Old Blue needs some competition in dog of the year contest
Phil Taunton
Friday, February 20, 2009
Entering the third week of the Outdoor Adventures Dog of the Year contest, I need to admit one of the front runners to win the coveted award would be old Blue, my semi-retired English pointer.
Blue is a very special friend, and we have a lot in common. Mainly we are long in the tooth, grey on the muzzle, both like to eat and have been known to lay around most of the day with our eyes half open, deep in thought, contemplating the affairs of the world. Because we exercise with caution due to our age, we are both a little overweight. And yes, Blue has also been known to howl at the moon but only on rare occasions!
I just love to see Blue interact with children when we do assorted youth programs throughout the year, such as Safari Edventure Days at the David Traylor Zoo in October. But due to her size and the fact she’s black and white and oh, so cuddly, I sometimes need to remind the younger kids she is a dog and not Big Panda. Her size is genetic and I’m sure she would testify she has never touched a steroid in her life, unless someone laced a doggie treat in her training and field trial days that she didn’t know about. Yes, Blue is definitely a contender and worthy of being Hall of Fame material, I “garontee” you.
Please keep your entries coming. I would sure hate for anyone to think this contest was fixed or anything political! Entries can be sent to me via e-mail at ptaunton@cableone.net or your official nomination can be mailed to Dog of the Year contest care of the Emporia Gazette, 517 Merchant St., Emporia, KS 66801. Please include a short note explaining why you think your dog should win, along with a picture. Entries for any breed of dog, non-hunting dogs included, living or deceased, will be accepted until the sun goes down on April 1.
Sweet Carolina — Natures Notes
Several people have noted great flocks of robins that are now in our area and are wondering what is going on in Nature. Is this normal? I personally don’t think the numbers of robins we see now in late February were around in such numbers when we were kids. I might have had my mind on other things, but there definitely has been a build-up in, say, the last 10 years.
Some robins stay in our area throughout the winter. I’ve woken Wifeus up several times when we were late winter turkey hunting to point out the number of robins using the little blue berries on the abundant red cedar trees we now have invading our grasslands. Once thought to be harbingers of spring, robins and, in lesser numbers, bluebirds, can be seen year-round. Matter of fact, bluebirds are looking for nesting cavities now, so make sure your bird boxes are in good shape and ready for them once they decide to build.
Doves were another bird we used to not see during the winter but I have two species of doves, the mourning dove and the Eurasian collared dove, that have been visitors to our bird feeders throughout the winter. Not all of these species migrate as they once did. Yes, the times are changing. Cedar waxwings were eating the fermented fruit on a neighbor’s Bradford Pear over a month ago. In the past, these birds were not in our area until mid to late March. Is global warming causing this change in migration and areas the birds now claim as home range? Are they changing their habits or is this just wildlife’s way of adapting to their environment? Only time will tell.
One little brown bird (LBB) I really like to observe is the Carolina wren. Now it stays around all year. I don’t remember them being in our area 10-15 years ago. In the coming weeks you might see yellow caution or “crime scene” tape around the entrance to our front door. This doesn’t mean Wifeus has finally gotten tired of my antics and come upside my head with a four iron! Since Valentine’s Day, a pair of Carolina wrens are now roosting on a holiday wreath we have on the front porch where house finches and robins have nested before. How symbolic? If I can just keep Wifeus from turning on the porch light every couple of minutes checking on them perhaps we will be able to share the joy of their nesting and brood rearing experience.
The Carolina wren is a rusty brown bird with rich chestnut brown upper parts, a white throat and a distinct white line over the eye. Its underparts are a buff yellow. The Carolina has a fairly long tail, often held perpendicular to its body as it flits along on the ground or in the brush. It also has a long curved bill.
The Carolina has stayed around our place all year and shouldn’t be confused with the common house wren which leaves our area each winter and most notably scolds you when you come near its nest or into its territory in the yard. Carolinas are very active and are often found in shrubby areas and brush piles. It eats insects and all types of invertebrates, but in the winter will come to feeding stations and take a mixture of suet, peanut butter and black oil sunflower seed.
Normally, its nest is a bulky mass of twigs, grasses and leaves placed in any dark cavity — from tree stumps to old discarded teapots or even pockets of pants hung in the garage. My cousin in Alabama once had a pair rear their young in a can of nails he kept on a shelf in his workshop.