Wicked Mother Nature

The weather has taken a turn for the worst here in southcentral Pa. I received 12 inches of snow yesterday and the temperature is 15 degrees with a stiff wind this morning.  With woodcock sighted much further north than my location I have to wonder how they survive these cold spells.  Do they "hunker down" under a pine tree or blowdown and try to stay warm and dry? How many days can they go without nourishment while their earthworms are out of reach?  No doubt some will die of exposure or be caught by predators while in their weakened state.  The males will no doubt take the brunt of the brutal weather as they are the first to head north to seek out prime "singing grounds" while the more sensible females move north later to  find a mate and a suitable nesting site.  But Mother Nature dictates that only the strong survive to breed on and that they will as they have done for thousands of years.

Here at the homestead I've been filling the bird feeders every few hours as the flocks of cardinals, titmice, chickadees, bluejays and other's fill up on the black oil sunflower seed that will fuel their bodies through the long cold night.

 

Somehow this sparrow made it's way into our mudroom, perhaps through the dog door. The Peterson Field Guide identified it as a Song Sparrow. After photos I released it unharmed.

 

Warmer weather is on it's way next week so perhaps I'll be able to get the setters out a few more times into the woodcock coverts before the nesting season starts.

Bennett Run Wanderings

Thicket and I headed for the Bennett Run covert on Monday.  It's a small covert in a hollow that requires a hike down off a steep ridge, but it's usually worth it.

 

 

The cover is fairly easy walking and the birds were there.

 

 

Thicket hunted hard but didn't show any interest in the woodcock.

 

The highlight of the day was seeing my first fisher on the ride to the covert. I didn't have my camera handy and only managed this one very poor pic as it went behind a tree, but it was an exciting experience never the less.

 

 

 

 

 

 



Wandering along Buffalo Creek

Emma and I headed for Buffalo Creek the other day.  The Game Commission has done some serious cutting there last year and hopefully I'll still be hunting when it grows back into woodcock habitat.

There is still some nice cover left to wander through.

 

 

 

 

Years ago some farmer took the time to plant apple trees, some of which still thrive.

 

 

This colorful fungi caught my eye in the otherwise drab landscape.

 

The namesake of the covert.

 

Although Emma hunted the covert thoroughly she found only one woodcock.

 

 

Near the end of the hunt I saw Emma trip in a tangle and fall on her shoulder and I felt a twinge of sadness as I realized her best years were behind her, but they have been good years with many wonderful memories for me to enjoy.



Fifteen Mile Creek Covert

Thicket and I visited this covert last Tuesday.  I had hunted here once several years ago with Emma and found it extremely thick, but we moved several woodcock and I dropped one that Emma made a fine retrieve on. Just recently the powerline that runs through the cover was brushhogged and I had easy walking.

 

Barberry makes up most of the cover with downed pine trees adding to the mix.

 

Signs of on old homestead with a massive Walnut tree near the foundation.

 

 

 

Although Thicket hunted the cover thoroughly no woodcock were found.

 





Their Moving North

Late getting this posted but Thicket and I walked the Piney Creek Covert last Sunday and moved two woodcock. One I saw flush ahead of her and the other one she pointed and then left the point. Still hoping she will decide that woodcock are the reason we're in the coverts and starts holding her points. Here are some pics of my favorite covert.

For the Love of Apples

With the hunting season over and the woodcock flights not yet arriving I've been busy pruning apple trees and cutting scion wood both for my own use and to trade with other grafters across the country. I get a lot of use out of my ARS pole pruner.

 

 

 

The majority of my trees are 3 years old and are at the age where I can decide what will be left to become major limbs.

 

 

 I find grafting to be a very interesting hobby. Although many old apple varieties have been lost to time there are a small group of people that have kept many old varieties alive.  Their names and the history behind them are what I find fascinating.

 

  The Scottish apple Bloody Ploughman takes its name from a ploughman who was shot stealing apples from the Megginch estate. His wife threw the apples into the rubbish heap and a seedling grew into an apple tree that bore fine tasting fruit.

 

The Limbertwig family of apple trees saved by the late Harry Morton who sought out old homesteads in the Smokey Mountains where these trees were first grown from seeds.  Brushy Mountain, Swiss, Caney Fork, Ruby, and Red Royal are just some of the Limbertwigs varieties that I have grafted.

 

Arkansas Black which originated in Arkansas in the late 1800's. A very hard apple which keeps long into the winter and improves with age.

 

Court Penu Plat, an old French variety first recorded in 1613 and was probably cultivated by the Romans.

 

These are just  a small sample of the 100+ varieties I have grafted over the past 3 years.  I realize that at my age I probably won't see these trees reach full maturity, but I feel the need to plant them so that hopefully some future apple lover will enjoy these unique varieties and perhaps even gather scion from them to keep these special trees alive and thriving.