Al Larson Photography

In the first place who would want this many birds in a cage? Think of all the soiled paper one would have to remove and other maintainance. With a window feeder one can enjoy the birds close at hand just as well. All one needs to do is keep a supply of food available. In this photo I have a multitude of Pine Siskins voratiously consuming rather expensive sunflower chips. By supplying sunflower chips I avoid the seed hulls that would otherwise accumulate beneath the feeder. The piece of wire fencing you see in the background keeps the wild turkeys off of the feeder. I refuse to supply sunflower chips to fill a turkey’s crop!

I looked out of the window this morning and was greeted by a view of fresh snow. This is the 15th of February and I was wishing that Spring would be peeking around the corner. Seven Pine Siskins have recently arrived and seem to be taking the weather in stride. The coat hangers in the photo tend to deter jays so that smaller birds can feed peacefully. The hangers also make handy perches for the smaller birds

This little guy makes regular trips across the yard and up the hill to find pine cones. Sometimes it scampers back across the lawn, along the top of the board fence to its cache or fovorite dining place. This time it paused on a mound of snow by the woodshed to bite loose a couple of bracts from the pine cone searching for the hidden seeds within. This fellow is usually referred to as a “pine squirrel” or “chickory.” Like squirrels elsewhere they can be tamed by the lure of food to feed from your hand. However I have not practiced this for a long time.

After a light snowfall yesterday I ventured outside with the camera. One never knows what may get in front of the lens. We have five wild turkey toms that visit us nearly every day. They have found where I scatter seeds for the smaller birds. On this day just enough snow had fallen on the wet frozen ground to record the passing of various wildlife. The soft white snow gave way to the dark ground below giving contrast to the tracks of our passing toms.

Hilda does such a wonderful job as an artist. Here she used a slab of petrified bog as a canvas. This scene shows a mournful Black Bear cub looking longingly at its mother. The cub is about to strike out on its own after being weaned and abandoned by its mother. A weasel (ermine) in winter coat looks on.

I thought it was time to once again show some of Hilda’s artwork.  Here she put oils on a cross-cut blade. The elk and eagle seem right at home here by the lake, as do the fishermen and their camp. Notice how the crowns of the trees blend into the teeth. I think that this could grace almost any outdoor person’s mantel.

I returned to the beaver pond below the house on Daggett Creek today in hopes of seeing the beaver(s). Some fall colors still linger on the trees, bushes and shrubs. There was not a ripple in the water. I noticed the long ice crystals floating on the surface. I did not observe a pathway through the crystals so I presume the beaver must come out of its hut in the evenings or during the night. There seems to be fresh evidence of recent activity, fallen stems of willow.

I have yet to see the engineer but the evidence is here. I don’t know if an individual is responsible or if a pair of beaver is working here.  Last year a dam was built and then aparently abandoned and washed out during high water last winter and spring. The old hut has been refurbished. There is also a hole (tunnel) leading into the bank on the right side of the pond. Our son stepped through the roof of the tunnel about fifteen feet from the water. The beaver promptly set to work covering this unwanted hole with grass and weeds. I must quietly sneak down there and see if I can observe this fellow at work.

A few days ago on a trip to town I stopped by Lucky Peak Dam. This is a flock of Double-crested Cormorants that hauled out onto the rocks below the dam. They perch on the rocks to rest and dry out. Fishing is good below the turbins in the power plant.

With cold weather predicted in the next couple of days my thoughts returned to Spring. Last May as I reached the mouth of Daggett creek I found this chubby little fellow basking in the sun. I always like to see these guys because it means cold weather is over for the season. They come out of their dens in early Spring, eat and grow fat. By mid-summer they disappear again. They have voratious appetites and wreak havoc in nearby flower gardens and farm fields. It’s good that they stay away from my yard and keep to the rocks at the mouth of the creek.