Killdeer

ID'ed by the 2 black breast bands. The bird has a distinctive call killdeer or killdee.

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Deuteronomy 22:6
"If you happen to come upon a bird's nest along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, and the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young;"

Blistery Early Hike / Eastern Meadowlark

This is an Eastern Meadowlark. The only way I can tell the difference between the two is by their song. The eastern has a 3 note call. The western has a 7-10 note call. Below is a video with sound showing this bird as an Eastern Meadowlark. One of the interesting things of this video is the Meadowlark watching the bird fly by in the background.



Early Sunday hike before church. 50 degrees with some wind.


Psalm 119:169
"Let my cry come before You, O Lord;
Give me understanding according to Your word."

New Growth on Forest Floor

I hiked through the woods looking for new growth today. I found a few things to take a photo of and post.











The photo below was taken in March 08



Jeremiah 31:12
"They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion,
And they will be radiant over the bounty of the LORD-
-Over the grain and the new wine and the oil,
And over the young of the flock and the herd;
And their life will be like a watered garden,
And they will never languish again."

Beaver Working on Large Cottonwoods

I found this photo taken in Jan 2004. Beaver have been working on cutting down Cottonwoods along the Missouri river.


Psalm 120:1
"In my trouble I cried to the Lord,
And He answered me."

Moss Growing because of Spring

This moss is growing where a spring trickles down a steep hillside.


Psalm 107:35
"He changes a wilderness into a pool of water. And a dry land into springs of water;"

Rock Outcroping

Hiking along a trail that cuts through a steep hillside I came across this rock outcropping. The ground went almost straight down from the top to the bottom.

I looked for signs of wildlife but didn't see any. My links show some rock outcroppings. When I run across these I am reminded of the fragile soil layer above these rocks. Most plant growth happens in the topsoil layer.

Forests on steep hills and mountains will suffer erosion when logged. Especially clear cut logging. Care needs to be taken when working in these sites. Where I am, is a park and I won't have to worry about logging.






Ezekiel 17:5
"He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil. He placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow."

Deer Video

I sat down on a log amongst the tangle of brush looking for something interesting. I had seen 2 deer that ran off when I entered these woods. Now I was just sitting contemplating the tangle before me. I hear some movement and notice another deer slowly walking parallel in front of me. I set my camera to movie and try to get the deer beyond the brush.

I had trouble seeing the deer in my camera screen at first. As the video continues I find her. She does not notice me until a clearing. At the end she disappears behind some trees.


Romans 2:4
"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

Northern Harrier

Northern Harrier's males are gray with white on the rump. 17 1/2 to 24" and have long tails.
Lighter streak above eye also matches.

I was walking along a park for lunch looking for something to take a photo of and I had not found anything I was interested in. Then this large hawk flew by landing in a tree to my right. I was on a river bluff and as this hawk flew by all I saw was the back. Shooting through a tangle of branches only a couple obstructed my view.


Job 39:26
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?"

Geese on Missouri River Log

Recutting a hung up Tree

Here is an example of a tree hung-up in another tree. Beaver cut it the second time to get it to fall but the tree stayed hung-up in another tree. So they gave up :)


Psalm 56:2-4
"My foes have trampled upon me all day long,
For they are many who fight proudly against me.
When I am afraid,
I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust;
I shall not be afraid
What can mere man do to me?

Fox by Back yard Fence

Photo of fox on Easter. It must have mange on its tail also some on its forehead.


Luke 6:45
"The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart"

Silver Maple Flowers

Spring is coming. These are Silver Maple flowers.


Photos taken 23-Mar-08


Song of Solomon 2:12
"Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves is heard in our land."

Beaver Destruction

Here is a look at the destruction beaver can cause. They are an interesting animal but need to be managed in some settings. They are an animal that changes the land to suit their needs the same as humans.

Here is a link to show how to live with beaver.

Luke 24:1-7

"But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared. And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entere, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing; and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living One among the dead? "He is not here, but He has risen Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee, saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again."

Black Willow

Black willow is the only willow (Salix nigra) that grows to more than scrub tree size in this part of the country.


Ezekiel 17:5
"He also took some of the seed of the land and planted it in fertile soil He placed it beside abundant waters; he set it like a willow."

Stand of Eastern Red Cedar

Here is a stand of Eastern Red cedar. They invade pasture land and grass land before other trees can get a start. They also will grow in areas where other trees find it hard to get a start. This is a flood plain of a creek.


Ephesians 4:31
"Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice."

Sneaking Geese

Hiking along some grass and swamp land I came across these geese. I expected them to fly away as most usually do but they proceeded to sneak through the grass away from my dog and me.


Ephesians 5:29
"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment so that it will give grace to those who hear."

Beaver on the Missouri

Today I found beaver signs on the Missouri river. The wood chips by this cut tree show that the work was done not too long ago. The river has not been up this high for a while, but I would guess that this was done during the fall or winter.

Notice that there are no branches. The beaver eat those and must of carried them off to eat and use else where.



Here is an old relic of beaver activity. They worked on a large tree but only felled it into another tree.


Psalm 77:12
"I will meditate on all Your work
And muse on Your deeds."

Bottom Land Video

Proverbs 16:21
"The wise in heart will be called understanding,
And sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness."

Beavers Cutting Big Trees

Here is a big tree that the beavers might have abandoned. This tree will come down in a wind storm.

James 2:5
"Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?"

Sprouting of Beaver Cut Box Elder Maple

Here is a Box elder cut by beaver and now sprouting profusely.

Many times a tree will rejuvenate itself from cutting by sprouting from the cut stump. Here is an explanation of how to select the best sprout.

The root system of the old tree will be used for the new tree and it will grow faster than a planted tree or sapling.


Luke 6:20
"And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say,
'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.'"