Earth Day

Every day is Earth Day on Dewberry Lands!

Busy Saturday

Early Saturday morning a Bluebird was collecting worms for the family in one of the nesting boxes at the lodge.

Saturday was spent cutting lumber from downed trees from the recent thunderstorms that produced high winds. 

There was some nice lumber produced from these trees.  I plan on using it to make a covered bridge over one of the streams where we have on a trail.  

This and That

I made this picture while hunting yesterday.  It is of the buds on a long-leaf pine that had blown down. It was so beautiful, the picture doesn't do it justice.  The purple buds on the green background of needles were  very eye catching.  I had to take this photograph. 

My grandson and I was out looking at some of the property where we had done a controlled burn and went by a spot called the "Wilson Spring".  This spring was used by the first Europeans to settle in this area.  It was probably used by native people.  The spring is lined with rocks.  Water bubbles up out of the ground here where this stream begins.  It was neat to see my grandson get to drink water out of the spring.  I thought of so many children (and adults) that assume water comes in plastic bottles and the tap.  On our property we take pride in keeping the water clean.

Interesting Article

There was an article I came across a couple of months ago in this magazine: Blue Ridge Country, Exploring The Mountains of The South. I was impressed with the article.  The name of the article was "25 Things That Changed The  Mountains".  One of the 25 things featured was "Quelling forest fires, not always a good thing".  There was one complete page with a picture dedicated to prescribed burning.  It was so good to see the author recognized this because so often prescribed fire in forest management gets a bad rap. This magazine caters to the upscale.

Spring of 2013

Productive Day

The day started out early and cold, 27 degrees but I was hot by the time I got back to the jeep after toting this 19.5 pound gobbler out of the woods.  I wore a toboggan for the first time ever this morning while turkey hunting. The ground was spewed up with ice on the road banks but the full moon was beautiful in the crisp cool air.  After taking care of the turkey I had told my dad and my uncle yesterday that I would help do a prescribed burn for them because weather conditions were going to be good.  We got a good burn and at the end of the day I was tired but it was a very productive day.  Tomorrow I will be in Montgomery for a meeting.  I know it will not be as productive as today.  A bad day in the woods is always better than a good day in the city. 

Prescribed Burn

The Alabama Forestry Commission did a prescribed burn on the property (belonging my uncle) next to ours last week.  I assisted in checking for jumps and was available for any questions they might have.  Another pair of boots on the ground while doing a burn is always helpful.  We got a good burn on the 75 acres and it will make the property look better, control competition, and will improve the wildlife habitat on the property.  Good job Nick and Josh!

It Is Officially Spring!

This big guy was putting on a show this morning.  Four jakes come in right behind these but they kept their distance.  Notice in the video the two hens walking by with beards.  One hen is the offspring of the other.  I have been watching them for four years.

Tracks and Trees

Mattie, Abby (our daughter) and I were out this week taking up a blind Abby and her husband Jay used for bow hunting this year.  Mattie, our 2 year old granddaughter, has started noticing tracks.  She took a liking to finding tracks where the animals had been.  Here she is looking at a deer track coming out of one of our wildlife openings.  She said it was a big deer!

Yesterday, my dad and I loaded three large trees that I had cut up to use for lumber.  One tree had blown down next to an area where a neighbor had just harvested his timber and the other two was cut down by the company cutting trees along the right of way a transmission line. We will get some good lumber out of these trees.