Trees, mud and more mud

It's been a busy couple of weeks since my last post. We finally got out and got some work done, but it's been a mad scramble between pouring concrete, and running back and forth planting trees and getting food plots worked. Cordie hasn't touched a food plot yet, but it looks like the weather may cooperate and he should get a chance tomorrow through the weekend. We finished our tree planting for the year, and got in 3000 Rocky Mountain Junipers last week. Robert and I finished it off yesterday by trying a few Cottonwoods up to the Dam. We also planted a few willows near one of the dugouts on the preserve for a test plot. We'll see how they do, and if it works out we may plant more in the future.

The weather has definitely affected the work we're getting done. Last week it was nearly 90 degrees on Thursday and on Friday night it snowed about 2 inches. We woke up to a snow covered landscape on Saturday, but it didn't take long for things to melt, and more rain came Sunday.

We have managed to get several grain bin slabs poured with more on the schedule, but farming will be the priority for the next several days. If I'm lucky the work will include a fish transfer or two, and I may even be able to slip out and try to fill a turkey tag.

"The Dam Eagles"

After spending a couple of hours Saturday morning in the bush trying to get some good pictures of the abundant spring wildlife populations it only affirmed my concerns of upgrading to a good telephoto lens. I took the above picture at "the dam" of the nesting eagles, and it appears that they were successful again. Cordie and I spotted at least two eaglets in the nest, only after I disturbed the adults and they left the nest for a short minute or two. I was trying to get in for a closer look, and figure out a way to get a good picture. It didn't take long for the female to begin chirping and soon out of nowhere it seemed the male appeared to protect the nest from an apparent intruder. I was trying not to disturb them too much, but I apparently wore out my welcome and quickly returned to the pickup to let them be.

I believe Cordie said this is the sixth year that they have nested here, and this pair of eaglets will bring the total young raised to 12 or 13. They've weathered some pretty good storms incubating their eggs since early March. By the looks of the eaglets they can't be much more than a few days old. Their fuzzy white heads barely peak out over the nest.

We also got some decent pics of the pheasants at the home quarter along with several pairs of ducks including mallards, pintails, green-winged teal, and ring-necked ducks. Once again the upgraded lens would have come in handy here. After belly crawling through the frosty, duck-poo covered grass, I thought I was in perfect position, but the 12-gauge would have been a better tool to take the shot with. It was still fun and exciting and nothing to clean afterwards, definitely a perk.

We spent the afternoon touring Lake Oahe, north of Pierre. The water levels have returned to near normal after several years of drought after being at record lows nearly 30 feet below where they are now. This should create some excellent fishing for future years and make access a lot easier.

About that lens...anybody with any recommendations to pair with my Canon Rebel XS would be greatly appreciated. Anybody??

Fire and Ice

We burned the old junk pile at the home quarter yesterday. A couple of old sheds and a lot of other junk that tends to accumulate on old farmsteads went up in flames with a little diesel fuel coercion from our in-house arson, Jamie. The temperatures (20 F) and a foot of snow on top of everything slowed the process a little, but as you can see in the picture, once it got going things warmed up in a hurry. There was plenty of stuff left when it was all said and done, so we'll sort and continue to pile and do it all over again someday. The plan is to eventually get it all cleaned up and rid the area of places to harbor skunks, rabbits, and lose the occasional downed pheasant.

It looks like the weather is going to change again. We're supposed to get a wintry mix of rain/snow starting tonight through tomorrow. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-12 inches is in the forecast.

On another note, there was a proposal to the Commission of the SD Game, Fish and Parks to lengthen the regular pheasant season by a week. The season generally ends the first Sunday in January, but this would have extended it to the next Sunday. The Commission voted against the proposal, which is the same they have done with the last several proposals. The season is steeped in tradition and tough to change even in the slightest. This really does not affect us since we have the preserve which allows us to hunt until the end of March.