I am dedicating this weblog to fishing and off road adventures......... That was 2008, I made a commitment to spend 100 days on the water. It didn't happen. This Blog is about everything ELSE that I think is cool ALSO.
Today, I purchased a Bushnell Trophy cam.
It is a model 8.0 IR Trophy cam XLT Bone Collector.
I set it up to catch the evening birds at the feeder. It was not a good direction as this is staring into the sunset. But the feeder is in a good location to view from the house, so I need to place the camera on a pole with the sun behind it.
These images are cropped very close show grain and had to be lightened. But I think with the proper camera position, They should be less grainy and sharper and brighter.
This is basically amateur study of birds. It involves the use of books, field guides, curiosity, and birds. I have always been somewhat of an optics person. So, binoculars, telescopes, and spotting scopes were already in my arsenal. What got me interested in birding.
That's ironic. It all started when some birds were pecking on my house. I had a several year battle with these birds, and was never successful at ridding my house of them. I mistakenly thought that they were woodpeckers. However, my investigation into the true identity of the birds lead me to truth that these were White breasted nuthatches. Not true woodpeckers.
Nuthatches and chickadees are known to excavate in a similar fashion to woodpeckers, but only in much softer wood, or in my case, in the cheap Masonite siding on the house. True woodpeckers, Picidae, have the ability to excavate into much harder live wood.
Back to the pecking on the house. Sick of patching holes and fixing trim, I hung some rubber snakes up. that has worked for a couple years, but the nuthatches are back. ??????????????
A juvenile Red Headed Woodpecker, melanerpes erythrocephalus, he still has some speckles on his back and his head is slightly brown.
I spent a long weekend in early November hunting on a private tree farm in central GA. I am a licensed hunter in GA. On the first day, I missed a shot on this nice 7 pointer. He has 4 points on one side so he is legal in GA. I am an excellent marksman, but that doesn't make a good hunter. It was only after my shot that I realized how amped I was. My heart rate was well over 150, and I shot way low, I'd rather miss entirely than have a bad placement.
These images were captured on a game camera the following weeks after the hunt. The identity and location of the private farm will remain undisclosed. He is a good friend of mine, and this kind of stuff is a well kept secret.
The Red Bellied Woodpecker, I think this one is a male.
Olympus E-410 with Tamron 250mm manual film lens.
I only had seconds to run down and grab the camera to catch him having flit from my feeder tree to my neighbor's.
The photo is really grainy and not the best, but it serves to show the proof of evidence.
We would like to invite all to attend 16th bi-annual Southern
Blacksmithing Association Conference (formerly Southeastern Regional
Blacksmithing Conference) to be held in Madison, GA. The dates will be
Thursday May 16th through Saturday, May 18th, 2013 This is an
opportunity for blacksmiths and their families to see and learn from
some of the top professionals in the field.
The conference is held every other year, in the odd years. This
conference is hosted this year by the Appalachian Area Chapter of
Blacksmiths (AACB).
Madison, GA is a beautiful town located located just 1 hour east of
Atlanta on I-20. Discover the town that narrowly escaped the wrath of
General Sherman and his troops. The small town atmosphere is wonderful
to experience. A drive to the town square shows many of the antebellum
homes. There are several motels, hotels, and restaurants located in
Madison. http://www.madisonga.org We have identified hotels that are close to the conference and any special rates on our Lodging Page
The conference is held at the Lions Club Fairgrounds. There are
demonstrations, tailgate sales, vendors, family programs, iron work
displays (show and tell), iron in the hat (IITH), a live auction and of
course an anvil shoot. There is usually a food vendor on site for those
who do not want to leave the grounds.
Don't leave your family at home. There are many talented people
teaching small courses. Offerings this year include broom-tying, basket
weaving, chainmail jewelry, leather work, painting, and beading. Those
classes fill-up fast, so get your registration in early.
The tailgate area is a great place to sell those extra tools and
items relating to blacksmithing. Tool sales are in a reserved area
only. You can shop or sell all day long. This is an excellent place to
find that special tool that you have been looking for.
There is a "green coal" class. Which gives a chance for a beginning smith to learn from some wonderful talented smiths.
I Hope that Everyone got want they wanted for Christmas.
I got my open water scuba Diving certification in September 2012, and decided to get the classic dive watch. Seiko 007. Rated to 200 meters, I dive to 20 meters only.
It has kept perfect time and is fully mechanical.
I have a certain fondness for things that are mechanical. I have timed this watch versus a digital clock and have found no variation in how it keeps. It doesn't seem to be gaining or loosing at all.
It came with the Jubilee strap and while that is very comfortable, I prefer the rubber scuba strap (seen here). I also have a NATO Strap for it but I have not tried that out yet. The lumes are very bright, and will stay lit all night. It is very substantial in size and weight, but not overly so.
