Yellow-headed Blackbird

If you're ever in a freshwater marshy area, and you hear something that sounds like a rusty gate being opened, don't be surprised when you find out the noise is coming from a Yellow-headed Blackbird, not a gate! The Yellow-headed Blackbird is one of my favorite wetland birds, they're entertaining to watch, beautiful birds and where you find one there's most likely a whole bunch more close by.



*Catching Mayflies, pretty entertaining*

Yellow-headed Blackbirds nest in large colonies that can include hundreds of individuals and sometimes even other species of Blackbirds. The males are easily recognized with their bright yellow heads, black bodies and white strips on their wings. Females lack the white strips and overall have a duller color with yellow on their faces, neck and chest (the whole head is not completely yellow). As previously mentioned their call has been compared to the noise a rusty gate makes when opened. I'm not a huge fan of that comparison, but their call in definitely unique, and one that is easily recognized.

The Yellow-headed Blackbird's diet consists of mainly seeds and insects, the largest portion being seeds. In the United States, this bird can be found in marshy areas in most of the west and central parts of the country. During the nesting season, male birds can often be seen displaying their colors and heard voicing their call repeatedly around the colony. This is their way of saying "back off" as they guard their nest(s) and female(s). Bird watching is one of my favorite activities, and Yellow-headed Blackbirds are one of my favorites to observe. Keep an eye out next time you're by a lake or pond or marshy area, you may just run into some!

A Week's Worth of Critters

Every week I go through and transfer the images stored on my camera's memory card to another storage device. Some weeks this consists of maybe 100 pictures or so, and other weeks this can range into the thousands. No matter the number, I always enjoy going back through the pictures to look at the places that specific week took me, and the different animals I was able to find. I'll usually pull out my favorite pictures and store them separately for easier future access. This past week I ran into a good variety of critters, including but not limited to; Ring-necked Pheasant, Killdeer, Yellow-bellied Marmot, Mourning Dove, Sandhill Crane, Canada Goose, Mallard Duck, Wood Duck, Painted Turtle, Striped Skunk, California Quail, Wild Turkey, Mule Deer, Moose, Red-naped Sapsucker, Ground Squirrel, Bullfrog, Elk and Snowy Egret. These were simply the species of animals I was able to get pictures of, the list would be about 3x longer or more if I were to list every animal I saw and could identify. There are so many beautiful creatures around us, we just need to be more aware of what's there which will allow us to better respect, protect and appreciate these wonderful creatures that we share this world with.

Snowy peaks and a frozen lake

This weekend I made it out camping again. This time I hiked to a beautiful alpine lake overlooked by mountain peaks. With all the warm weather we have had lately I expected the lake to be thawed and the mountains nearly clear of the winter snow. As I arrived at the lake I came upon a beautiful site. The water still mostly frozen over with spots of clear, blue/green water showing through near the shore, and above, snowy peaks. It's vistas like this that remind me why I love to be out in nature so much. Unfortunately I didn't run into much wildlife, a family of coyotes did serenade me with a beautiful chorus of howls and playful yelps, it was quite entertaining even though I couldn't find them. The night was pleasantly chilly, but there is little I enjoy more than crawling into a warm sleeping bag with the cold air and mysterious noises all around me. As I made my way up the mountain the next morning, I came across multiple small mountain streams and springs. Running low on water I refilled my supply, there is nothing quite like clear, mountain spring water to re-energize the body! It was quite a fun outing, I will definitely be making my way back there later this year. I was hoping to find and photograph some moose, but didn't have any luck with that this outing, maybe next time.

Camouflage

One of my favorite shows lately has been The Rifleman. It's an old program that ran from the late 1950's to the early 1960's, black and white, and pretty darn epic. Basically in each episode a problem arises, and Lucas (the main character) solves the problem. Fortunately for me, the viewer, and my desire to be entertained, he usually solves the problem in an awesome manner with his rifle and his almost superhero-like ability to use the rifle.

Humans have come up with some pretty inventive ways to defend themselves, whether it's firearms, martial arts or B.O., we are equipped with many different forms of protection.

Animals are a little different. Unless you watch planet of the apes, animals don't use guns, they won't bust out a Karate move and they don't have the technology we have that helps to keep us safe. They do however defend themselves in different ways. Some animals use poison or venom, some have armor and some just smell really bad. Perhaps the most common form of defense is camouflage. Whether it's a mammal, bird, reptile, insect, etc, camouflage is commonly used. Some animals can even change the color of their camo depending on the season of the year.
When I'm out hiking I always enjoy looking for hidden wildlife, it helps me pay more attention to what's around me. I don't always find something, but more often than not I catch a glimpse of a pretty cool critter.

Just around the corner

There is generally a point in every trail where most people decide they have had enough, and they turn around and go back to where they started. I consider myself lucky, because I CANNOT do that. When I reach that point in the trail, the same questions always come to my mind; "I wonder what's up ahead? I wonder what's around that corner?" Because of this "inability" to turn around and go back, I have seen some of the prettiest landscapes and come across some pretty cool animals as I trek along these unused paths. Whether I'm hiking along a commonly used mountain trail, navigating through the mazes of slot canyons and dried river beds in the desert or following an old game trail that hasn't seen a human visitor in decades, I am never disappointed when the journey comes to an end. If I wasn't restricted by time and day to day responsibilities, if I didn't have a family I cared about, I would probably be one of those guys who goes into the mountains and shows up again months or years later. So next time you are out adventuring, and you reach that certain spot and think you are done, just ask yourself "I wonder what's around that corner?" I promise you wont be disappointed!

Animal Spotlight: The Mule Deer

*He's got a little hat*

About a year and a half ago I did a post about Striped Skunks. At the time I mentioned that I would occasionally do post about animals that I was interested in at the time, or animals I feel are just not very well known or are misunderstood. My whole life I have been fascinated with deer, so I would like to do a post about my favorite, the Mule Deer.

The Mule Deer is probably one of the most commonly seen larger mammals in western North America, and it is probably one of my all time favorite animals. I love watching them and getting to know individuals in their family groups. This year I have been able to spend a lot of time with a family group of 5 Mule Deer somewhat close to home. It has been awesome getting to know them and watching their comfort levels with me increase over time.

*Mule Deer have those BIG ears*

Mule Deer have a few basic characteristics that make them fairly easy to identify when compared to other deer species. First off, they have very large ears (kinda like a Mule's, hence the name) which are almost always moving. They have a white tail with a black tip, in winter their fur turns a pale gray color whereas in summer their fur is almost red.

*Winter social group*

A Mule Deer's diet consists of various leafy plants, grasses, berries and in winter, twigs from various trees and shrubs. Male Mule Deer migrate to higher altitudes in the summer, sometime forming groups. In late autumn to early winter males will descend for "the rut" (this is where they fight for the ladies, but very rarely are they actually hurt), after which they may form groups made up of both males and females. Females generally stay at lower altitudes year-round and form small family groups, these usually include a mother, a pair of yearlings and new babies (usually twins, sometimes 1 or 3 fawns are born).



*You can see the "velvet" covering the antlers*

*Forked antlers*

Males grow antlers which are usually pretty symmetrical. Their antlers fork as they grow unlike White-tailed Deer whose antlers grow off of one main beam. Antlers are shed yearly, usually around February, once shed they begin to grow again. Unlike horns which are made of keratin, antlers are made of bone.

I hope I didn't bore you with my fascination for the Mule Deer. It really is a magnificent animal that I have grown to admire and love. If you ever have an opportunity to just sit and watch them, I advise you take it.

Enjoy the season

*Destination*

*The path less traveled*

I am very unfortunate when it comes to my conversational skills. I acknowledge that I do not hold a conversation well, especially with people I don't know. To add to my misfortune, my job requires me to sit down with multiple strangers on a daily basis, occasionally for extended periods of time. These two things put together have led to many an awkward "conversation" about the weather and whatnot. I live in central Utah and I am actually quite surprised at how many people I meet that just hate the Winter season and the weather that comes with it. Everyday I hear people complaining about the snow and how they have nothing to do because it keeps them indoors, to those people I say, GET A LIFE! Yes, with Winter comes cold temperatures, scraping your windshield and shoveling the sidewalks. But you also get a whole new list of epic activities that you can't do the rest of the year. Trails that you have hiked dozens of times are suddenly transformed. The mountain bike and hiking boots get put away and the skis, snowboard and snowshoes come out from hibernation. There is so much to do during this wonderful season, get out there and live it up, you will enjoy it so much more!

*The wind coming over the peak was whipping the snow all around*

This season I've been able to get in some good camping trips and some excellent snow-shoeing expeditions. This weekend I was able to get out for one of my adventures. Moonlit hiking, set up camp and sleep, wake up, breakfast, read in sleeping bag because it's warm, pack up with frozen fingers, climb to top of mountain, climb down, enjoy every second!

Thimbleberry! What's that?

Raspberries, strawberries, blackberries and blueberries. When you ask somebody what their favorite fruit is, if it's a berry it will probably be one of these. People are familiar with these berries, these are generally the berries that your local grocery store supplies and they're just downright tasty. This year I have spent a lot of time outdoors foraging and looking for edible and medicinal plants. I like to call them the "delicious wild edibles." Native peoples all around the world relied on hunting and gathering to make up a large part of their diets and food supply. We have the convenience of grocery stores and markets today to provide us with our food, but with that we are very limited on what foods we can have and sometimes we have to pay obscene prices for them. This is one of the reasons I love foraging and tending my own garden.

Ripe berry (middle). Unripe berries (sides).

A couple years ago I was camped next to a stream and noticed a plant that was flowering. The bud looked very similar to a raspberry bud but the leavers were HUGE, much bigger than any variety of raspberry leaf I had ever seen. Shortly after that outing I forgot about the plant. This year I remembered and returned to the spot I had previously camped, I identified the plant as a thimbleberry! I have since found about 12 other patches of thimbleberries in various areas. I have returned much since identifying the plant and harvested many of these berries. Thimbleberries look much like raspberries, I find they taste similar but have a much sharper flavor. That is the best way I can think of to describe their flavor. Thimbleberries generally aren't sold commercially because they fall apart so easily and don't ship or store well. A ripe thimbleberry can literally fall off the plant with the slightest touch. Native peoples' had many uses for the thimbleberry. Obviously you can eat the berry, and they are quite tasty. Younger plant shoots can be eaten as well, either peeled and raw or cooked. Personally I just prefer the berry. The leaves are actually so big and quite soft that they were often used as toilet paper (haven't tried that yet). Honestly I don't know how I missed this plant before, it's very noticeable and since learning what it is I feel like I see it just about everywhere. Any time you're dealing with plants whether for eating or medicinal purposes I ALWAYS recommend you start off using them in small increments. Even though some plant may be considered edible, you don't know if you will have allergic reactions. Be safe, be smart and enjoy those "delicious wild edibles!"

Photography and Pokemon

I love trying to get up close to capture the detail.

I've mentioned before that I love photography. There is something special about going outdoors and attempting to capture nature in all it's glory. I especially enjoy taking pictures of animals, whether its a bird, mammal, reptile, etc. Obviously some animals are going to be harder to find than others, and when you do find them you've got to be quick or you might miss your shot. Most animals are very shy and quick to run, so sometimes I'll conceal myself and wait for what seems like forever to try and get that great picture of whatever animal it is I'm out to find.

This would be my "Meowth" if we lived in a Pokémon world!

Even critters I see everyday make great subjects for photos.

On a different note, I grew up when Pokémon was just coming out, it was the big thing at the time. They had the TV show, the cards and the Gameboy game. For those of you not familiar with this fad, the goal of the game was to traverse all different types of terrain, find and catch all 150 Pokémon. Some of these Pokémon you could run into just about anywhere, others were one of a kind.

What am I getting at here?


Photography is a lot like Pokémon! My quest in photography is to get the coolest shots that I can of every different species of animal that I can find. Birds for example; You've got your robins and starlings that you can find just about anywhere, then you've got your quail and pheasants that are harder to find and always seem to run or hide when you do find them. I love the challenge of nature photography and the rewarding feelings that come along with getting that great picture and seeing some awesome wildlife while doing so!

Motivation

It has been a very long time since I have posted anything on this blog. I'll be completely honest, I started the year with big goals to post every week and really try to grow this blog. But after week #1 I just let things get in the way and didn't post anything else, I figured what's the point anyways? But lately I've been reminded of why I started this blog, so I'm gonna try this again.





This year so far has been great, I think I've spent about 90% of my free-time outside. Whether it's biking, hiking, camping, rock-climbing or gardening/foraging you can usually find me outside... somewhere. This past month I have spent 3 of my 4 weekends camping and it has been excellent. When it comes to nature and the outdoors I feel the more you respect nature, the more nature will respect you.
I love nature and have a huge respect for it, but unfortunately not everybody feels the same way. This last weekend I went camping and as I arrived at my previously chosen, relatively secluded spot, what I saw disgusted me. The area was literally covered with trash, broken glass bottles and the vegetation was broken and uprooted as if somebody had driven through it with some sort of vehicle to get to this spot. I don't understand how people can be so disrespectful to their surroundings and all this beauty we have around us. I spent a lot of my time there picking up the garbage and cleaning up the area. I remembered why I started this blog, to help people appreciate, understand and respect the great outdoors and the wonderful plant and animal life that we share with planet with. So I'm really going to try harder with this blog to help educate others about nature and hopefully help others gain that sense of respect towards nature that I feel.

*These pictures have nothing to do with my camping trips, I just thought they were nice. Enjoy*

Winter's on it's way out

In the past I've always been excited for winter to come and go quickly. I generally prefer heat over cold and it's the coldest season. When it snows it makes it harder to drive and scraping your windshield in the morning is the worst! I've always felt limited on how active I can be outside during the winter, so I've never really enjoyed it. This is the first year in a long time that I have actually been excited for winter, and it already seems like it's on it's way out! LAME!
For all of you who may be feeling the same way as me right now, I decided to put together a few pictures that I took this year during some of my outings so we can enjoy this wonderful season a little bit longer.
This year I was really looking forward to winter and the cold because I had planned various outings and adventures that can only be enjoyed while it is cold and there is snow! This made the season a lot more enjoyable and fun for me, although I still hate scraping my windshield, but whatever.
I wasn't able to do everything I had planned for, but I was still able to get out a few times and thoroughly enjoy myself. My different outings included bird watching migratory birds that we don't see a whole lot of in the other seasons, camping, hiking, snow-shoeing, tracking a group of deer and stalking a flock of wild turkey (I wanted to see how close I could get!), trying out a new pair of gators, identifying wild plants and starting a zero match fire in the snow! I had a lot of fun and I'm hoping for more snow, but if we don't get it then I'll just start planning early for next year. Whichever season it is, I'm always looking for more fun activities to do! What did you do this year that made your winter fun? Leave a comment and let me know!

Outings 1 & 2, 2014

Once again it's been quite some time since my last post. With the new year I plan on being better with posting and all that, wish me luck.

Work has been pretty busy lately, so unfortunately I haven't been able to get out much the past few weeks. Finally this past week I got out and had some much needed fun! On Thursday I got off of work a little early and decided to do a little hiking up one of the local canyons. It was a wonderful day for hiking. It was a little warmer due to the cloud cover, except for in the mouth of the canyon where it was a little more windy. I hiked for a few miles and saw some beautiful scenery along the way. As I've previously mentioned I'm always on the lookout for wildlife and different varieties of useful plants. On this hike I found a wild rose bush with some rose hips from last season. Rose hips are a good source of vitamin C and are actually quite tasty, they almost taste like strawberry fruit leather... Of course I stopped and had a few...

When eating rose hips you want to remember to cut them open and take out the seeds and small inner hairs. The seeds can be toxic and the hairs can irritate the skin. I'm glad I haven't experienced this, but I've heard if the hairs are eaten, then in the next day or two you get something called "itchy bum."

After work on Friday I went up another of the nearby canyons and did some night snow-shoeing. I shoed in about 2 miles and set up camp via headlamp, camp is easy to set up when it consists of only a bivy sack and sleeping bag. Snow-shoeing at night is quite fun, the moon was out and the snow glowing around me, I barely needed my headlamp. I shoed to an area that was pretty exposed, with not a lot of trees. So I picked out one of the bigger trees to act as a wind-break and set up camp underneath. It's a good thing I did because the wind picked up quite a bit during the night. Saturday morning I woke to a wonderful sunrise, gathered what little dry fuel I could and got a fire going with flint and steel. Later I snow-shoed for a few more miles and then headed back home. Overall it was a great weekend full of fun and a lot of snow!

*When you go out, make sure somebody always knows where you are going and when you will be back*

Mud!

Once again, it has been a little while since my last post. I really hope this doesn't become a habit. Well as you all know, here in the northern hemisphere it is Autumn! What a wonderful time of year and personally, my favorite season. It's still warm outside, but there is sometimes a nice chill in the breeze, which means it's the perfect weather to be active in the great outdoors! Usually I spend my Autumn weekends camping and hiking around. This year has been a bit busier than previous years, so to get the most out of my time outside I have been spending a lot of time mountain biking! I am able to see more and cover more distance in shorter amounts of time on a bike.

On the way up the trails I go slow enough to enjoy the colors and wildlife around me. Ill even stop occasionally to snap a picture of the beautiful trees or the snow capped mountains.

The other day while I was out biking, I decided to go up a little further than usual so I could hit the snow! Word of advice: If you're ever looking for a great leg workout, try peddling a bike through snow. The ride up was good, it took about an hour. The ride down was GREAT, it took about 7 minutes!

 

You always know when you've had a good time, but sometimes others need a little bit of help knowing how fun the experience really was. Some people are great story tellers and you just need to listen to them and you know they've had a good time. Me.... It's a little easier to tell, just look to see how dirty I am afterwards, and you can tell if I had fun or not!

Get outside and have some fun! Until next time...

 



See life

Wow, it has been quite a while since my last post. I would love to say that it's been so long because I have been keeping extremely busy with outdoor adventures, but unfortunately that has not been the case. I did manage to go rock climbing and mountain biking yesterday, but other than that I haven't had too much time to spend in the outdoors lately.

About two months ago I was able to spend some time in California, much needed vacation. While I was there I spent some time at Crystal Cove State Park. For those of you who have been there you know how beautiful the State Park is. It's filled with wonderful beaches and a pretty landscapes. Most people go to the beach to lay out in the sun, play in the water, etc. Those activities are fun, but I had a more enjoyable time admiring all the different forms of life around me, and seeing how many I could find. Living in Utah doesn't give me the opportunity to go to the beach much, so this was a great chance for me to be in a new environment and really admire the different plants and animals I don't usually see. Sometimes we get so used to what is around us that we forget to really 'see life.' Here are some of the things I was able to find at my day at the beach! Let me know what you think.