4-29-08 Observations

- Cool and clear on the mountain properties this AM...an invigorating morning with brilliant skies and a bit of a refreshing breeze.

- A bit over an inch of rain Sunday. Thankfully, 2008 has been closer to normal rainfall than the extremes of 2007.

- The Flame Azaleas (Genus Rhododendron) are blooming in the woodlands of the mountain properties. One of our only orange blossoms!

- Last evening....with fleeing gray and white cumulus partially obscuring the sunset and a brisk breeze moving the trees....and a very good novel in my hands....I dozed off on the back deck....priceless!

- New birds seem to be arriving daily. Recently on/near the feeders I have noticed male and female Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks (female in the attached photo), Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings (attached...male), various Sparrows, a Catbird, various Woodpeckers (a female Downy Woodpecker attached), White-Breasted Nuthatches, and more Northern Cardinals. The Grosbeaks and Indigo Buntings were first noticed about the middle of last week. If you have not personally witnessed the male Rose Breasted Grosbeak, you have missed one of Mother Nature's treasures. Hopefully a good photo will be posted soon.

- Many deer recently.....including six this morning. The males are experiencing new antler growth, and, for protection and nourishment, a vascular laced velvet covering will envelop the new growth until late summer, when it will begin to peel...a process often hastened by the deer rubbing their antlers against small trees or bushes.

Another - Yet the Same - Deer Story

- Clear and cool on The Cumberland Plateau this morning...brilliant sushine and turkeys gobbling!

- A few months ago an entry was made into this journal about a very large Whitetail Deer that had been found in the wild, long dead, by a friend of mine in a nearby area. A photo of that deer, specifically the skull and the gnawed antlers, was included in the journal entry.

- Attached is a photo taken this morning of that same deer, after having been restored by a local taxidermist. This magnificent specimen now hangs in the office of Wayne Shadden, owner of Shadden Tire in Crossville, Tennessee. Wayne, an avid outdoorsman as well as community leader, was glad to share the story of this 'one of a kind' deer.

- When I first saw the antlers, I had the feeling it was one of the largest Tennessee whitetails I had ever witnessed, and now I know for sure. Wayne told me the rack, which was classified as non-typical, scored 213 points by the Boone and Crockett scoring method. Had the deer been classified typical (only a few of the small tines were abnormal), it would have been among the largest ever scored in the state of Tennessee. A minimum score of 170 (taken by gun) is required for a typical whitetail rack to qualify for the Boone and Crockett Record Book.

4-14-08 Observations

- Cool and cloudy early AM on the mountain properties.

- After last week in the 70s, Mother Nature has done yet another about face.....

- After a sunny and pleasant stretch of days, the weekend became windy and a bit blustery...and today intermittent sleet pellets and snow showers....and then tomorrow along with the next two days are forecast to be sunny with a warming trend! Great hiking weather!

- I heard my first Whippoorwill (Caprimulgus vociferous) of the spring season at dusk last Thursday.....and the unusual notes of this terrestrial avia never fail to remind me of the quiet and tranquil evenings back on the farm. They have wintered along the Gulf Coast-northern South America.

- The Barred Owls (Strix varia) were quite vocal in the forest behind the cabin on both Friday and Saturday nights.... due in part to the fact that it is mating season.

- Attached is a recent photo, taken at great distance, of an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) on Lake George in our mountain developments. They seldom stay long with us....usually a few days, and then they are on the way to larger lakes further north.

- Also attached is another photo of the male Northern Cardinal.

- The Flowering Dogwoods have started to bloom within the last few days and many are talking about the beauty of the blooms of the Eastern Redbud, which are common throughout deciduous woodlands and along roadsides across the Southeast.

- It is a great time for bird watchers.....as a great variation of species seem to be on the move....either involved in the nest building process or on their way to nest building locations.

- Hiking along Stone Bridge Park Trail recently, a huge deer ran through the forest, crossed the trail perhaps 40 yards in front of me, and then bounded down the ridge and out of sight. Though antlerless (they usually shed their antlers here from late January to early March), this deer was easy to identify as a male. Huge body, almost a royal appearance, and a characteristic not to be underestimated when trying to identify the sex of Odocoileus virginianus with limited visual contact....the animal was alone. It is quite rare to see does alone this time of year. For big bucks, a solitary existence is the rule rather than the exception. About the only time I see bucks together is late summer, when, for whatever reason, they seem to socially tolerate each other. The yearlings (most are born in our location within three weeks of June 1) stay with mom until the newborns come along...and then they part ways, usually for life.

4-2-08 Observations

- Seasonal on the mountain this morning...cool and a bit breezy....Lower 40s with a high today in the mid 60s. The talk is of rain starting tomorrow and possibly continuing through Friday night.

- Saw my first active Serpentes late PM yesterday while on the bike...a small Thamnophis sirtalis sirtalis (Eastern Garter Snake)....and this particular specimen (these common snakes are very temperatmental) seemed to be delighted to again be above ground and active!

- We had .42" of rain yesterday, while much of middle Tennessee had upwards of 2". The local temperature was in the 70s yesterday, but since a front has moved through the area, thus the somewhat cooler temperatures today.

- Walked down to Mother's Bridge construction site today....the boys were fastening the 60' I-Beams to the concrete supports, over the noisy waters of the creek. This covered bridge, which is designed for one-lane traffic, is in a beautiful wooded valley, and the water tumbling over the irregular bedrock only adds to the serenity of this otherwise quiet and peaceful setting.

- Attached is a photo of a Slate Colored Junco. This specimen is probably getting lonely, as many of its kind are in the process of leaving this area for more northern climes.

- Also attached is a photo of three regulars at my feeders...The American Goldfinch (this male is in a plumage change), a Purple Finch (male) and the seemingly always present Tufted Titmouse.

- The other photo shows a close-up of the 'paint brush' finish on the plumage of the male Purple Finch. I love Peterson's description of this avia...."a sparrow dipped in raspberry juice".