Pretty cool

Camera Trap Codger has been staking out what he thinks are badger holes with his camera traps. He has been at this for quite some time, but hasn't been able to photograph the elusive creature. Instead he has begun to catalog the number of animals which use these holes. The burrowing owl is only one.

A Good Day Fishing

Think of this as father's day #2. One of the things my son wanted to give to me for father's day was a day fishing.

We went today to do just that. We sat by the side of a canal near Alligator River Wildlife Refuge for a bit and mom was the only one to catch anything.

It was "the first, the biggest, and the best," as my 10 year old kept telling us.

My little girl was at a friends, so it was just Mom and the boys.


We had fun sitting there using minnows, spinner baits, and these really funky night crawlers.

After a few hours, we weren't catching anything, so we decided to head to a different location just down the road.

But things really got interesting when we decided to change spots. We headed down the main road, then turned onto a gravel road that would bring us back to Buffalo City. This is a great kayaking spot that was well known for its rum runners during the prohibition.

There is a complex series of canals, originally used for logging, then used later for boot legging. Floating stills were erected and hidden from the local authorities. If the sheriff got wind of any illicit activities, the still would be floated to somewhere different, therefore eluding detection.

We weren't there for the rum. We were looking for a good fishin' spot. As we turned down the road, and wound our way through the trees, I kidded with the kids to watch for bears. We rounded a corner, and found our first water moccasin. So their curiosity for wild life was whetted, they delegated their jobs.

"I'll look left, you right. Dad, keep an eye out front." I had to smile, I'd been through alligator River hundreds of times looking for bears and only seen cubs in a tree once.

And then there it was, right in front of us, in the middle of the road.

A big ol' male black bear.


He ambled away from us for a while, and then snaked back and forth avoiding our car, but never straying far from the road and never moving real fast.

He didn't seem to mind that we were there, but he was annoyed that we were staying on the same trail he was on.


Traci hung out the car window with the camera. It was right there, outside the passenger window. How I wish I had a better camera. I kept my foot on the accelerator, and my fingers on the window controls, in case we needed to make a fast exit. Remember, I only have a point and click camera. I can't zoom very much.


We took some pictures (the boys were amazed), and then we kept on. We stopped and wet our fishing lines for a bit.

The boys couldn't stop talking about the bear and the snake, and maybe there will be alligators. It was great to hear them bubbling over with excitement.

But it was getting late, we had to go pick up our daughter, and we had to go.

We packed back up, turned around, and the bear was right there. We watched each other for a bit.

He seemed a bit wary of us, and as we drove closer he swam the canal and disappeared into the forest.

It was amazing to see and an experience I won't forget.

We pulled off the gravel road, and the front tire blew. Thumpa, thumpa, thumpa. I had to find a good spot to pull over.


The kids have never seen a flat tire so I taught the boys how to use a jack and change a tire.



The boys bubbled with excitement the whole way home. We didn't catch much fish.


But it was a great fishing trip.

Orienteering 101 - continued

Today we found ourselves out at the farm. We took Dolan out to the outskirts of the property, back in the woods, intentionally trying to get ourselves turned around a bit, then he had to be able to find our way back to the farm.

There were a few specific things we were looking for. One was turkey sign. With the Spring season just around the corner, my brother Tim wanted to find where they were hiding out. The second thing he was looking for was coyote. There has been a sighting or two on his property, and he wanted to lay eyes on them himself.

It didn't take long before we found sign of the coyote. This was right in the middle of the trail where it cut from one rye field to the next.



We cut across the fields and entered the woods. It was warmer here and less windy. The early spring flowers were peeking through the leaf litter as we meandered towards the back of the property.



Luke, the younger brother, made it across the log just fine, but slipped as he was standing too close to the creek and it was muddier than he realized. Gracie made the crossing effortlessly, and I followed behind. We kept out eyes peeled for any sign of wildlife, but if you've never been in the woods with boys, they make a lot of noise.


The property was well marked along the edges so we made sure not to get beyond where we were supposed to be. Not as big a deal this time of year, but it is always a good idea to honor thy neighbor.

We did find some deer sign, lots of tracks and one nice shed antler.

A little further along we came on some prime bedding habitat for deer and kept out eyes out for a second antler, but never found one. We did find this cool honeycomb in a hole in a giant willow tree.


The kids broke off a piece to bring home. They want to melt down the wax to make candles. We'll see what momma says. We followed the stream for a while, always following Dolan's direction on which way was home. Invariably, he would check the compass and point us in the right direction. He really did a great job.





By this time, we had pretty much given up finding any turkey. With all the noise we were making there was no way. We found some spots where it looked like they had been feeding, but nothing positive. Along the way, Gracie had been checking out the local woodchuck holes. Some times she seemed interested, sometimes she would just pass them by. This one must have smelled really good as she tried to wriggle herself most of the way inside, but was blocked by some roots. So far she hasn't barked in any of the holes, but that may just be because she doesn't know for sure what is down there.


Just before coming out of the woods into another corn field, Dolan became fascinated by this old car and had to get himself a piece of it. He unscrewed the nameplate and it was a Fury III.


After several hours of hiking we came out into the corn field across from the farm (Dolan's compass skills had been right all along), and we found some definitive turkey sign in the mud. Tracks, tracks and more tracks. And if you look close, there is the track of a coyote right on top of them in the drying mud.



It was a good hike.

Orienteering 101

We took the kids and dogs out again today. My oldest needed to work on some of his boy scout stuff. We got out the map and the compass that we bought today at the store and started him on his orienteering.


To be honest, he got us a little lost the first time, not because he didn't know what direction we were going, but more because the map didn't jive with what we thought it should say based on the trails we were on. It took a bit, but he figured it out and we started the whole process over again.
His younger brother got the hand me down compass and verified every direction we traveled.



Of course the dogs came with us. It was a good up and down hike with hills and water, and a lot of mud, but the terrain changes made it more interesting.




We saw some wildlife, deer grazing on the hill, lots of little birds flying to and fro. We saw chipmunks for the first time this spring. Horses watched us from over the fence at the end of their pasture, and Gracie chased whatever she saw.

We found what we believed to be a leftover fox kill, all rabbit - no head.

The labs waded, swam, and sloshed through every bit of water we could find. If nothing else, Labs are predictable. They are great dogs!


Overall, it was a great hike, and some good time with the kids. Tomorrow we go back out to the farm and my oldest tries the compass without maps or trails. We're going to drop him off in the back forty and he needs to find his way home. Don't worry, I'll be with him. I think that is a good thing.

Gracie Goes to Ground - sort of.

One of the great things about spending time up in upstate New York is that we get to spend a bunch of time outdoors with the dogs. So far, we've been able to get the dogs outside multiple times a day, wandering through the woods.


The little dogs love it, and they hang with the big dogs. The schnauzer doesn't swim, but will hang out when my parents' labs. Apollo (the yorkie), is learning his commands, come, stay close, etc.


We don't get to walk in the woods this much at home. The tics there are bad. I realize that sounds wimpy, but they are really bad. It is hard to take a walk when you know that you will spend a half an hour picking them off of you when you are done. So the only time we hike is in the winter.

My kids love it too. They can hike, and throw big rocks into the water. I'm not sure why the big rocks are still a thrill, but they love to do it.

Today, we came across four white tail deer that let my son and I stalk in fairly close. I couldn't get a good shot, as they were hiding in the thick brush. We counted their numbers as they bound away, white tails flashing.

We've been encountering a bunch of groundhog holes since we've been here. Gracie wriggled her way most of the way into the first, but couldn't get past the first bend in the pipe.


I knew a groundhog was at home, as I saw it disappear into the whole as we approached, but Gracie is just too big in the chest to make it further in than the doorstep.

I did have to pull her by the legs to get her out.

Since that first hole, she's been checking other groundhog holes we come across.


It makes me smile, and sad at the same time. Hopefully, I'll get up to Patrick's after the break to get my fix. I wonder if I should bring Gracie? If nothing else, she can stake out one whole to keep the groundhog from bolting. I'll talk to him. The hole below was dug out under a pile of slate, refuse and plastic buckets. I would have hated to break into this pipe

In the meantime, if you know of an adult terrier/ dachshund mix, with a wire coat, that likes kids and other dogs, and has a spannable chest - give me a holler.

Stealing Time

I read this post over at Eric Outside that got me thinking. Hunting season is over. I'm not outside as much as I would like anymore. I'm driving three, over scheduled kids here. I'm driving them there, but I'm not taking any time for myself.

But then I realized that that is not necessarily true. I steal bits of time.

When I go to feed the pigeons, I don't just dump the feed and go. I find myself stopping and peering back into the woods. I watch the squirrel as it scales the tree, barking at me as it goes, it's tail waving back and forth at me.

The chickens cluck back in forth, tirelessly, searching for a bit of grain. They pick their feet straight up, then the gently stretch their toes out, placing it gently on the cold brown earth. They are so different than the harris'.

I feed the hawks, and I watch the crow gathering twigs for its own nest. A pileated woodpecker knocks a hole in the tree above us, and the cotton clouds scud across the Carolina blue sky.

A two minute feeding can stretch into 15 to 25 minutes. Little intervals here and there, that if you gather them together add up to a lot more. I realized that I am stealing time to feed my own addiction.

I need those minutes. While I can't take an hour right now to hike down the creek that runs down our property, I can steal bits of time, and take them for myself.