Alien on the grounds ! ! ! !

Nathan took the hawk barn trail camera down and put the photos on my computer. I went through the almost 2,000 pictures and was shocked to find there was a stranger visiting the training ground for the baby redtails. I don't know if this is a mink or weasel and I don't know where he's getting into the barn but I will do some scouting around to see if I can find the opening.

This animal can climb the poles and make it to where the birds roost so I'm worried about their safety.

Amazing news!

I had some wonderful news today. Yes, I'm being extremely sarcastic. Last Thursday I wasn't feeling all that perky and started coughing more than usual. Then on Saturday morning, about 2 o'clock a.m., my heart started bouncing around. Thinking I was having another minor afib attack, my first thoughtwas "gee, I wonder if Sara and Julie are in town". They're the helpers who do chores if I'm not here.

Then when I got up at 6 o'clock a.m., my heart was behaving normally. Monday I had to deliver eggs and pick up some feed, 750 pounds of it. Because I was still leery I asked Nathan to help move the 50 pound feed bags. I don't know what I'd do without that young man.

Well, Sunday and Monday nights my coughing was horrible so I decided to go into the walk in at Cody Clinic this morning to be checked over. They asked lots of questions and listened to my heart and lungs and finally decided to do a chest xray.

Back on March 19th I had my pneumonia 23 shot. Supposed to keep you from getting problem. NOT! I now have pneumonia and am on antibiotics for seven days. I'm not feeling all that bad, a bit tired, but it's not stopping me from doing my chores. Such fun.....

Road work

And I don't mean my running down the road or repairing it. This has been my driving schedule since July 31st and the total round trip miles for each one, almost 1200 total miles in nine days.

7/31 - to Thermopolis to pick up a Swainson's Hawk and a Silver-haired bat, 166 miles

8/3 - to Thermop to pick up two young Great Horned Owls, 166 miles

8/5 - to south of Wright to release two young Golden Eagles and pick up a baby Swainson's Hawk, 627 miles

8/8 - to Red Lodge, MT to pick up a young Great Horned Owl, 130 miles

8/9 - to Sheridan to pick up the immature Golden Eagle shown in the above post, 294 miles

My poor truck is a couple hundred miles overdue for an oil change. Hopefully by the first of the week I can get that scheduled in and done.

Mystery ? ? ?

A couple days ago a young lady called me to say she'd found an egg near the turn off to the Lower Southfork Road. She thought it was a pelican egg as there were some of those birds nearby in the water. When I got it I knew it wasn't a pelican, they're spotted but on a white background. So far I've sent this photo to Dr. John Fitzpatrick at the Cornell Ornithology Lab, Chuck Preston at the museum here in Cody, Doug Faulkner, a very knowledgeable bird person in CO and even to Paul J. Baicich, one of the authors of the book Nests, Eggs, and Nestlings of North American Birds. It has hundreds of photos of actual eggs from hundreds of bird species so thought he might know.

This egg is 2 3/8" long and as you can see rather dark colored with darker spots and swirls. I'm not sure it is viable but the egg is now in my incubator and will stay there for a while to see what happens. Either hatch, explode or just sit there. I've candled it but am not sure what I'm seeing other than the yolk. I'll keep you posted.

Saying hello or seeking revenge.......

A couple days ago I came out to find this mess on my truck hood. It's not in the bed of the truck, just on the hood and windshield. I did clean the glass so I could see out of it but before that it was covered with bird poop.

As mentioned in an earlier post, there are hundreds of starlings soaring around while they gather for whatever trip they're planning on making for the winter. We have lots stay here all year, don't know where these came from or are going.

It's supposed to rain this evening so I'll get out there in my raincoat and clean the truck thanks to Mother Nature.

Spring??????

Snow is what I woke up to today. My poor bushes are trying to bud out and the iris are peeking up from their winter sleep. And today I'm heading for Powell to pick up a lot of baby chicks. That is if they make it in from their hatchery. I certainly hope so as they were hatched on Wednesday and they can live three days on their yolk sac. I'll add a photo of them when I get one.

It was a treat to walk into a room and listen to 600 baby chicks peeping. I chose my 25 Araucana's and 10 assorted other heavy brown egg breeds and came home a happy camper. As you can see in the photo, they instantly became busy finding food and water. They are all very healthy looking so should produce some great eggs to sell in the Fall. I already have lots of hens producing lots of eggs so if anyone wants to buy some let me know.