Robins in Waiting

This past weekend was extremely moderate for this early stage of Spring here in Central Iowa. As the day progressed I observed Robins filling the fields.

Late in the day I saw a partial Albino Robin hopping around with his flight mates. I tried getting a picture of it in the field, but due to distance it didn't workout at the time. Patience gave me another opportunity when part of the flock wanted to search our backyard for a treat. Among them the Albino I caught sight of earlier.

Heading off to pick-up my memory card from the trail camera the next day, I once again found a partial Albino Robin with the pack hanging around our homestead.

According to the link I found, one in 30,000 Robins exhibit this trait.

My curiosity was sparked a few weeks ago. When my son got this picture, snapped with his cell phone,while he was out on a Disc Golf course 30 miles to the West of us.

This Robin certainly is exhibiting more absence of color than the one I saw flying around here.

Makes me want to carry a camera around more in case something out of the ordinary should happen to cross my path.

Our fields have been home to 1000's of migrating Robin Redbreasts since things have warmed up.

I am wondering if they are waiting for the snowstorms
to  move out up North before they leave the R&R they have found.

Mass ascensions from trees and ground created some awesome scenes over the landscape.

The only problems that may have kept the Robins looking over their right wings would have been the
local Red -Tailed Hawk, Sadie on her runs and me with my camera in hand.

This local was being harangued by the crows who are constantly making sure it keeps moving.

As it rose over the pasture on my way back from picking up the mail, I caught it gliding high on the wind, surveying all that lay below...

Here's wishing you a good day!

CDGardens - 5 Sadie - 3

It is finally time to be out looking for antler sheds at Timber Life!

The first week of January I began some preliminary searches,February 24th, I started to look some more without any luck,or so I thought...The bark was starting to be stripped right and left off small diameter saplings. Bucks needing to be rid of their now bothersome antlers are making marks everywhere.I can't begin to tell you how disappointing it is to see so many trees in this state and not finding antlers close by...

While there was snow on the ground I kept watch on coyote activity originating out of the thicket where I had secluded myself for one of my short morning hunts in December.

I went to look around and ran across the skeletal remains of a button buck in my search of the area.

Sadie had been hovering around during my investigation. Camera in hand I took a picture of her with her find. I really hadn't paid close attention - thinking she may have found a rib or two to carry away. I was more interested in getting pictures and excavating the little skull from the frozen ground.
The weather had turned nippy again so I wanted to get things done.

It wasn't until later in the afternoon when we went out for another walk that I discovered what Sadie had found. I hadn't looked at the pictures on the camera card yet...She picked up her treasure; I got a closer look.

Oh my! It was an antler shed. Where there is one just maybe there would be another. I headed back out to the fence line by the thicket,then I went back to the edge where I found the remains of the little buck. There not 10 feet away was the match for the antler Sadie had taken. My interest sparked, I headed for the adjacent pasture ,and found another little shed. The last one for a few days until weather and time allowed.

We have done some intermittent searches with varied results.

I have found skeletal remains from an estimated four years old to positively the present. Running into 7 hide piles and miscellaneous bones - it looked like they had been ambushed in the deeryard. There were three in one group yesterday and four in the group I found today.

 For some reason I  kept forgetting to take a picture of the shed before I picked it up. This time I remembered!

Now, I am going through some trail camera picture to see if I can match the tines to the bucks. There are a couple of pictures that I believe puts a flesh and blood owner to the one pictured on the ground and to the left in the group shot.

Take a look and see if you agree. It seems this Roman nosed fellow just might be a good match. The antler to your left as you look straight at his picture...He has been a camera hog on more than one occasion. He even tried licking the lense one night.

It looks like he is around to start a new set of antlers for me to find again next year.

Time to see if I can find owners for the rest of them.






To date me and Sadie have jointly found 7 antlers of various sizes and one that I removed from the buck that I was given by hunters hunting our property in December.

Five out of the eight antlers has considerable wear or an injury during the developmental stage causing some thickening at that point. The big 4 point to the right appears to have potentially been a five but the  tine was broken off early in development,leaving a hole in the middle. All have character.


A few more days and another direction should  be enough to finish the Whitetail Shed Hunting season for me.

I want to wish all of you that have an interest for collecting ... Good shed hunting!