Turkey Times

What a nice start to the Spring Turkey Hunt! This turkey family - Hen and 4 chicks have been constant citizens in the backyard. They travel just outside the line of tall foilage to scratch. The Hen is teaching her babies to forage for food. They all know how to fly for the tree tops as was shown one day after Sadie and I had stirred them out of hiding in the pasture. The first response was a gallop out of the high grass, lifting off to glide gracefully skyward ,only to stop at the tree tops.

Having a few more rounds to make in our walk, we had the opportunity to stop and watch the Hen gathering her chicks from the perches they had risen to a short time before. Barely visible due to the ground cover, she only vocalized at brief intervals, to call the kids back to her side.

This afternoon ,we found this little family, tucked not so silently by the back of the garden. Gliding out of range into the tangle of the timber as we startled them from their hiding place...

Buck Fever

Well folks it has begun! Buck fever is starting here at Timber Life. This guy has been hanging around in the close neighborhood. The same buck I believe I saw with the doe a week ago, in the west pasture. From my vantage point I saw eight points. Got this picture with my Hubby's camera. I had taken my camera with me in the car, and it didn't make it back into the house, because of plans for today. The attempt to go behind the house, to my car in the drive, at the side was almost successful. Freezing in my tracks didn't help this time . He swiftly exited once he got anxious. Checking back in the archives here, I wrote about "Sparring Whitetail Bucks", on October 16,2007 . Wonder if this buck happened to be apart of that bunch? Needless to say , once again that internal - primal awakening is raising the awareness of that rustling sound coming through the brush... ;)

Cloud Tales

The above picture of a curious cloud formation was seen hanging over our west pasture before sunset one evening.We had a night filled with some severe weather in central Iowa, on the evening of August 14th. Here at home we just had lots of clouds, some swift breezes,and eventually some rain. Hubby's Experimental Aircraft Association's monthly meeting was interrupted by a sighted tornado over the city of Marshalltown. It stayed parallel to the clouds,but was visibly rotating. This summer has brought some really pretty evening clouds...or maybe I have seen more of them,because of my increased encouragement to be outside. The clouds in the picture below changed constantly. As did the way the shadows developed as the sun passed from top to bottom as it finally dropped below the horizon. Created a sense of peace and beauty as it slipped silently out of view... ;)

Geese In The Mist

Before 9:00 A.M. today - Sadie and I were given a concert by at least 4 different V's of Canadian Geese flying around treetop looking for a place to set down. The August fog started building around 11:00 last night. The moon made the gradual development over the bean field to above the treetops rather ethereal. The first V came last week on August 6th, a group of approximately 20, flew low over the end of the drive a half mile to the west of the house. Beginning to make me wonder if they are getting started on their way south ,because winter is going to be early this year??? ;)