Things are really busy on the ranch, with this being the time of year we should be finished with haying, and starting our fall sorting and shipping. The predation issues we’ve been dealing with have taken far too much time and effort, really screwing up our haying schedule, with the result being the rather difficult …
Author: Cat Urbigkit
Swainson’s family
This family of Swainson’s hawks were perched on power poles outside of Pinedale this week. There was one more juvenile on the pole across the highway. I didn’t have my big lens, so I walked up to visit them, getting scolded in the process.
Glamour shots
Every now and then, I need “glamour” photos to promote my appearances at book signings/festivals, so I turned the camera over to husband Jim last night. Since most of my books are for kids and are about animals, all my glamour shots involve critters as well. I like the photo posted above. Roo is the …
NPR on Mongolia
National Public Radio has a special series on Mongolia this week: Mongolia in Transition.
Babies with fuzzy heads
Didn’t actually get a clear, good shot, but this one explains it. Baby sandhill cranes have fuzzy heads. How perfectly endearing …
Companionable cowbirds
It’s always a pleasure to watch the cowbirds as they pick for bugs and seed heads in wool, even as the wool remains on the sheep. Most of the sheep don’t mind their presence at all, and the birds fly/hop from the back of one sheep to another. The fattest brown-headed cowbirds I’ve ever seen …
Something good
Now that I’ve done a depressing post with nothing good, here’s one with something good. I’ve spent lots of time in the sheep pasture lately, and have been toting my camera around to document everything that is occurring. Have I mentioned that burros are very nosy creatures? I have pictures that prove it! Rena the …
Nothing good
Our predation issues are still not resolved. First we had two big lambs killed and entirely consumed, in one event. Then things were quiet for a full week. Last Friday morning’s early sheep check led me to a just-killed 90-pound lamb – nothing much eaten but the liver. Once again the scene was so fresh …
Cracker stacker
My Mongolian trip travel partner and friend Janell Cannon is now playing with video. She’s posted a fun new one on how crows stack crackers:
Quiet night
Everything was quiet in the pasture this morning, with no signs of further predation during the night. The animals were all calm, and the guardians all seemed content. Although some may see the fact that two lambs were killed as some fault of the guardian animals, Jim and I disagree with that view. We shudder …