Taxidermy Delivery, Bird Fest and Chores

The cameras has some interesting bird shots this week.

Bluebird?

Cardinal.

What is this one?  An owl?

Turkey.

Crow.

Red tail hawk (I assume).

Crow.

The taxidermy has arrived from the July 2024 South African hunt.

They sure do pack them in there.

Buffalo and sable.

I elected to have the buffalo done "natural".  I guess that includes the crack from the horn wound.

Some come with horns removed -like the sable.  They just slip on later.

Impala, springbok, wildebeest and duiker are all Eric's.  Buffalo, sable, lechwe and waterbuck are mine.  Mine may live in the crate for awhile waiting for the expansion of the elk room.

I have two fields that are buckwheat and weeds. I'm trying the method that broadcasts seeds right into this mess, then sprays it with roundup, then rolls it.  We'll see if anything comes up at all.

In the old pumpkin patch I'm doing winter greens (brassica).  In the upper pond field I'm trying some oats (with triticale). 

I also did a lot of spraying in the clover plots that are looking pretty weedy right now.  That's partially due to the amazingly wet growing season that we're having this year.

The pond is high in mid-August.  I hope that I successfully plugged the leak but it may just be the bountiful rain.

The shooting house is getting over-run with weeds.  I need to do something about that someday.

I have thought about expanding the prairie plot out front where the cedars have started to take over.

So I did a lot of brush-hogging to start the prep for that planting.

It helps if you don't run the tractor out of fuel.  The gauge said I had 1/8 left - it lied.

I tried to save a few stands of natives like this staghorn sumac. Also an occasional pine.

And a cluster of young redbuds.

My plan is to cut down the cedars.

I'm not sure how I let them get this big.

My Service Forester, Gavin, was out again to help me mark up some areas for TSI (timber stand improvement).  We marked up another 2.5 acres and took a look at the completed 3 acres.  During that tour he pointed out these dancing aphids on a beech tree.

I had a long day between tree marking, plot planting, and spraying.

This series is a young buck who decided to pick pears off of the driveway tree.

There was a lot of space walking going on this week.

This licking branch does get some attention.

Does and fawns are in their summer routine.

Sometimes they mix it up with the turkeys.

Twins.

Striking a pose.

Seems early to be losing the summer coat.  But they do normally go from red to grey.

It's been a wet August.

The turkeys are also active.  I saw a lot of them while walking around.  Here's a few videos.

Turkey1

Turkey2

Turkey3

Hen dusting while poults rest.

A bold young buck.

Still strutting.

The coyotes are busy.

Coon.

Fox.

Airborne.