End of the World

What a week this has been! It may not be the end of the world but there are times when it has looked like it! For one thing, we have had one search and rescue call after another - it seems like people are now making up for the slow start to the season. Add that to the Hole in the Wall forest fire that refuses to behave and it makes for an unsettled atmosphere to say the least.

I took some photos of the fire as we made our way home from a SAR call near Cody yesterday afternoon. The top photo is from about 25 miles away. We could see that the fire - which had looked like it was under control when we left yesterday morning - had found new life and was moving north.

As we turned toward Clark from the highway we were able to get a shot of the firefighter camps set up in the valley with the fire in the background. To the left in the photo is the Clark Firehall. To the right is the community center with yurts and tents set up in the fields. There are now almost 200 firefighters battling this blaze.

As we got closer to home we were able to get a clearer idea of the size and direction of the fire.

Just after dinner Ken suddenly called me to come quickly and look out the windows. The wind had picked up and shifted and we had a wall of smoke and ash aimed right at our house. I took the photo above while standing on the back porch.

 This shot was taken through the dining room window. Right after this it went dark as we were engulfed by the smoke and ash. We shut the house up as tightly as we could and packed our bags in case we would need to evacuate quickly.

After a couple hours the wind shifted again and the smoke headed north. It is still hard to breathe outside but we are no longer worried about falling embers - at least for the moment.

The fire has grown to almost 4000 acres and they are now concerned it will follow the plateau all the way to the town of Red Lodge, Montana.

The last three photos were taken this morning and show the smoke hanging in the air. The whole sky looks like it is on fire!

Hole in the Wall Wildfire

 We interrupt the regularly scheduled series to bring you breaking news of the Hole in the Wall Wildfire. Ignited by a lightening strike on Sunday evening, the fire has now reached a size of approximately 600 acres. Today's good news is that the winds have calmed somewhat and so there may be a chance to get the beast under control before it does any damage to man made structures. The calm also means that the smoke has settled in the area and so it is hard to see outside, let alone breathe! That is not a comfortable situation when it is almost 100 degrees and we have no air conditioning!

 Yesterday we watched from a ridge on our back pasture as the wind stirred the flames and pushed them northward.

If you click on this photo you will see the Forest Service helicopter surveying the extent of the fire yesterday morning. The area is very rugged and dangerous to fire fighters. Chances are they will let it burn as long as it is not threatening homes in the area.  There is a public meeting tonight where we will learn more about the Forest Service plans.

 This shot shows the fire blowing up yesterday morning behind our bunkhouse. It is not as close as it looks in the picture.

Here you see our home and the bunkhouse in front of the fire. There are at least three miles of sage brush flats between us and the flames.

Last night we had a search and rescue call and didn't get home until midnight. It was amazing to see the entire mountainside glowing in the dark. Each tree seemed like a separate collection of red embers and it looked like a cheerful village shining in the black night instead of the destructive force we know it to be!

Spogen Lake

Ken and I decided to take advantage of a week without obligations and  head for the hills. Our destination was Spogen Lake, a favorite camping spot about ten tough miles in from the Clay Butte Trailhead. The funny thing is that the Lake sits at about the same elevation as the starting point - but in between is 4000' of vertical in peaks and valleys!

Our plan was for a five day trip but we got chased out a day early by the mosquitoes. Never have I seen the bugs this bad this late in the summer. Ken and I were okay with our bug nets but the poor llamas were pretty miserable during the warmer daylight hours. We spray them down but can't do their faces (they don't understand they need to close their eyes!) and that is where the mosquitoes attack.

I will post a few photos of the trip over the next few days. The first shot, above, was taken on the way in.

This is the view from the highest point of the hike - 10, 400' - just before you drop down to Spogen. I did not want to carry my heavy Canon 7-D camera into the back country so these were taken with an older Rebel. I am amazed at the difference in picture quality from the newer camera.. 

Most people camp at one of the two lakes above Spogen or right at the falls. We prefer the southern end because it has a pretty good pasture and it provides the best view of the falls.

Our campsite was at the end of the lake where it drops into a tight stream and heads down about a quarter mile to Whitcomb Lake. In the photo to the left I was able to place myself below the level of Spogen Lake, creating a mirror pond from my vantage point.  

We were surprised by the hordes of mosquitoes - especially since we had frost each night. This last photo was taken the first morning. Hobbit seemed fascinated by the falls. You can see the frost on his back. 

Jumpin' Horny Toads!

The title is a quote from Yosemite Sam. The funny thing is they don't jump and they aren't toads! They are, of course, lizards, and they are one of two types of lizard common to this area.

The first type- left - is a Sagebrush Lizard. In the second photo you can see how they got their name as they ran to hide in the sagebrush every time I got close with the camera.

 They are really pretty reptiles with blue bellies. The underside is not obvious in these shots but I see it quite often as the lizards seem to be the one prey Frank the cat loves to hunt. He is very gentle in picking them up and bringing them to show me so they usually recover once I take them away from him and release them out of sight.

 The second type of lizard we have is the aforementioned horned toad. These are fascinatingly prehistoric looking creatures. They blend in incredibly well to their surroundings, making them tough to see unless you are looking for them.

They come in a wide range of sizes. The animal in the top photo is almost as big as the palm of my hand while the photo below, taken on this morning's run, is of a creature about the size of my thumbnail!

Harvest Time

 It is not hard to tell when the pine nuts are ready to be harvested! All of a sudden we are "blessed" with the screeching voices of numerous Pinyon Jays and Clark's Nutcracker's as they return from higher elevations. I am not sure how they choose the date but when they arrive, they arrive by the busload, it seems!

 Look at the bill on this Pinyon Jay, above. Doesn't that look like it is the perfect tool for digging seeds from pine cones?

 In pine cone heaven!

 Upside down is a classic position for the Pinyons during harvest.

The Clark's Nutcrackers tend to be more solitary most of the year but they are willing to be social not only with other Nutcrackers during harvest time, but also with the Pinyons.

 This Clark's Nutcracker - above - has a pine nut in his bill. He will probably stash the seed for later consumption. If he can't remember where he buried the seed it may well turn into a new pine tree instead of a meal.

Working hard!

This guy almost looks like he is eating in bed!

There are lots of nuts to go around. At least for the next week or two!

Speed Kills

Note: Violence and death in the bird world is contained in this post!

I mentioned yesterday that one way the pigeons are kept in check on our property is by the hunting falcons. We have several species of the fast moving birds in the area but one of the most common is the Prairie Falcon. These photos were taken last year but we see them chasing pigeons at least once every couple of weeks. It is just not often we get the chance to capture the experience in pictures!

 Yesterday Ken and I saw a falcon take out a nighthawk not ten feet in front of us and right at eye level. It happened so fast that all we could do was stand there with our mouths agape asking each other what had just happened! More than once I have hit the deck in reaction to the sound of something big and fast flying by my ear. That is often the first indication that the falcon is hunting in the area.

In this sequence of shots the prairie falcon swooped in and knocked a pigeon out of the air. The pigeon landed on the ground in front of the big tree in our front yard, still alive but badly dazed. The falcon wasted no time in flying down to finish off the injured bird - they do this by chopping off the prey's head with one quick snap. It looks like it has been cut off with scissors.

In this case the magpies thought they would try for their share of the spoils. The falcon defended his dinner for quite a while but eventually flew off and left the remains to the magpies.

Survivors

Most people are familiar with Pigeons or Rock Doves. They are often thought of as city birds and many attempts have been made to get rid of them in urban environments.

In their more natural habitat they live in rock caves and shelves. We have a small but steady population that hangs out in the nearby sandstone cliffs year round. Their numbers are kept in check not only by the availability of food and water but also by the resident population of Prairie and Peregrine Falcons who feed on the smaller birds.

During the day the rock doves often lounge on Vertebrae Rock. I took a shot of some with the barely waning full moon behind them this morning.

For a number of years Ken and I raised a few chickens in a coop located in the llama corral. But the truth is we rarely eat eggs and keeping the coop clean was a never-ending chore so we gave all our birds away two years ago. Within a week a mama pigeon had moved into the shelter by digging a tunnel under the door. Since she immediately layed two eggs we decided to let her be until the babies hatched. Ha! Two years later and she and her mate are still there and still raising two chicks every two to three months. I am almost certain it is the same pair and they are quite territorial of their space; often chasing any other pigeon that attempts to share the huge area.

 I have learned quite a lot about the birds by watching this pair week after week.
- They always lay two eggs and both have always hatched and been raised to fledgling status.
- Mama and Papa both live in the coop and both have duties but mama seems to be the one who always feeds the chicks.
- Mama feeds  her babies by regurgitating food. They stick their little heads down her throat and feed from her gullet.
- She is shy about the feeding and will often lead the babies into the box for that task.

 - Weather and temperature do not seem to matter. Last winter mama layed her eggs in temperatures well below zero and still managed to raise two youngsters.

 These two are growing fast. They are about 5 weeks old now and will probably fledge in the next few weeks at which time mama will almost immediately start over with two more eggs!

One thing about pigeons is that they can carry human diseases so I always wear a mask and gloves when I am in the coop.

To the right is mama (with freshly regurgitated food on her chest!) and to the left is papa, the enforcer, overseeing the feeding operation!