All About Pocket Knives

A beautiful shot LB. Perfect water conditions.

A great photo Lee, their call has even been included in some classical music. And what swimmers! Thanks.

Thanks QS and doglegg ... Lots of photos to get the one I wanted - that is the great thing about digital photography in contrast to spending money on lots of film... No doubt their call is one you won't soon forget after hearing it - to me nothing more relaxing than the cool breeze of the night air and the call of the Loons to get a good nights sleep ....

Beauty Lee!!!

Great photo, Lee.
Been to Maine quite often, but along the coast.
Loons are fresh water birds, and I have yet to see or hear one in the wild.

Thanks Scott and Steve ...

Steve - You really won't see them along the coast much - hit the lakes inland if you really want to see them - but as I alluded to they are protected so they are not as common as other water birds... I have seen them in Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire - they are supposedly in Massachusetts and here in Connecticut but have never seen them and their numbers are no doubt less as you move south... They are more common in Northern New England (but believe they are seen in the northern reaches of other states even west)... As an aside they are also a fairly large bird - plus or minus 12 lbs...

I was out at the lease this weekend. We didn't do much hunting, but I got my feeder back upright and running. Hopefully the hogs won't knock it over again.

We were cruising around one of the tanks when we saw a water snake eating one of our catfish. My buddy dispatched him with his Taurus Judge.

Not something you see everyday.

Sitting by the backdoor earlier and heard a bird I don't think I've ever heard in my seventy-one years.

Never saw it and it didn't hang around long. Didn't call all that frequently, either.

We live on the edge of a fairly large nature preserve, all of which is within the city limits, so we get a bit of wildlife here, Piliated woodpeckers and such.

The best I can do with trying to write out the call is "Graaacckkk-Ooohllll"

The call was only made once, then repeated several moments later. I think I heard it a total of four times.

Any ideas?

Charlie Noyes

Charlie - I do not have any ideas about your bird. I also live in Alabama and in the past decades several species of birds have moved into my area. White winged dove - I still remember the first one I ever saw, maybe twenty years ago: and Eurasian collared dove: and House finch, and Cattle Egret - saw my first one of those about 1963 when I was first becoming a Birder. Maybe your mysterious caller is another new arrival. Also there is the possibility of an escaped cage bird like a parrot - I once saw a parrot in a tree in my neighborhood.

Today my wife and I were out fishing near an island with a few bushes on it but no trees. Lots of birds around of various species. Anyway, when I needed to pee I stepped out on the island and stirred up more birds than I could believe. Snowy Egrets, Tricolored Herons, White Ibis, ... there must have been hundreds of nests in the bushes. I hastily did what I had come to do and left them in peace!

Great pictures, Mel!
Treefarmer

How about this nasty sucker, looks like it is shedding its' winter coat.
Treefarmer

Like Treefarmer said. Great pictures.

treefarmer wrote:How about this nasty sucker, looks like it is shedding its' winter coat.
Treefarmer
MFDC1197.JPG

We have those suckers all over Dallas/Ft Worth as well. Ours are usually mangy. Help keep the cat population down. If you have a pet, be careful.

We have a new critter at the barn. I was glad to see him show up.

Working in the garden today. Had to break it a broad fork to get through this rocky sod.

Colonel, that looks to be just the other side of some hard work.

doglegg wrote:Colonel, that looks to be just the other side of some hard work.

Lol. It’s good exercise I guarantee. Short of a plow it’s the only way to break through this rock layer. Its a thin layer, but enough to bounce a tiller off of it until it’s broken.

"tillernohtnofnit" And that's Kentucky slang for...???

Steve Warden wrote:"tillernohtnofnit" And that's Kentucky slang for...???

Rofl. That’s what I get for trying to type out in the sun during a water break.

Although Kentucky slang can be just about that incomprehensible to “furiners” that “ain’t from ‘round here”. Lol

For clarification I fixed it.

Colonel26 wrote:

Steve Warden wrote:"tillernohtnofnit" And that's Kentucky slang for...???

Rofl. That’s what I get for trying to type out in the sun during a water break.

Although Kentucky slang can be just about that incomprehensible to “furiners” that “ain’t from ‘round here”. Lol

For clarification I fixed it.

Thanks Colonel!

I like the original word better.

This afternoon we brought the litter of pups up from the barn and took pictures and wormed them. Cheyenne has 10 this time and every one of them made it. This may be the best litter yet of English Shepherds we’ve had. The momma dog is my best stock dog, and the daddy is my best varminter.

Here they are in their first truck ride.

Colonel26 wrote:This afternoon we brought the litter of pups up from the barn and took pictures and wormed them. Cheyenne has 10 this time and every one of them made it. This may be the best litter yet of English Shepherds we’ve had. The momma dog is my best stock dog, and the daddy is my best varminter.

Here they are in their first truck ride.

6D826F75-2149-4DAB-BC47-898FFA42FAAF.jpeg

What a handsome litter. I'd take what I suspect is the little lady at the center left of the photo.

Ray

Paladin wrote:

Colonel26 wrote:This afternoon we brought the litter of pups up from the barn and took pictures and wormed them. Cheyenne has 10 this time and every one of them made it. This may be the best litter yet of English Shepherds we’ve had. The momma dog is my best stock dog, and the daddy is my best varminter.

Here they are in their first truck ride.

6D826F75-2149-4DAB-BC47-898FFA42FAAF.jpeg

What a handsome litter. I'd take what I suspect is the little lady at the center left of the photo.

Ray

The one with the open mouth? That’s a little boy, and a good pick. Of the ten eight were males! And all but one was Black and Tan.