Skywatch Friday

Bourbon County
June Skies

Some photos I took earlier in the week with sky watch in mind. The later part of the week found us in tornado shelters three times in one night! Luckily no damage locally.

For more sky watchers visit here.

My World Tuesday Good Ole Days

Every June across Kansas small towns celebrate homecomings, reuinoins and small town festivals.
Fort Scott located in SE Kansas puts on one heck of festival called 'Good Ole Days'. Its family friendly and the families do come. Several thousand folks merge on the old downtown to wander, buy, eat and have fun. Ther are pony rides, old tractor displays and lots more.
There is a multitude of craft booths, and food booths you can sample home made ice cream, barbecue, tortillas, or kettle corn to name just a few.
You can get your picture taken with a monkey,
stock up on your rock collection,
or step into one of the stores that line the 1800's downtown.
There is a show in the Liberty theatre every hour. Local talents keep you entertained while you sip a cold beer or an ice tea.

Behind the scenes the vendors can escape the crowd for a break and some shade.
There is always plenty of parking, I got a kick out of the sign.

In smaller rural towns these early summer festivals bring in revenue for folks and provide an opportunity for communities to to reconnect before the harvest season.

Fort Scott isn't really the smallest of towns, its population is in the 8000 range. We have lived in towns of 600 or so here in Kansas but it does take on the small town feel during Good Ole days. For more on Fort Scott visit here.

For other places visit My World Tuesday!

Camera Critters, Canine Long Jump

While out today I dropped by a unique competition in Fort Scott. These dogs were jumping out into the pool and being measured by an official. This was the most focused one of all, he jumped over 21 feet!
Why wait till it gets in the water!
Nice form!
This Border Collie would not get in the water at first, I could hear him saying to his owner, "Please I am a herder", but once in he wouldn't get out instead he did a politician loop for all the kids at poolside.
The kids at poolside got to get a little wet from the splash.
The foosbury flop being practiced by a young Yellow Lab
A Labradoodle! He went way out there!
They all seemed very focused and also seemed to being enjoying it, I don't blame them it was hot today out there!

For more Camera Critters visit here. http://camera-critters.blogspot.com/.

Skywatch Friday

Just Before Sunup
Crawford County Kansas

Early Morning Sky
Prairie State Park
Barton County Missouri

Barton County Missouri

Some early morning photos I took with skywatch in mind this week.
For more Skywatchers visit here.

Birding Among Buffalo

Indigo Bunting

The other morning I slipped away before dawn to do some birding at Prairie Park. As the fog shielded the sun I entered the south side of the park and found myself in the herd of buffalo that live here.
The herd uses the road sometimes to move from the south end of the park to the north end. I decided to join them for a leisurely stroll, drive, (I stayed in the car), and to look for birds at the same time.

Cow and calf

There were several new calves traveling with the herd. Their reddish coat standing out against the darker adults.
This calf was quite interested in the person filling his memory card with photos as they moved along the road. When they would stop I would and break out the binoculars and scan the new growth for neotropical migrants. the only sound being the chorus of munching and low deep grunts the buffalo mad as they grazed.

Dickcissel greets the dawn

Birds I saw on my outing this morning; Western Meadowlark, Dickcissel, Brown Thrasher, Yellow Breasted Chat, Indigo Bunting, Common Yellow Throat, Blue Jay, Northern Flicker, Wild Turkey, Common Crow, Red-winged Blackbird, Brown Headed Cowbird, Turkey Vulture, Blue Jay, and Mourning Dove and Cardinal. Almost all a little to far for the reach of my lens.
Birds I heard and did not see despite much scanning, Bobwhite Quail, and Grasshopper Sparrow.

Cool evening fire

Lately we have been so busy with work around our place I haven't had much time to just sit think, and watch the sky. The other night as I burned some brush that opportunity arose.
This is a great quote from one of my favorite authors;
The way we are, we are members of each other. All of us. Everything. The difference ain't in who is a member and who is not, but in who knows it and who don't." Burley Coulter in "The Wild Birds"

New Windows

Sad to say our new windows claimed their first victim, this beautiful male Indigo Bunting. We have recently been doing major work on our house including 12 new windows. Ive stood and admired fleeting sunrises lately through them. The other day as I sat reading I heard that sound, that all bird lovers dread that "thunk" of a bird hitting a window. Because we have outside farm cats I ran outside to see if maybe whatever it was had been stunned. Unfortunately he was dead , still very warm. Indigos are one of our favorite species here in our rural area and each spring we spot them as they return. I buried him in the garden near some purple and blue irises.