Flathead Photos 2017-2018-2019

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Flathead Photos 2017-2018-2019

Post by PeteE »

At this writing, it appears that this will be another big snow storm NOT.
That said, we still have plenty of snow around the valley.
Those in snowy climates need to remember that this part of Montana hasn't had many winters like this in recent years.
I've only seen a couple like this in the 15 years I've lived here.
This is for my family, friends and all those who live in the Sunny South 8)

pete :wink:

These two pics taken from my "back door" this morning reminded me of a song from one of my all time favorite groups CCR :D

Looking Out My Back Door opening lyrics

Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.
There's a giant doing cartwheels, a statue wearin' high heels.
Look at all the happy creatures dancing on the lawn.
A dinosaur Victrola list'ning to Buck Owens.

Doo doo doo lookin' out my back door.


Not too many "happy creatures dancing on the lawn" around here! :arrow: :arrow:
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Looking out my north facing window...My crow friends aren't dancing, but they should be happy :D
They're chillin' in the aspens digesting their breakfast.
I had a pair of ravens show up today. One flew off with an 11 oz suet cake after breaking it into two manageable pieces.
No drama like yesterday when the raven jumped on top of a careless crow and darn near killed him. Normally the the 50-100 crows waiting in the aspens are pretty quiet. When the raven attacked they all began screeching loudly during the 5 second fight. They stopped immediately when the raven flew off. This is typical "mobbing" behavior crows do when one of their own is threatened. Too bad I was late with the camera :(

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"Crow Corner". I feed them from my north facing corner apt. window. Long story short....the young fellow who normally cleans up the snow for the apartment management had problems with his big 15HP snowblower. He had other places he could do with his little blower. So I helped out and did the sidewalks on the north and west blocks with my lil 5HP blower. Also blew out behind the parking so we can get out easier in the AM...depending on overnight snowfall. My good deed for the day 8)
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North side sidewalk. The telephone pole you see upper left is where the raven sits virtually every morning. I love his familiar call that sounds like guttural "awk awk"
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West side sidewalk
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Last edited by PeteE on Sat Jan 19, 2019 8:14 am, edited 2 times in total.
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by toddnick »

That is quite a bit of snow!!!

Are snow levels in the Park above average?

Be nice to avoid wildfire issues like they had in 2015...
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

Your Sunday Morning Laugh

I put Jaybird in the ditch Friday afternoon.
I drive Trumble Creek rd/Braig rd nearly every day of the year, all year long.
Stuff happens 8)

First time I have had to be pulled out of a ditch in the 16 years I've lived here
. :)
And it happened just a few yards from one of my favorite places to take photos---the corner you see just ahead of where I'm stuck.
I've posted many pics taken from the corner---the Braig family farm is in the distance.

And here's a nice "factoid"...
I must have had 30-40 vehicles drive by while I was waiting on the wrecker.
Every single vehicle, without exception, offered assistance.
I love living here!

One old fellow who's lived within sight of this spot all his life drove over to help. He's been in this ditch twice this year alone.
It's a treacherous stretch of road. 8)
And Friday it got me.

pete :wink:


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"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by Sue Z »

Yikes! Poor Jaybird!

Sounds like you're OK - I'm happy for that.

When the vehicle starts to slide sideways, it's hard to recover. :shock:
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by tibber »

my brother used to say, if you're going to put it in the ditch, put it in good.

and I so agree about living in MT and everyone stopping. One of my fellow HAZers (hikearizona.com) was up this summer and said he was so impressed with Montanans reaching out when he ran into some difficulties. That he said and their appreciation of the military once they found out he was a veteran.

Glad you're okay. Quite a bit of snow you're dealing with and it looks way cold.

I remember every time I've gone into the ditch. It is around 5 as I recall :lol: . Got out on my own all but two times.
oh, and a saying we have down here, you don't have to shovel sunshine thus, ditches are a thing of my past, ha!
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by daveparker »

I did that same thing a few years ago just about the same place, damn deer jump in the road and I was dumb enough to try and avoid it. One of the neighbors pulled me out with his tractor

:oops:
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Re: Flathead Photos 2016

Post by Jay w »

Hah. No shame it hitting the ditch. But there might be some in hitting the ditch and leaving the car a 100 feet from the road.

Jay
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Re: Flathead Photos 2016

Post by Jay w »

Have you ever been skiing, hop in the car to leave with a ski boot on your left foot and a Sorel boot on your right, and take off driving 65 mph down a snow covered road that has been freshly glazed with a layer of rain, hit a snow bank left by a farmer plowing his driveway, and end up 100 feet off the road and 20 feet down in a ditch, and after the car stopped and sunk, you couldn't get your doors open.

I have.

Jay

Explain that one to the parents. :D Sorry, couldn't resist ripping off Tom Papa's "I have" bit.
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

Ha!! Funny that Dave Parker has been in the same ditch! LOL!!
It now seems half the people I know have been in that ditch :)

That road has a prominent "crown" for drainage.
So when it's icy and covered with a thin layer of fresh powder, it's SLICK.
It's also dangerous when wet in the summer. I've seen a few cars slide off when it's muddy.
So for our Southern friends benefit, you have to drive straddling the center---until there's oncoming traffic.
There was a truck coming the other way. So as I slowed down and easssssssseeeed to the right a bit to let him go though the turn first.
He had the harder way to go being on the "inside" of the turn if we both tried to enter the turn at the same time.
That was IT. Jaybird just kept "drifting" to the right---right in the ditch.
Physics, momentum and gravity, took control 8)

Nothing but my pride was hurt.
Nothing gonna stop me driving my favorite "country road"!! :arrow: :arrow:

pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

Image


I've always like watching turkey gobblers in the Spring.
Turkeys were hard hunted in Virginia when I lived there.
Scenes like this were close to non existent anywhere near where people lived in my experience.
These turkeys ignored me completely while I was standing in plain view on the roadside.
But then while turkeys are legal game in the Flathead, they're rarely hunted.
Turkeys are a big nuisance for many homeowners.

I wish I could have stayed.
Cloudy and sprinkling rain this morning. Not great light and zoomed out all the way.
3:22 minutes


pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

I put out the crows kibbles and peanuts out this morning as usual.
Then I sat down to read the news, emails, etc.
Shortly after, I heard all the crows going bonkers cawing.
It took me about 30-45 seconds to get my camera going.
The focus wasn't good because the camera wanted to focus on the shrub branches :(

I suspect the fight was two males fighting over a "girl" since this is breeding/mating season.
Boys fighting over girls. Imagine that!! LOLOL 8)
Plus, at one point a third crow comes down and takes a "peck" at the poor bugger that was losing the fight!

5minutes


pete :wink:
"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

I was working out back of the boss's house yesterday when I noticed all the bumblebees on the thistle blooms.
A closer look revealed that the blooms were popular with butterflies and wasps as well.
The wind was gusty and the flowers were waving around and never still, never mind the insects moving.
I set the "tracking focus", a very useful tool, on an insect, usually the bee, and hoped for the best.
I was surprised that my little Sony P&S camera captured these images as well as it did.
I have two of these Sony HCX-10 P&S cameras. The one I used for these "snaps" was used and cost me $100.00 on Amazon. 8)
Focus is pretty good on all but last image.
Look how the butterfly's wing is visible through the bee's wing on the 4th image.


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"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by Sue Z »

Great clarity! I think your butterfly might be a skipper. Not sure which kind exactly, though.
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by MarxMN »

Great pictures.

I spend a fair amount of time cutting thistles in our cattle pastures. Those flowers are full of seeds that, if allowed to dry, will result in lots more thistles next year. Cattle don't eat thistles. However, it is tough to cut a thistle when there are bees and butterflies on it.
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Re: Flathead Photos 2017

Post by PeteE »

Sue Z wrote:Great clarity! I think your butterfly might be a skipper. Not sure which kind exactly, though.
Yeah thanks Sue, I had three printed right from the SD card at Wallgreens, no corrections, and they looked very good.
Not sure where I'm going tomorrow, but I'm going somewhere on the East side.
8)
MarxMN wrote:Great pictures.

I spend a fair amount of time cutting thistles in our cattle pastures. Those flowers are full of seeds that, if allowed to dry, will result in lots more thistles next year. Cattle don't eat thistles. However, it is tough to cut a thistle when there are bees and butterflies on it.
Do they "burn" thistles too? with a propane torch? Seems my ex brother-in-law would send his boys out to burn some kind of weed back in SW Virginia. I think it was this thistles, but not sure.

Bees were loaded up with pollen :) Lots of bumble bees around that weed too. They didn't seem to mind me sticking the camera down right in the middle of the plant.
Most of those were taken from less than a foot from the flower.

I had the camera focal length at minimum, tracking focus set on the insect.
Then moved back and forth Until I had the flower in focus and the insect really sharp.

NOT easy on a windy day.
On a nice day with a tripod mount, I believe I could get a really sharp image.

Keep choppin' them thistles! 8)

thx

pete :wink:

"If you are not curious, you will learn nothing" -Goethe-

"When you're born in this world, you're given a ticket to the freak show.
And when you're born in America, you're given a front row seat."

George Carlin
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