This ponderosa pine tree was severely burned in the Carlton Complex wildfire in 2014 and it is still alive and even vigorous. It has the remains of a metal notice indicating that it was an official bearing tree, marking an old survey line. I wonder if anyone even uses these bearing trees anymore since many people have some form of a GPS in their pockets?
Trees are amazing.
Oh! I love it when my friends get new puppies!
Everyday there is something to observe. With the melting snow, we can see where the dogs relieved themselves all winter. New wildflowers pop up overnight. Birds return from their winter haunts and declare their territories with loud calls and repeated banging. It rains. The mud returns. The sun shines. We go out and work furiously. And then it snowed.
Dogs. They don’t care that it’s raining. Or muddy. Or dreary.
Most of the snow has melted so ski season is mostly over and hiking season is officially underway. Mountain Bluebirds and Spotted Towhees added a few sprinkles of color in an otherwise pretty monochrome setting. The songs of Western Meadowlarks accompanied me for much of the hike. This area burned in the giant fires of 2014.
The morning’s bird list: Gray Partridge, Dusky Grouse, Golden Eagle, Hairy Woodpecker, Northern Flicker, Say’s Phoebe, Black-billed Magpie, Clark’s Nutcracker, Common Raven, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Mountain Bluebird, American Robin, Brewer’s Sparrow, Dark-eyed Junco, Spotted Towhee, Western Meadowlark, Cassin’s Finch.
My Everyday Photos 