A Birding Saturday, Sort Of

Saturday was Global Big Day, the bird count day. 

A friend and I decided to celebrate by going to 

Wings over Weston, a gathering at Weston Bend State Park, 

just over the Missouri River from Leavenworth. 

The funny thing was, we did not take one picture of the 

actual Wings over Weston event, as it appeared to be geared to 

families with young kids. 

There were supposed to be birding hikes leaving the event, but we 

never saw one, so... we hiked on our own.  More about that in a minute. 

Operation Wildlife, where I took the turtle several weeks ago, 

was there with raptors on display. 

Most of these birds cannot be released back into the wild. 

This is a merlin, a small raptor. 

This is a peregrine falcon, who actually belonged to a falconer. 

Oh yes, one of my favorite birds was there, and was cleaning himself up 

on his perch. 

That's the merlin again, from the front.  Pretty bird. 

This woodpecker was flying back and forth from grassy area to tree. 

I guess I should tell you that this park is on a bluff overlooking the Mighty Missouri, now the muddy Missouri, after the rain we have had. 

Read this sign carefully.  We had a good laugh, it had obviously been altered, but we 

laughed our way right by the "Steep grades and inclines more than 10%.  Bluffs or drop offs next 

to trail."

Oh, boy. 

It started off looking pretty easy. 

BWHAHAHAHAHA. 

I took this from a very high point on the very narrow, on the bluff trail.  

I climbed over several downed trees... and at one point, my companion 

stood with her back to the drop off so I could inch past her.  

Whew. 

I have to tell you I have vertigo, not really badly, but enough to be frightened. 

We were in the forest primeval. 

There was beauty everywhere. 

You can see how shaded we were, it was unseasonably cool that day. 

After a bit, we ran into two young woman coming the other way.  

Then, a single man.... who told us to turn around and go back. 

I looked at my friend and said "Uh, no". 

At one point, we came upon a man in the uniform of a Missouri Dept. of Conservation agent. 

He explained he was supposed to be working at the festival... but had decided to hike for a bit. 

He looked at our map and told us what to look for. 

I asked if there was any way he could get us airlifted out.  

HAHAHA (again). 

Several other couples and one pair of parents with two little kids and a stroller 

passed us, and lo and behold, the fork came up that led out of the woods. 

I only fell twice, once going down, and the other, going UP steeply. 

That one hurt. 

It still hurts. 

I did pretty good for someone who turns 66 this summer and is a 

casual walker in the park. 

I checked my step counter on my phone when I got home, and I had walked 

nearly seven miles that day. 

We are ready for another hike in a few weeks! 

How glad I was to see the familiar sights of home! 

We have had some unusual visitors to our feeders the last few days, 

and I'll show you pictures of them tomorrow. 

It has rained all day here, so the dogs have had no exercise, nor have I. 

We will have to try to get caught up tomorrow. 

Strange Doings

Well, there have been some strange doings here this week. 

On Thursday morning, the dogs and I were on our ways to the old house. 

Out of the corner of my right eye, I saw something coming across the 

pasture-with-the-airstrip that we pass every day. 

Yes, the picture is a blur.  I was trying to stop the car and get the camera up at the same time, because I did not want to lose sight. 

Finally, the first appeared. 

It paused to look around, but did NOT look towards the car, where we were sitting 25 feet away. 

They were running as fast as they could... and there was actually still another, the seventh, behind these last two with the big group.  

Parents and babies, I think... running at 8:20 in the morning from something frightening. 

I waited until they had disappeared into the bean fields on the left and went on, scanning the woods to the right. 

We got to the old house, and for the first time in weeks, I saw vultures on the comm tower across the road. 

Our poor overgrown pasture. 

So, we started back, and at almost the same spot where the raccoons had come out, we saw this. 

And this.... notice the look back?  At the same stretch of woods.  It was now about 9:20 AM. 

There is a swale in that bean field... do you see her watching? 

These are the woods from which they all ran.  I have talked to several local people (and friend Jill) about it.  Opinions vary from packed dogs, coyotes, a cat of some kind, either bob-or mountain and MAN, the worst killer. 

Daytime, mind you. 

The white thing you see in the ground in front of the treeline is a marker for the air strip. 

As we went on home, I saw the two turkeys I showed you the other day, same yard, but farther back from the road. 

Here I am going to stop to tell you that my brother has been very ill for two weeks, and I have been going daily to the hospital to sit with him.  He is now on hospice care at a new nursing home. 

I was there on Thursday at noon when I got a call that Keith was being admitted to the VA.  He was then sent to KU Medical Center for admittance to the Cardiac Care unit.  Yes, he is 

now in the hospital and on medication.  

This morning, I made a trip to the old house.  Troy had met me there last night, God bless our good neighbor... and rescued me again. 

We are having a new septic system put in there, and somehow, the 

man had tripped the well pump off. 

Troy restored the water.  They must fill the tank partially before they 

backfill. 

I'll have more pictures of this tomorrow, because it is interesting. 

On the way back, we saw this.  Yes, the other was behind her. 

You can see she is a fawn still.  They were the two deer whom 

we had seen cross two days before.  What a relief to know the danger had gone from their woods. 

(they are standing close to the airstrip) 

As we continued on, I thought I saw a hawk standing on a fence pole in a field-yard behind an abandoned home.  Not a hawk... an owl! 

And finally, we saw our friend of the little pond.  The pond, as you see... is seriously low.  The cattle are still standing in it daily... but it is shrinking.  We need rain here! 

I hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend! 

I will try to post again tomorrow sometime. 

Picture Heavy Post

I was late getting home after church on Saturday evening, instead of 6:30, it was after 7 as I zoomed down 163rd street.  I saw this little guy sitting on the gate post, and this is the ONLY clear picture I got of him... because...

He flew into the woods, I guess he didn't like his picture being taken!  

You know fields are wet when geese are wading in them! 

Jester enjoyed a good roll in the clover yesterday. 

He's my happy boy. 

Can you even see Lilly in the pasture grass? 

Neither dog is going down there much now. 

I had to cut this grass about every ten days when we lived there, or it would be like this in no time. 

Trying to identify this bird. 

And this one.  It's not a female goldfinch. 

The iris show is almost over. 

There are more past bloom than blooming now. 

I only have two peonies out there. 

I'm going to have a couple here, and I'm trying to figure out where. 

On the way home, I saw five vultures swooping and swirling.  This one wanted the pole and knocked the other off. 

I did not go around the corner to see what was dying... but I prayed it was not the huge snapper I showed you yesterday. 

Clearly the king of the pole. 

Michelle asked if the hen Lilly got yesterday was okay...

She is.  Thank you! 

Yesterday afternoon, I put a small dish with water near the hen who has 

been setting for a month now.  I also poured some food down. 

This morning I came in and caught her like this. 

I watched as she drank over and over. 

For those of you who don't keep chickens, setting hens 

stop eating and drinking, and this one has gone OVER the length of time for those chicks to hatch. 

I am giving her a few more days and then the eggs go to the compost heap (I hate this part of chicken keeping).  

I poured a little scratch in the nest box after she went back in... but... 

I left fresh water and food for her.  I'm hoping she'll come off voluntarily. 

And my last (whew) picture for tonight... today's egg take. 

See the little fart egg on the right?  It was loaded... I could feel 

the heaviness.  I'll break it this week to 

see and take a picture of it. 

The food pantry will be getting eggs in numbers again this week!