Poultry

While traveling I spied this large, fiberglass chicken along the road.

 

Complete with knife, fork and hat...

Saturn

The Saturn V rocket was integral to the Apollo Project and the United States' race to the moon.

The size and payload capacity of this launch vehicle dwarfed all other previous rockets flown at that time. Fully 58 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty - with the Apollo spacecraft perched at the top - it stands 363 feet tall.  It's 33 feet in diameter at its base - not counting the stabilizing fins.

With a full load of fuel this beast weighed 6.5 million pounds and had a payload capacity of 260,000 pounds. 

At the state of Alabama visitor center just outside of Huntsville - home to America's manned space program.

Learn more about the Saturn V here.

Long Legs

The Great blue heron - Ardea Herodias - is a wading bird found throughout North America.

When searching for prey these birds wade slowly or stand statue-like, stalking fish, frogs or small mammals in shallow water or open fields. This bird is easily identified why flying by the distinctive “S” shape of the neck.

This bird can be found in both salt water and fresh water habitats.

This bird was found on a pier located in Gulf Shores State Park in Alabama.  It was panhandling for bait scraps from the fishermen.

Encounter on Mars

Earthlings have been exploring the red planet for awhile now.  There are three orbiting satellites and a couple of rovers on the planet's surface.

Earlier this month a very cool encounter occurred.   The High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed NASA's Curiosity Mars rover and tracks from orbit.

The Rover can be see in the lower, left-hand quadrant adjacent to a butte at 2 o'clock.  The Rover tracks on the planet's surface enter the picture in the upper left-hand corner.  This is really cool.

Learn more about this - including a better image - here.

Swampland

Hi there.  Swamp Gas here.

It is exceedingly wet around here.  Standing water everywhere.  Wet, wet, wet.  Mud Season we call it.

One of the trail cams caught this pic of yours truly on the four-wheeler. 

The trails have so much standing water you can see it splashing from the front wheel to your right.

click on image to enlarge

Scruffy

This animal looks a bit mangy but he's probably just scruffy.

As the days grow longer the hormonal levels of whitetail deer begin the change.  For boy deer testosterone levels gradually rise.  As a consequence antler growth begins and the gray winter coat with its thick guard hairs begins to molt.

Like this...

click on image to enlarge

My Labs are molting too.  Dog hair everywhere.  Blech!

Flat Top

Young buck - a flat-top.  Look'n good following a long winter...

click on image to enlarge

Night Deer

Just after nightfall the deer come out.

Looks like someone has an itch to scratch...

click on image to enlarge

Talking Turkey

Once again - from a new location for one of trail cams another turkey.

This time a hen!

Where there's hens the gobblers follow...

click on the lady to enlarge

What's Wrong with this Deer

Actually nothing is wrong with it.

It's a perfectly healthy-looking deer that has been feasting on our trees all winter.  Now that the days a growing longer and things are greening-up the local deer don't look any worse for the wear following this brutal winter.

Pregnant doe...

click on image to enlarge

Talking Turkey

Moved a trail camera to an alternate location last week just to see who's traveling on this trail.

Answer:  Deer, raccoon and turkeys.

Gobblers too....

Deer Damage

The long cold winter has left my cedars looking a bit thin.

Deer browse has stripped them of all of their scaly leaves within reach.

The Arrival of Mud Season

It's here.

Precisely on time.

Mud season.

click on image to enlarge

The girls are getting a routine hosing-off for the duration...

Talking Turkey

Gobblers on the move.

Watch the video carefully.  Notice something unusual about the first bird?

Ghosts

No, these snapshots have not been photo shopped.

The light conditions were just low enough to trigger the infrared capability of the camera resulting in a black and white image.

I think the result is pretty cool - in a ghostly sort of way...

click on image to enlarge

Sunrise

No critters on this picture.

What happened was on the first of April it was really, really windy and the motion of the tree set-off the motion detector on the camera triggering about fifty photographs of the same thing.

click on the sun to enlarge

The sun rising in the east.

Once and again the trail camera takes a bonus picture of something cool.

Healthy Deer

It's a critical time for the deer a natural food sources are a bit harder to come by this time of year.

Nevertheless, the deer showing-up on the cameras look pretty good.

How many deer do you count?

click on image to enlarge

Raccoonasaur

Took a rip at one of these last weekend with my trusty Browning Buckmark pistolero.  And sent it to raccoon Valhalla.

click on the nasty bugger to enlarge

And if I see more of them they'll get more of the same.

Raiders of my nest boxes, predator of ground nesting song birds and one of them took a swipe at my blonde Lab.

Hunger Days

Took these pictures on Friday evening just as the sun was setting.

click on image to enlarge

The neighbor left some standing corn for the critters last fall and the deer and turkeys have been picking through it lately for gleanings.

This is a critical time for the wild creatures as things haven't greened-up just yet.  And farmers that make a practice of doing this help the critters bridge the gap.  Or are they allowing the less fit to survive?

Flood!

The Frau and I took the girls out for a walk today and we had to ford the creek crossing carefully with tall rubber boots.

Holy crap!

click on the flood to enlarge

Everything is under water due to an ice jam and debris clogging the ancient culverts where we normally cross.

Will have to go down there tomorrow with some rakes to see if we can clear the jam and get things flowing properly.

Tom Turkey

Male turkeys showing-up weekly on the trail cameras - most often at this location.

click on birds to enlarge

With spring turkey hunting just around the corner I am encouraged.

The Frau

Not much escapes the relentless gaze of the patient trail camera.

Not even The Frau...

Technical Difficulties

The blog will be on hiatus until further notice.  The diligent IT staff here at The Platz is working to bring a laptop back from the dead.

Stay tuned...

Nest

Last year's goldfinch nest.

click on image to enlarge

It's such an elaborately-constructed home that it seems a shame that it's a single use item.  Sigh.

While performing the annual spring pruning ritual it's not unusual to discover nests of all sorts.  Funny how you never see them when they're occupied...

Public Service Announcement

We interrupt our regular programing to bring you this important public service announcement.

It is April Fools Day.

Happy pranking...