HERDING DEER

Yesterday I saw the most fascinating thing. Mollie and I were out walking in the afternoon. We came upon a dozen deer standing in the trees. Mollie took off like a rocket. She is unbelievably quick. I realized she was headed for the deer. As I watched Molly raced among the deer. The deer just stood there watching her. I panicked. I called to her and she came running back to me, which is in itself amazing.

What an incredible experience. It wasn't until I had Molly back with me that I realized what she was up to. Her natural herding instincts had kicked in and she responded. That tiny little black ball racing around those big deer like she knew what she was doing. Also, amazing was the deer response. They didn't run they just calmly watched as if amused. If it had been Koty those deer would have been in the next county. Their tolerance for Molly was simply amazing.

I took this photo just before the deer happening. Molly 03-04-2013

©Kinsey Barnard

COUNTING MY BLESSINGS

Whilst Colorado and other western states are literally burning up, in northwest Montana we are having a particularly wet monsoon. I have already had over thirty inches here at the ranch.

Yesterday, I drove down to the Flathead to run errands. I knew it was going to rain but I had no idea how hard. By the time I arrived home the Forest Service road was washed out in several spots. I could only cross my fingers in the hopes my driveway had not washed out too. My rain gauge showed an inch and a quarter had been deposited in my absence. A huge amount in a such a short time on ground already saturated. I've spent considerable time and effort re-engineering the driveway and that work has paid off. My drive came through in perfect shape.

As I look out the window at all the lush green grass and the lush new growth on the forest trees I can't help but count my blessings that here in northwest Montana we have water in abundance. In fact we have much more than we need. Too bad there isn't some way to share it with those western states that are so very dry. It's not fair but then so little in life is.

Whitetail in Tall Grass 06-27-12

Colorado Fires Burning Out of Control

 


©Kinsey Barnard

PAINTING THE WOODSHED

The paint on the woodshed was long overdue for maintenance. Looks to me like mine is the first re-paint and that shed must be thirty years old. Amazing the thing hasn't collapsed when you think how harsh the weather is around here, -20 in the winter +100 in the summer.

Actually, the weather pattern has changed somewhat since I came here ten years ago. Summers are cooler and winters are warmer. Suits me just fine. Still, the weather is pretty severe and not for the feint of heart.

The paint on the old dear was so taxed that the color matching gizmo couldn't get a read on it so I had to choose a different color. I chose a brown that blends nicely with the surroundings. Foolishly, I purchased only a gallon and that thirsty old plywood gulped up the whole thing with only half of the shed covered. Well, drat!

Just looked out the window and saw two doe, one whitetail and one mule deer. A very unusual sight to see, the mule deer still here at this time of year. Usually, by this time, they are long gone to the high country. I have this feeling things are changing in more ways than we know.

Whitetail & Mule Deer Doe 6-22-12

©Kinsey Barnard

FAWN UPDATE

At last, I saw my first fawn this morning. I was on my way down to change the position of my solar panels and there they were in the meadow, a little bitty baby nursing it's mother.

A fellow I know said he thought maybe the rut was late last fall which would explain the lateness of seeing babies. Whatever, I'm glad their here. They are a beautiful part of the spring/summer experience here in Montana.



©Kinsey Barnard

WHERE ARE THE FAWNS?

I have been waiting and waiting to see this year's crop of fawns. Normally they are born in May and out and about by June. I have had at least a dozen does, both whitetail and mule deer,  hanging about but have yet to see a fawn. That there are whitetail and mule deer here together is also unusual. The mule deer usually move to the high country as the whitetail come up from the valley.

Last night I think I heard a fawn squeal. I hope the coyotes or the wolves aren't killing them. That certainly could be the case.

Seems to me things are a changing in nearly all respects. There is an old Chinese saying "May you live in interesting times". I think we are.



The above photograph of a fawn frolicking was taken June 19th last year.

©Kinsey Barnard

A Walk Along the Tobacco River

Yesterday I had to run errands in town. Where I live there is little in the way of services so I must take my trash to the dump and go to the post office to pick up my mail. Both of those two were on my "to do" list. I always try and work in some kind of a walk when I'm down in the valley just for a change of scenery. Also, at this time of year hunting season is open and it can be a little dicey wandering around in the woods where I live .

Taking the path toward Pigeon Bridge along the Tobacco River is always a favorite. I never fail to see something that makes me so grateful to live here. Fall was late in coming this year but once it got started it came on fast and now the color is nearly gone, the trees shedding their golden leaves at a prodigious rate.

At one point on the path the trail is bounded on both sides by great towering Cottonwood trees. As we walked along a breeze would kick up and there would be a crinkling sound like someone balling up cellophane and golden confetti would rain down on us. The path was carpeted with fallen leaves. I don't know what it was about those leaves but scuffling along through them I felt like a kid. I could hear my mother calling "Pick up your feet!". Funny how such simple things can conjure up so many memories that bring a smile to one's face. I thought to myself "Not listening Mama".

The sun was tring to put in an appearnace but it was a pretty weak effort. Still it was better than the past few days which have been just dreary. Earlier in the week I had three inches of snow. It didn't stick very long but for a few hours it looked very much like winter.

Below are some of the things I saw on this walk. All of the photos were taken with a Panasonic Lumix point and shoot.

Path of Gold

Koty enjoying the autumn leaves

Larch or Tamarack. The thing about Larch is that they are a needle tree that loses its needles in the Fall. In the Fall they make a beautiful patchwork in the evergreen forest of spruce and fir. Many newcomers to the area cut down their beautiful larch thinking that they are dead.

Another great great thing about this trail is that you always seem to run into someone but it's seldom a two legged. This is a blacktail buck with his harem. It's that time of year.

A pair of bald eagles sitting in a Cottonwood tree along the Tobacco River.

I thought this was such a pretty little mushroom. I have absolutely no idea what label has been given to it but mine is Petticoat Mushroom

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©Kinsey Barnard

First Winter Dusting

We had our first winter dusting of snow here in NW Montana this week. I took this snappy out the passenger window. The view is over to the West Kootenai and Robinson Mountain. I was too lazy toto get out of the car so the lines you see intersecting the image are fence wire. I just rolled down the window and shot through the passenger side.

Robinson Mountain-Kootenai National Forest 10-14-2011

The most beautiful  thing was Wednesday I saw my first blacktail so the migration has started. I also saw what I like to imagine was my whitetail doe and her twins now foraging at the cattle ranch below. It probably wasn't them but it may me feel so happy and sad to say adios to them. Earlier I posted this tribute to the process. When Will I See You Again

©Kinsey Barnard

Happy Fourth of July From Dancing Deer

We've been at the ranch all week working on several projects long over due. It's been colder than a well digger's behind this past week but gads it is beautiful. Along with the cool has come lovely rains and the grass is greener and more lush than I have ever seen it. The wildlife against this backdrop is beyond beautiful. Yesterday I had so many bucks passing through it was just amazing. The bucks are still in velvet and they are a ways away from full racks but there are going to be some beauties.

One of the things the deer come for is the clover, deer love it.  Clover grows everywhere around here and of course I have salted the place as well. When clover blooms it makes a very pretty flower.

Then there was the robin that took up residence on top of my outside sun screens. Lucky for me it's been too cool to need them because I would certainly have been out of luck! It won't be long now as the babies are now thriving and growing like weeds. And, just in time too as I think the warm weather may be just around the corner.

The little female grouse below was just posing on this rock for me. Grouse are really funny birds. I often joke that you don't need a gun to hunt them. You could just as easily get one tossing a stone and save your ammunition. Of course, I wouldn't do either unless I was starving.

Speaking of wildlife this year a little cinnamon black bear has taken up residence in the area and comes to visit a least once a week. I have named her Cindi after my oldest and dearest friend. I don't really know if it's a female or not but "she" is quite small. I reckon she is either one or two. Anyway she came to call yesterday and got up in a plum tree and was looking awfully cute. I don't know why she was up there except just for the fun of it because there is no fruit this time of year.

One of my most favorite wild flowers is the wood lily. Normally, these beauties bloom in June but I guess that the cooler than normal weather has kept them back as they are just starting to bloom now. In this photo you can see the raindrops on the petals.

This last, I'm not sure if it's a wildflower or a weed. It's growing in my meadow and whatever it is it is very pretty.

So, that's what it was like this week at Dancing Deer.

Koty and I wish you all a great Fourth of July!

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Mule Deer, Whitetail, Hawk, Eagle & Tanager Images

The mule deer are still sticking around. It's still snowing in the high country. They are starting to look a little natty as they shed their winter coats. Soon they will be a beautiful tan color.

Mule Deer

The whitetail are also here and soon should be starting to drop their little babies. The photo below is of a what is going to be a very nice whitetail buck. His antlers are now only little velvet nubbins but from the size of those nubbins he's going to be a beauty. What a curse. The more beautiful they are the more determined people are to kill them. Please spare me the rhetoric about the necessity of management. I understand the need. I also understand few go out looking for deer without antlers, no bragging rights you see.

Whitetail Deer

When this buck saw me he took off with his flag flying. I just love whitetail tails when they run.  The deer have been incredibly frisky, flying around my meadow with reckless abandon weaving in and out between the apple trees. I watch for at least twenty minutes almost everyday. They are so happy and high spirited. Such incredible joi de vivre. That they share their joy with me is so very special.

Whitetail Deer

Down along the Tobacco we saw this red-tailed hawk take off. Big dude this one was.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Last year I noticed some eagles hanging around the river down by Pidgeon Bridge. I guess they decided it had home potential because they have built a nest high in an old cottonwood along the river. In the photo you can just make out the nappy little head of a baby bald eagle. It's in front of the eagles chest on the right.

Bald Eagle

Also, spotted a Tanager. I often mistake this bird for an Oriole they have similar coloring.

Western Tanager

They are quite pretty birds.

Western Tanager

Well, that's just a little of what Nature had in store for me the past couple of days, a never ending kaleidoscope of indescribable beauty.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Spring Has Come Unsprung!

For the past week we have been having periodic rain showers. It was the "Spring showers bring May flowers" kind of thing. But, this morning it was just plain cold and snowing. It's typical rocky mountain weather and typical spring weather but it still takes me by surprise. Even the whitetail looked a little startled by the whole thing.

I always feel sorry for the deer because this cold and rainy weather will most likely continue on into May and that is when they drop their fawns. It seems like a cruel trick to serve these tiny newborns up into this cold wet world straight from the warm nest they have been gestating in. I often wonder how they survive, sometimes they don't.

But, the weather is mighty fickle around these parts. And maybe it will be warm and sunny when the wee ones come. I sure hope so.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography

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Moonset and The Internet

I spent a good deal of my time this week working on my new store at Imagekind. I’m quite impressed with the quality of the site and pleased with the sales it has generated. The site offers print only or custom framed and there are a gazilliion frame and mat options. You can have a lot of fun playing with them. I have a many more images to upload so there will be new photos as time allows.

I’ve also been working on a marketing campaign for my limited editions as well as working on updating the site. All this to say; I spent most of my week working on Internet stuff and it’s really hard work for one who doesn’t sit well.

Whilst I was consumed with Internet stuff I ran across this article Information Super Sewer. and it made an impression on me. It talks about the pros and cons of the Internet and I believe the author makes some really good points. I know I have a love hate relationship with the darned thing. Give it a read I think you will find it provocative.

Of course, this meant Koty did not get his full measure of energy release and I’ve been paying dearly for that. He hoots and howls non-stop in an effort to show his displeasure. He takes every toy (and he has accumulated quite a few over ten years) out of the toy box and tosses them all over the house. When that doesn’t get my attention he heads for the trash and picks out something he can shred. That does get my attention as I have to chase him all over the place to get it back. I try not to let on but it's hard not to laugh. I really admire his creativity.

My Angel

As always the mule deer were here to keep me company. They are such sweet and gentle creatures. When they arrive in the fall they are wilder than March hares but before winter is over they are as tame as can be. Some of them I get to know so well I am compelled to give them names. This is my girl Daisy.

Daisy

The snow is melting PDF (that stands for Pretty Damned Fast not Portable Format Document). And, the temps have been in the high 40's. The ten day forecast is for 50 degree days. So, if winter is returning it doesn't look like it will be next week.

As usual, Mother Nature reminds me I needn't go far to experience her wonders. In fact I don't even have to leave the house. Below are a couple of images of a recent moonset that came our way this week. Proving once again there is only one true Artist. The rest of us are merely posers.

Moonset Over Montana

The wonder of it all. It's so very humbling.

The View

Check out the "Skyscapes" gallery.

One last item. This must surely be a sign of the times Is Nothing Sacred? Banks are now foreclosing on Kentucky Derby hopefuls.


©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Montana Forests Are In Distress

This week I divided my time between working on my spring marketing campaign and culling some of my diseased trees.

All over Montana the forests are dying out. My property is not escaping the carnage. There are as many theories as to why the forests are dying as there are forests and I suppose there is a little bit of truth in most of them. I believe they are dying because of man's sticking his nose into it. First they clear cut then they no cut. Both practices equally unenlightened.

I try very hard to keep on top of the diseased trees and get them culled as soon as I can. But, it's awfully tough to stay ahead of the game.

Dead Spruce

Above is what one of the dead standing spruce look like. Not a thing of beauty that's for sure. And I think you can imagine what a virtual torch it would become in a fire.

Beetle Damage

You can see in the above photo that the beetles had really demolished the core of this tree. But, bugs aren't the only thing killing the trees. There's a lichen that is taking hold and killing fir, larch, spruce and everything in its path.

No Beetles Here But, this tree was deader than a doornail.

Here's a ponderosa that bit the dust from bugs. I thought it was actually kind of an attractive still life of sorts.

Ponderosa

I never get lonely when I'm out working in the woods. The mule deer always come to keep me company. For them that deadly lichen is a delicacy and a falling trees is like a dinner bell to them. I want to get these trees all limbed up so that I can burn the slash as soon as burn season returns. I like to get my slash burned up whilst the ground is still wet. Only two things frighten me in the forest, fire and ice.

Mule Deer

As you can see I did not spend much time with the camera this week. I really love working in the woods even in winter. I really hate working on marketing plans. It's nice to have the balance of being able to do office work and then go out and do physical work. It really helps keep me balanced. I'm one lucky puppy to be able to do all my work surrounded by nothing but beauty.

Winter Scene

Well, that's it for this week.

How To Tell a Mountain Lion track From a Wolf

Well, the big event this past week was my birthday. Egads! I turned sixty-one. It's really hard to imagine but I know it's true when I look at actors from my era and they are getting mighty long in the tooth. Every time I see favorites like Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford I now wonder will I ever see them again. Both these boys are in very good shape for their age so I'm hoping many more times. I just watched Gran Torino for the first time and what a fantastic movie.

My house herd of mule deer dropped by to wish me happy birthday. There is a herd of about twenty deer that pass through about once a day. I had a photo of the group but that dumb Lumix camera malfunctioned and I lost all the photos. Either that or I did. :) But, I did get some new mule deer shots with my Nikons. Nothing to write home about though.

Mulie Doe

Spotted one nice little buck. He won't be having those antlers for long. This is about the time of year when they start to shed them. I wish I knew where they dropped them. For all the wandering we have done we have found very few sheds.

Mulie Buck

As always, when you live in the woods, the weather was/is a major topic. We have been in the midst of a major thaw. The snow has been melting at a prodigious rate turning our world into an ice skating rink. I don't mind cold. I don't mind snow. I loathe and fear ice. It is so treacherous. One false step and you can go down for the count. I wear Kahtoolas when I hike on ice. These are not for urban walking.

The drama for the week was what looked like a mountain lion kill. We stumbled upon a place that showed a lot of blood in the snow. I had seen fresh wolf tracks but knew there were also mountain lions about. After examining the area closely, I concluded that the destruction had been the work of a mountain lion. The main sign was the tracks. Cat tracks are different than wolf tracks in two main features. First and most importantly cats have retractable claws wolves do not. So when you are looking at cat tracks you will not see the telltale toenails. The other thing is that the lion paw is more rounded than the wolf.

Scene of the Crime

You can see from the photo that quite a altercation took place with one party getting the worst of it. Not very pretty but that is the dichotomy of nature.

Mountain Lion Spoor

Interesting to me is the fact that the average wolf is smaller than the cat. The average weight 0f a wolf is 110 to 130 as apposed to the lion which is 120 to 145 pounds. Yet, the wolf has a larger footprint. The wolf front paw is approximately 4.5" x 4.0" and the lion is more on the order of 3.5" x 3.6".

Wolf Track

So, now it's Sunday. The fog is as thick as soup. Koty sez let's just hang at home and so we will. Hard to imagine January is more than half way gone. It will be spring before we know it.

Hanging Around

Cheers for this week.


©Kinsey Barnard Photography

Montana Winter 2010

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Well, 2010 got off to a great start as far as winter is concerned. This week we got the best snow storm of the season. It's been snowing almost constantly but only showers which didn't accumulate much. But, the storm we had this past week put down about eight inches of new snow and it was glorious.

Koty never ceases to amaze me with his sense of smell. We were out hiking and suddenly Koty took off to my right leaping over a huge old log nearly pulling me off my feet. I looked over the log to see Koty digging in the snow like a fiend. About two feet down he comes up with his prize, a deer leg left from hunting season. How in the world he can smell a bone two feet under the snow is beyond me. After we got home he paraded around with his prize for half an hour.

Koty & Trophy

As always the mulies were around digging for forage and resting under the trees. You can always tell where they have been because apparently their mothers never told them to pick up their feet. They just drag them through the snow leaving trails everywhere they go.

Mule Deer Doe

Sunrises around here are not usually much to see as we live on the side of a mountain range facing west. The sunsets are to die for but the sunrises we have to go elsewhere for, usually. But this week we had a pretty nice one as far as color goes.

Winter Sunrise

Speaking of color winter is conspicuous for it's lack of it. Yet, no color is just right for the landscape. After the storm the trees were just laden with snow and it was beyond gorgeous. But, there was one little problem. The clouds were so low we were in them and at times you could not see your nose on your face.

Snow Laden

But, nothing stops me. I slogged and flopped around in the snow for several hours looking for something special. It was also only about 10 degrees. That temp eats up your batteries PDQ. Persistence always seems to be rewarded however and so I was.

Winter Light

Just the hint of color makes a winter scene come alive. For those of you that think you need to have a big expensive camera to take a good picture I'll let you in on a secret. I took the photo below with a Panasonic Lumix. Which is a little point and shoot for which I paid less than three hundred dollars. I believe the photographer makes the camera not the other way round. BTW, I think this camera is a loser and would not recommend it.

Winters' Subtlety

This is my favorite wildlife shot so far this winter. Winter Camouflage

Well, that was our week. Another beauty by any standard.

©Kinsey Barnard Photography