Pam and I with a freshly harvested elk.
The Beautiful Orioles are Back
They have appeared again and we do not know where they came from. A neighbor who is really into birds told my wife to put out some grape jelly and we would see a beautiful bird come and feed on the grape jelly. It is the Baltimore Oriole. The oriole is a singer with a rich whistling song that echoes from tree tops and parks. Now the birds are in our neighborhood. We always thought this bird lived in the eastern states, but here it is in Iowa. The male has brilliant orange plumage while the female appearance is much more subdued. Male Baltimore Oriole getting ready to have some grape jelly Besides the Baltimore Oriole, we are also being visited by the Orchard Oriole. A smaller bird, the male is brick red with a solid black tail. First year males have a well defined black bib. The female has a greenish yellow rather than the orange – yellow breast.
The Beautiful Orioles are Back
They have appeared again and we do not know where they came from. A neighbor who is really into birds told my wife to put out some grape jelly and we would see a beautiful bird come and feed on the grape jelly. It is the Baltimore Oriole. The oriole is a singer with a rich whistling song that echoes from tree tops and parks. Now the birds are in our neighborhood. We always thought this bird lived in the eastern states, but here it is in Iowa. The male has brilliant orange plumage while the female appearance is much more subdued. Male Baltimore Oriole getting ready to have some grape jelly Besides the Baltimore Oriole, we are also being visited by the Orchard Oriole. A smaller bird, the male is brick red with a solid black tail. First year males have a well defined black bib. The female has a greenish yellow rather than the orange – yellow breast.
Funky Chicken Scores Again
There he is Funky Chicken This decoy has been in my stash of turkey decoys for going on four years. When I first saw this funky looking decoy advertised in Bass Pro, I said, “No way.” Then a friend used one and said it was dynamite. It makes the toms really mad, and like the Charles Atlas advertisements of decades ago, the weakling got sand kicked into his face by the big bully. The manufacturer advised adding a couple of feeder hens to give a feeling of security. There is my spread. The funky and two feeding hens. It can’t get any better than this for Mr. Big Shot to come up the hill and pick a fight. In other words, kick sand in the eyes of the wimp. I set up my gear behind the large bush to the left of the top picture of funky. I set my chair down,
Don’t Feed the Dinosaurs
Don’t feed the Dinosaurs. I have some friends that were asking me about a new rifle scope I bought that was not needed. “How do you get away with that stuff?” The answers is simple. My wife likes to go to faraway places and we make sure we do a trip once or twice a year. The second thing is she likes flowers and the botanical gardens at Lauritzen is one her favorite places to visit. If she wants to go to the gardens, dropping whatever I am doing is the right thing to do. After all, I hunt and fish when and where I want and buy all that equipment that is not really needed. The gardens are a living museum of unique four season plant displays maintained to the highest standards of environmental stewardship. A visit is an escape to an urban oasis of beauty and tranquility. The gardens are a sanctuary in the