it at the time. He should have had many more pheasants to retrieve. We miss him very much. Mary posted about him a while back, Her Papa’s Eyes.

Hawk during his last pheasant season. An old hunting partner remembered.

Posted on April 2, 2013 by foresterartist

Mary wrote this post after the hunt test a week ago. I think it complements my latest post. We have another event this weekend.

Sneaking Bliss

There is no greater bliss than live one’s purpose.

Our retrievers are working retrievers. They are descendants of generations of canine companions that hunt with their human counterparts. When harvesting upland game or waterfowl, a working retriever is essential. Often, game lands in an area inaccessible to the human hunter. Enter the well-trained retriever to recover dinner.

The ultimate test for a working retriever is to work in a real time hunt and retrieve dinner for its family. There is a process to test these working dogs to a standard established to determine their readiness as a hunting companion.

In these tests, the retriever’s natural abilities and trained abilities are judged.

Natural abilities: marking and memory, intelligence, attention, nose, courage, perseverance and style.

Trained abilities: steadiness, control, response to direction, and delivery.

Here are some snapshots of Tim, The Forester Artist, with the girls yesterday. It was a…

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HAPPY EASTER

Posted on March 31, 2013 by foresterartist

Mourning Dove

Trashy Osprey Neighbors

Posted on March 29, 2013 by foresterartist

The neighbors down the road don’t live in the classy part of town next to the river. The nest they live in is a bit unkempt. Okay, let’s be honest, this place is a trash bin, a pig sty, a garbage dump. I’ve never seen an osprey nest that looks a bad as this one.

osprey, trashy, nest, photography, nature, wildlife

The osprey neighbors down the road

What a mess! I’m thinking hoarders.

Home sweet utility pole in the middle of a vacant lot.

I showed the above pictures to “our” resident osprey in the high-rise tower with the river view. I was curious to get their reaction to the neighbors abode.

The shock of it!

The inter-species humiliation was just too much for him to take, and then……..

Oh my!

……his head EXPLODED!

No osprey were injured in the making of this post.

Back To The Coast

Posted on March 28, 2013 by foresterartist

Back to the coast today for inventory. This is the mill I went to. We are all done and headed home.

It’s a long drive and the girls are exhausted.

Red Tail On The Hunt

Posted on March 22, 2013 by foresterartist

redtail hawk, redtail, buteo, rapture, photography, nature, wildlife

This young red-tailed hawk is feeding on a bird it caught.

His prey is more visible in this picture. It was a bird of some type, but I couldn’t identify it.

This young red-tailed hawk has made the mill site his home. He is a hard-working bird as I see him every day at his favorite hunting grounds.

This is his favorite spot. Every day he spends some time on the powerline watching the field in front of our office.

At first he would get annoyed when I stopped to take his picture.

Now he become a great model.

In case you were worried you weren’t going to get your osprey fix today, here is one for you.

Popping By The Pole Yard

Posted on March 20, 2013 by foresterartist

We never know who might just pop by the Pole Yard. While driving through the yard the other day this rooster pheasant was strutting down the road. Unconcerned, he took his sweet time. I stopped, not wanting to run over His Excellency, and took some pictures to record this auspicious occasion. He finally moved out of the road, but seemed somewhat perturbed by the inconvenience.

pheasant, poles, nature, wildlife, photography

His Excellency on parade.

He finally allows us to pass.

Even I have to admit, he is a handsome fellow.

Teka and Blitz were busy plotting against His Excellency!

Run Of The Mill View

Posted on March 13, 2013 by foresterartist

Climbing down the ladder to the chip hopper. Hey, what is that black thing?

I’m working on a presentation that I’m giving at the Redwood Region Logging Conference on Friday. I wanted to put some new photos into my Power Point presentation. My favorite view of the mill site is from the top of the chip hopper at the Pole Plant. It gives a great overview of the entire complex, so I took my shots and climbed down. I normally post lots of pictures of wildlife around the mill site, but I haven’t shown much of the complex. By just looking at the wildlife pictures from my category called “Wildlife At The Mill“, one would think this place was a wildlife refuge. In a way it is. The wildlife here is accustomed to living next to and amongst the mill site. No one bothers them and they have adapted to their environment. It is truly amazing how adaptable nature is.

Mt Shasta, Shasta, log deck, pole yard, mill site, sawmill, photography

Mt Shasta rises in the background of the pole yard and the log decks. Mt Shasta is the second largest mountain in the Cascades at 14,179 feet.

pole yard, sawmill, otter, photography, osprey, nest

The Otter Pond is surrounded by the sawmill, co-generation plant and pole yard. The otters don’t seem to mind. You can see the otter post Otter, Up Periscope. The tower with the osprey nest is just visible in the upper right corner. The osprey posts are, Osprey Remodel, Osprey Love, and Here Come The Osprey.