Lots of Geese

Geese were plentiful in Fayette County yesterday.  Both Canada Geese ans snow geese.
 Corn feilds should not have any volunteer corn this spring.

Raptors

Last night we attended the 75th Annual Meeting of the Montgomery County Soil and Water Conservation District.  The room was full of old photographs and old friends so it was a pleasant evening.  The program for the evening was presented by the World Bird Sanctuary.  Over the years, I have seen their presentations several times.  They change each time.  Several of the birds were not native to our area, but the two below are.  I have never seen a barn owl in the wild, but the one below is a beauty.

The American Kestral is very common in our are and Paige Davis, the presenter, added to my knowledge of the bird.  The Kestral is also known as a sparrowhawk.  I always thought that was because of their small size, but it is because some ornithologists thought they ate mainly sparrows and other small birds.  The Kestral is a falcon and closely related to the Peregrine Falcon.  They are capable of high speed dives and their peak will kill preay much bigger than them.

Barn Owl

American Kestral

Deer in the Cornfield

As I was working on sampling this week, I spotted numerous deer tracks.  I even heard on rustle nearby.

Elk in Iowa

I was able to photograph the Elk below at Neil Smith National Wildlife Refuge in Iowa.  They are in an 800 acre confinement, not on the loose.  The confinement also contains Bison.  Most of the refuge is restored prairie.  There is also some effort being made to restore savanna habitat.

Deer

We took a weekend getaway to Lake of the Ozarks. On the way home we saw 5 herds of deer grazing.  The top photo is south of Timber Lake Golf course near Staunton.  The bottom on is near Hillsboro.

Grazing Corn Stalks

I caught these turkeys grazing corn stalks a few days ago. 

Brown Snake

It was very cold in November.  December weather has moderated somewhat, but I was still suprised to see the little brown snake below slithering along trying to stay out of my way.  He curled up to attack when I got close to try and photograph him.

Brown Snake

Texas Bison Herd

On our trip we had the chance to visit Caprock Canyon State Park.  It is part of Palo Duro Canyon.  The escarpment on the west side of the canyon marks the separation of the rolling plains to the east and the very flat high plains to the west.  One of the highlights was that we got to see the Texas Bison Herd. I have visited the park before, but not seen the  herd.  Many say that the Texas Bison herd was preserved by Charles Goodnight, a very famous Texas rancher who founded one of the largest ranches in Texas.  The local tie in is that Goodnight was born on a farm near Gillespie, IL about 20 miles from me.  It is said that his wife Mary encouraged him to preserve bison.  There are about 80 bison in the herd, and some have been sent to Yellowstone, The Badlands, and other bison herds to diversify genetics.  Bison are perfectly adapted to the plains.  I could envision the number of bison increasing to the point where they might again provide us with a significant food source.  To those who worry about cattle contributing to Global Warming, I would point out that the Great Bison Herds have roamed North America for 250,000 years or more.  I am sure their emissions are very similar to our cattle.

Texas Bison

Deer Damaged Corn

Corn below has a little bit of deer damage and  little bit of wind damage.  Deer are feeding very close to the house.  I don't think this qualifies, but there are nuisance permits available to kill deer doing serious damage. 

Snapping turtle

I spotted a snapping turtle sunbathing today. 

Winter Geese

I can't imagine geese sticking around much longer with bitter cold and snow covered ground. 

Deer Blinds

In honor of deer season, I am posting some of the creative deer blinds I have seen.

Corn Stalk Bales

Camo Wagon

Traditional Tree Stand

Store Bought Blind

Gravity Wagon and Camper Top Blind

Deer Stand

From a distance it was hard to tell what was laying in the field.  I guess the deer stand was not anchored well enough for the wind on Sunday.  I bet this hunter will be disappointed about 4 AM on Friday.

Deer Stand

Deer and Turkey

On my way home from the field tonight, I spotted some turkeys in a field eating soybeans.  I stopped to see if I could get a picture.  After fumbling with the camera, the shot below was the best I could get.  As I was driving away, I noticed deer were also in the field.  I was not sure until I got home whether or not I got any deer in the photo.  You might expect a green deer from my spelling in the photo.  There were seven Turkeys and two deer.  They did not seem to bother each other at all. 

Snag Trees

Snag tree

 Snag trees like those pictured may not be productive for timber, but they are very productive to wildlife providing both food and shelter to mammals, birds, insects, and many others.  It is a good conservation practice to keep such trees if possible. 

Have a Great Indepence Day

Planting around the Swales

I worked in the Black Walnut, Missouri  today.  Most of the fields we sampled were planted and some of the corn was up.  Some of the really early corn was about 4 leaf stage.  Soils were in good shape for the most part,but everyone is planting around swales like the one below.  Note the Common Egret trying to catch tadpoles.

Snow Geese

I worked in the Portage des Sioux area today.  There were lots of snow geese in the air and in the fields.  One of my customers was complaining they were doing serious damage to some of the wheat fields.  Digging up and eating whole plants.  I was not able to investigate, but I am curious if others have had damage.  One of the flocks were covering about 40 acres.  I saw some flocks even bigger near Butler last night.  Hunting is encouraged.  Most wildlife managers agree that they are out of control, but it is not open season so make sure you are legal.  I have heard that snow geese make good sausage. 

Eagles in Illinois

We went eagle watching recently from Nutwood to Alton.  It seems weather has them scattered and likely north of us, but we did see a few.  I was able to capture this shot almost right overhead.  Over 4000 eagles from Canada and Alaska overwinter on Illinois and Missouri Rivers. It is always fun to spot one of these magnificent birds.  

Soaring Eagle

Swans in the Corn Field

I spotted these swans in a field near Royal Lakes in Macoupin County. 

Swans