It's Mushroom Picking Time

The recent heavy rains and warm temperature have triggered the growth of wild mushrooms in our neighborhood.

Grandson Reed and his Dad were here this weekend and Reed likes mushrooms. The Chanterelle mushrooms (Cantharellus cibarius) started appearing last week and Reed was eager to pick some mushrooms. We found two more new patches of Chanterelles and picked enough for a large meal.

Found this juvenile Great Blue Heron in our pond near a patch of Chanterelles.

The Oyster Mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus) are starting to appear at our West Hill property. Picked enough for a couple of meals, and some to give away.

Chanterelle Mushrooms

With all of the strange weather we've had this Summer I wasn't sure if I would find any mushrooms. We checked one of our chanterelle mushroom patches yesterday and it only had a few small mushrooms and not enough to pick. Today we checked another location on our property and it was a bumper crop that was ready for picking.

Road Repair

I looked out our front window this morning and found a "Road Closed" sign in the township road just below our driveway.

The township had worked for years, if not a decade or more, to find the funding to replace a stream crossing in the road below our house.

Removal of the old stream crossing.

The old stream crossing was constructed from old fuel tanks that were butted together to form a large culvert.

The new culvert pipes are in the background.

Fawns Everywhere

Today's evening wildlife drive was all about fawns. It was almost like grade school recess. A total of 10 different fawns at the cabin property during the drive.

The fawns were everywhere in small groups.

The class bully.

Dancing prima donna.

The shy kid.

Black Bears

It was another hot day and I wasn't seeing much activity on my evening wildlife drive at the cabin property. As I rounded a turn in the road while returning to the barn I found a bear and 3 cubs in the road. The cubs quickly ran into the woods before I could pick up the camera and I was only able to get this quick shot as the mother bear followed after the cubs.

Rabbit Invasion

Our neighborhood is experiencing an invasion of marauding herbivores that are decimating my garden. These marauders have wiped out my beets, Swiss chard and some of the beans.

I have launched a counter offensive to capture these marauders and deport them to a new location.

I transported this captive to my wildlife food plot.

The prisoner made a hasty exit from the trap.

The prisoner was last seen crossing the new brassica and sugar beet food plot for refuge in the woods.

Checking Out The Neighborhood

I never know what I'll see on the short drive from our barn to the cabin. A turkey with poults and a deer, checking out each other.

Evening Wildlife Drive

Photos from evening wildlife drive at the cabin property

Tree Frog

Its been a wet weekend, so it wasn't surprising to see a Gray Tree Frog (Dryophytes versicolor) climbing the glass on our sliding door.

Turkey Poults

After a late afternoon downpour of rain passed through the neighborhood we took a drive to check the local stream level. As we drove along Joyce Road we had a family of turkeys cross the road.

At first, only a few of the young poults crossed the road with the mother. More of the poults crossed as the mother continued to call. Some of the poults flew across.

Once all the poults were across the road they headed into the tall weeds ...

There's always one of the kids that won't stay with the group.

West Hill Bathtub

Time to check the game cameras at our West Hill property. Earlier this year we constructed a new road into a wooded area and needed to install a culvert pipe across the road. Decided to repurpose an old bathtub with the culvert pipe installation and create a wildlife watering hole. Some of the animals that stopped at the new watering hole.

This bear passed by twice.

The bobcat is still in the area.

A young buck stopped for a drink.

A grey fox.

Turkey.

A pileated woodpecker.

Twin Fawns

This year's crop of fawns are now exploring the neighborhood.

I was at the cabin property, working on another project, when I found these two fawns checking out a field I'd just mowed.

Later in the day, on my evening wildlife drive, I found the twin fawns with their mother.

The fawns were constantly moving and hard to get a photo of them together.

The wobbly legged newborns of spring are now speed demons.

Online Hunting License

It's time to renew my hunting license for another year. I have a lifetime license which can be renewed online, but this year, for the first time, the antlerless deer can also be purchased online at the same time. I logged into the web site to place my order and see there are 70,839 people ahead of me. Maybe I'll wait until tomorrow (or next week).

Supper Time

On this evening's wildlife drive around the cabin property, grandson Reed was able to observe a doe nursing its fawn.

Possum Wrangling

Some animal has been eating plants in my garden and I set a trap to catch the animal.

I had expected to catch a rabbit but caught this possum (opossum).

Grandson Reed checking out the possum.

Time to relocate the possum to our cabin property.

Propped the trap door open and waited for the possum to escape.

After a short wait the possum emerged from the trap and into the woods.