Puppy Bliss

Posted on November 12, 2013 by MaryALivingston

Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – Kinta helps me haul firewood.

Meet Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama. We call him Kinta. He will be a guest at our home for several months before he is able to join his family in Japan.

Japan is a rabies free country. Kinta was born in Montana, USA. The US is not a rabies free country. He comes from Saturday Night Golden Retrievers.

The procedure goes something like this, Kinta will receive a rabies vaccination as soon as he is old enough. Then he will receive a booster a month later. A month after that, his blood will be tested for rabies titers. If his titer level is high enough, he then must wait for six months before going home. Once in Japan, he will be observed for several hours prior to being released to his family. He will also undergo many other health certifications prior to getting a green light to breed. It is a lengthy process.

Kinta checks out the pond. He’ll be swimming in no time.

Our friends Noriko and Yoshi are very dear to us, so we are happy to assist them with a foster home for Kintaro. We have fostered two other pups for them, Sakurako and Jutaro. Noriko and Yoshi are dedicated breeders of competitive golden retrievers in Japan. They take care to select genetically sound parent stock.

Kinta enjoys some Northern California sunshine.

For the next 10 months or so, I will get to enjoy, train, and share the love of a good pup. His family will visit from time to time, we take care to be sure he knows them and knows their scent.

Handsome boy watches down the driveway… are those quail he sees?

Kinta on the move – this is his standard pose.

Here are a few shots and a quick watercolor sketch of Kintaro.

Saturday Night Kintaro of Akiyama – watercolor by MaryALivingston

Bare Bear Butt Bliss

Posted on July 17, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The area where the trail cam is located has blackberries and some old apple trees. Both favorites of the local black bears. They come by to check the ripening status of the fruit.

We like our little get away up in the mountains. No cell phone coverage, no electricity, it is a place we can truly be unplugged.

Enjoying the view of our neighbors, even if it is their backside – bliss.

A composite of bear images with our rig to show size comparisons.

Finally a smile for the camera.

This is a young black bear, we think a young female. We saw her on our drive in, just up the hill a bit.

The bare foot of the black bear.

Our little get away. No amenities to speak of, just the "bare" necessities.

Our little get away. No amenities to speak of, just the ~~bare~~ bear necessities. 😉

Pursuit of Happiness

Gallery

Posted on July 4, 2013 by MaryALivingston

This gallery contains 10 photos.

“The U.S. Constitution doesn’t guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. You have to catch up with it yourself.” – Benjamin Franklin

Lions, Deer, and Bears Oh Mine

Gallery

Posted on June 27, 2013 by MaryALivingston

This gallery contains 6 photos.

We originally set up hidden cams at various locations to catch claim jumpers. It’s a nice treat to capture the local critter population. Here is a sampling of what passed through the last 2 weeks. Of course, panning a little … Continue reading →

Oldest and Boldest

Posted on June 22, 2013 by MaryALivingston

This is the eldest of the two fledgling age vultures in our backyard.

This is the oldest of the two fledgling age vultures in our backyard. I think it is pretty cool that we can see clean through its nose.

This vulture fledgling let me get pretty close yesterday. It has been spending most of the day out of the hole, up in the tree, while its younger sibling still retreats to the nest cavity.

It is the oldest and the boldest of the two. I don’t know for certain, but it is about a day or two older than its sibling. I believe it has embraced being the oldest with a certain measure of bliss.

First Flight Soon

Posted on June 20, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The young turkey vultures are fledglings now. Each day they hop up on branches, stretch and flap their wings. I promise some more videos, they have been so active I have a lot of video feed to sift through.

A few shots to hold you over…

The fledglings are about 9.5 weeks now. They stretch their wings often. The downy white is almost all gone. At this age, they have more black in their dark brown than their parents.

The turkey vulture siblings spend a large part of their day out of the nest cavity.

Down the Vulture Hole

Posted on June 1, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The turkey vulture chicks are about 6.5 weeks old. Most large birds fledge around 10 to 11 weeks. Their chick down is giving way to juvenile feathers. The nest is becoming crowded. Their plumage will gradually shift to dark brown. It will be two years before the skin on their bald heads becomes red.
Previously, the chicks just observed and hissed at the GoPro. This time, they lunged at it so it will be the last visit by the GoPro. Soon they will climb out of the deep cavern they call home and begin living in the upper world.

At 6.5 weeks old the chicks are changing rapidly.

A little camera shy. The red glow is the GoPro record light.

No Place for UGLY Birds – a picture book about turkey vultures.

Wood Duck Invades Vuture Nest – Ghost Babies Fight Back

Posted on May 24, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The turkey vulture nest gets visitors from time to time. An occasional nuthatch or raccoon as seen in Night Visitor pass through. This week, wood ducks have been landing on and peering into the cavity of the turkey vulture nest.

Much to my surprise, a brave hen decided to leap inside.
We lowered a GoPro to get a duck’s eye view of the chicks. My friend Rhythm calls them “ghost babies.”

Having all of this in my backyard is pure bliss. 🙂

– In the spring wood ducks flock to the pond. They often feed in the grasses and on sprouting acorns under the oaks. © Maryᴀ Livingston

Eerie Sounds from the Vulture Chicks

Posted on May 14, 2013 by MaryALivingston

It’s Tuesday, time for a Turkey Vulture (TV) update.
The turkey vulture chicks have grown rapidly their first 4 weeks. They are beginning to get their juvenile plumage. Notice the dark brown, nearly black, feathers showing up in the wings and down their backs.

Capturing pictures of the turkey vulture chicks in this deep nest requires some old school photography techniques. Everything is set manually. I preset the focus, set the aperture, shutter, and flash. Then I hold the camera over the entrance to the nest and take a series of shots. I can’t see anything, even if I were to stick my head into the dark deep nest. After the flash fires the first time, the chicks begin their eerie vocalizations. My friend, Rhythm, over at Reading With Rhythm calls turkey vultures “spooky birds.” The ominous sound made by the chicks, plays into that role perfectly.

Turkey vultures do not have voice boxes. They only grunt and hiss. The eerie ghostly sound in the video is the sound the turkey vulture chicks make. No chirpy chickies here.

This little guy was all sprawled out on the nest floor. Must have been a busy day.

The chicks begin hissing a warning…stay away…they hiss.

Vulture Chicks – 3 weeks

Posted on May 7, 2013 by MaryALivingston

The turkey vulture chicks are about 3 weeks old. I was amazed at the lack of odor from the nest cavity opening. Previously, when a parent was in the nest, the smell was malodorous. This time, however, with only the chicks, I was shocked at the lack of stench when capturing this image. Curious because it looks like it should smell bad.