Where the Green Grass Grows

Well, I'm in the middle of my last week in North Dakota.  It's crazy to think that my time here is coming to an end but at the same time I am more than ready to be home.  I am ready to see familiar faces and places, I'm not sure they could get here fast enough.  The exciting news is that my mom, dad, and younger brother are currently on there way up here!  They decided that since I was already here it would be a wonderful opportunity to come visit this part of the country.  And I must say, I am ready to share it with them. 

Friday, around lunch, my family will arrive at the house in Douglas.  From there I will show them where I've been working and take them around to see the beauty of this place.

My family will help me pack my truck, then following them back to Bismark, we'll spend the night.  We will strike out early the next morning for Keystone,SD and Mt. Rushmore.  I've heard from several locals that the Black Hills are a gorgeous place to adventure.  I am thrilled to have the opportunity and share this experience with my family.  Sure beats the heck out of driving back to Mississippi all by myself! (I know Aaron wants to see the Ducks Unlimited headquarters so I'll be glad to show him around before we depart.)

Here are an assortment of pictures that I have collected the past couple of weeks.

Gadwall hen in the winter wheat.

These wild sun flowers are abundant in ND.

These are membranes.  It's what's left in the nest bowl after the ducklings hatch.
By counting them, we get an estimate of how successful the nest was.

I've spent a lot of time in winter wheat this summer.
Figured I should at least take a picture.

All I know about wild flowers is that they are beautiful!
I wish I knew more and I wish Bethany could see them herself.

Ahh, cone flowers. This one I know. ;)

 I want to thank all of you for reading my blogs this summer. They have been great fun to write and I'm glad I could share my experiences with you.  My original plan for this blog was to just keep it through the summer time, but since then, I have decided otherwise.  You see, it all begins with Dakota ducks and as an avid waterfowler, and hopeful recipient of a lifelong career involving waterfowl, my story does not end here.  So stick around and you will have a front row seat to watch my rising career and along the way, read countless tales about my duck hunting adventures.

I want to thank Brandi for hiring me this summer, Kelly for being an outstanding crew leader, and Jake, Justin, Jordan, and Scott for the lifelong friendships we have developed.  I wish you all the very best and I look forward to our paths crossing again one day.

Happy 30th Mom and Dad! 

www.ducks.org

Southern Voice

Some of you may be wondering how I come up with the titles for my blog and I must admit it's not creative genius. Or, for those of you who are avid country music fans, such as myself, you have probably figured out that every title I use is the name of a country song.  The title of this blog coincides perfectly with what Jake, Justin, and myself were a part of last night.

Now I'm from the MS Delta, and there's not a whole lot to do there unless you enjoy kicking dirt and chasing your little brother around the yard with a stick. (Which fortunately I out grew because now my "little" brother is taller than I am.) Anyway, my point to all this is work has slowed down tremendously so now we boys have to find things to occupy our free time.  Thankfully, Justin had the foresight to book tickets to watch Clay Walker perform in concert.  I'm so glad he did! We enjoyed a wonderful evening last night out of the house and listening to one of our favorite southern voices.

 On the topic of entertaining ourselves; Justin, Jake, and myself decided to take a late afternoon fishing excursion one day last week.  I met up with J & J and upon entering their truck I was bombarded with news of a new fishing hole that they had learned of.  They both spoke highly of this promising lake because the reviews they had read said the place was stocked with large mouth bass, crappie, trout, and panfish.  After hearing all of this I couldn't wait to arrive at the hopeful honey hole! 

Well, it's not hard to imagine what happened next.  All that not having much to do growing up gave us boys plenty of time to perfect our skill in fishing, so in no time we had greatly reduced the fish population of the honey hole.  I'm talking caught so many fish that our thumbs got tired of pulling hooks out of fishes' lips!

Unfortunately, that's not what really happened.  What really happened is we spent more than an hour and a half driving around in search of this lake.  And when Jake finally got out to ask someone at a local gas station where this Holy Grail could be located he returned to the truck with a soured look on his face.  So naturally I asked, "What's wrong?"  He responded,"Well I asked the man behind the counter where Riverdale City Pond was and he kinda looked at me funny and asked who I was takin'. I told him me and my buddies were goin'.  He started laughin' and told me that pond was only for little kids. So I quickly told him we weren't from around here and he said he could tell." 

It was in that moment that I could tell this poor country boy's pride had been hurt, and I bet he was wishing more than anything that he could have been chasing me with a stick for making him go inside and ask for directions. 



Here are some pictures that I have taken over the past couple of weeks. Nothing too spectacular but worth sharing in my opinion.

View from our backyard one morning before work.

Some of the winter wheat we have been working in.

Field of flax.

A close up of the purple blooms!

Once I think I've seen all the wildflowers the prairie has to offer, more pop up.

Can you spot the hen Lesser scaup?

Although the primary nests we find are those of ducks, Northern harriers are also on the list of interest.

There is beer, black coffee, and Dr. Pepper 10. This stuff is advertised for men and they mean it.
That's why I drink it, because I'm a man. And I work for Ducks Unlimited.

Thanks for reading!

www.ducks.org

This I Gotta See

Have you ever experienced a moment in life where you realize just how beautiful and wonderfully created the world around you is? I had several of these moments last week and at the beginning of this week.  I'm talking about moments that absolutely make you drop your jaw and stare in utter amazement at whatever is before you. (I used to think that was just an expression until I caught myself, jaw dropped, and in disbelief, of all things.)  These moments often come when one of my favorite country songs is playing on the radio and all of a sudden I behold such a glorious site! It's in these moments that I find myself pulling to the side of the road, casting my previous destination aside, and forgetting whatever issues were pressing my mind. 

This is a field of canola.  I was driving to one of our sites to conduct nest checks when all of a sudden witnessing this brilliant yellow drew me in like a powerful magnet.  I couldn't help but grab my camera and take several pictures, a site such as this is something I can't help but share with other people.

I encountered this fawn while checking some nests this afternoon. I'm not sure if the sound of the approaching ATV startled this baby or if he was just stretching his legs after laying motionless for so long but either way, I took note of his shaky legs with each early step that he took.  I imagined the fawn was experiencing the same tingling sensation I feel in my shoulder after Bethany has been using it as a pillow. ;)

I must say that I never imagined that I would ever respect a duck in my lifetime. And I'm not talking about respecting a duck in the sense of enjoying it smothered with cream cheese, coupled with a fresh slice of jalapeno, and deliciously wrapped with a thick cut of bacon.  And I'm not even talking about respecting ducks and the wonderful conversation they provide my buddies and I while gathered around my parents' fire pit after a winter day of hunting, enjoying the warmth and comfort of the flames, sipping Single Barrel whiskey out of plastic cups, but smiling and enjoying each other's fellowship nonetheless.  No, I'm talking about the Gadwall hen that you see in the picture above and her determination to raise a brood.  The vast majority of the time, I mean 99.99% of the time, the hen explodes in a whirl of feathers from her nest, not to return until I have long since been gone from checking her eggs' fetal development.  But this hen broke the mold.  I'm used to a hen's usual flopping on the ground, dragging her wing in a wounded fashion kind of act in an attempt to draw me away from her nest but this hen went above and beyond.  Initially, the hen flushed when I first walked up to the nest, but the phenomenon occurred when she came back!  It all started when I noticed her head stretched up tall as she peered through the lush prairie grass in my direction.  Maybe she was sizing me up or perhaps, she felt convicted of a motherly crime and decided she was going to fight for her yet unborn babies' lives! (See, if a duck can value a fetus' life instinctively, with a "bird brain", then shame on humans who can't.)  Well, she came marching back on a string, quacking, hissing, chest poked out, and fanning her tail feathers all the way.  I would push the grass aside to look at her nest and she would immediately pull it back over with her bill.  She would snap at my gentle prodding and eventually plopped down on her nest as if I wasn't standing literally a foot away.  I managed to remove her for a brief window of time in which I was able to quickly candle two of her eggs.  I was so impressed with her perseverance that I walked away briskly so that she would be able to settle back down. 

I told my mom this story and she simply replied,"I know just how and what that mama was thinking!"  I am so thankful for the wonderful mother that God allowed to raise me.

 Here are a couple more "snapshots" from the past couple of weeks.

Muskrat hut

This is the largest group of blanket flowers that I have come across to date.

Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) valuable nesting cover for ducks.

Thanks for reading!

www.ducks.org

Country Boy's World

I would like to begin this post with a quote,"I would never have been president if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota," wrote Theodore Roosevelt.  I think this is a marvelous quote because I can honestly say that I have become a better person this summer because of my experiences in ND as well.  And what makes this quote appealing to me is that T.R. is one of my role models. Amongst a long list, his conservation initiatives and of course his spirit for hunting are my primary reasons for having a great admiration for this man.  One of my favorite pictures that hangs in my parents' home, besides a large Walter Anderson watercolor, is one of T.R. and his bear hunting party in the MS Delta.  I feel an overwhelming sense of pride whenever I look at this picture because it reminds me of the rich history of the place in which I call home.


This week has been quite interesting.  In fact, I don't think I've had an uneventful week since I arrived the second week of May.  Pop-up rain showers (more like rain soakings) always manage to keep me on my toes.  You would think that being able to see unobstructed across the prairies would allow ample time for a savvy youth to scramble to shelter but the only problem is, you're in an open prairie.....

The good news is that wildflowers are blooming in an abundance! I have never before seen such a site.

Except for the many summers I spent in North Carolina on Gran's farm and the beautiful gardens that they planted.

We enjoyed a wonderful church service this morning and afterwards, were accompanied by many members of our church family to eat lunch at The Olive Garden.  It has truly been a blessing to see God at work and how much the members of our church genuinely desire to get to know us.  We have been handed business cards, phone numbers for meals, and job advertisements by these caring people.  The greatest thing is how they have incorporated us in to their church family.  There is seldom a Sunday service to go by in which "the Ducks Unlimited crew" doesn't receive a shout-out.  This morning, before we sang All Creatures of Our God and King, the hymn director pointed out that he was actually quite envious of our group and the fact that we spend all day outside in creation. 

We have reached the peak of the nesting season so now begins a gradual recession.  The winter wheat is beginning to turn and is expected to be harvested starting around July 20th.  The next couple of weeks will be spent frantically trying to squeeze in our third and final nest searches in the wheat before it is combined. 

Blue-wing teal ducklings!

Getting this picture required persistence, patience, and of course Jordan's skillful picture taking ability.

We easily spend 8 out of a 14 hour day on these ATVs (we had to learn to get over being sore)

Modern day cowboys and the steel horses we ride ;)

Excuse me, a what?

Thanks for reading!

www.ducks.org

Small Town Big Time

Travis Tritt, recorded a song titled,"I'm Gonna Be Somebody" and well, needless to say, I am well on my way after this past week. ;)  My boss told me at the beginning of the summer that DU TV was interested in filming her crews and getting the scoop on the research she is conducting.  I was thrilled to hear this news but wasn't sure it would ever come to fruition, until two weeks ago when I learned the film crew was scheduled to arrive on June 12. You can imagine the excitement I felt knowing there might be a possibility that I would be on The Outdoor Channel.  I can remember back to earlier years and the countless hours I spent sprawled on the futon in "The Delta Room" becoming engrossed with footage captured by The Outdoor Channel camera men.  Back then, I only dreamed of seeing my face on a national TV show, today, it's a reality.

 Tuesday night, Mike Checkett, one of the hosts of DU TV treated both crews to supper in Minot, in order to discuss what the film crew was hoping to capture over the next two days.  We all enjoyed a delicious meal and after hearing what they had planned, we went home eagerly awaiting the next morning.

Wednesday, I performed the nest-checks for my crew while the camera men accompanied them as they drug a wheat field not too far from our house.  So I was not filmed for the first time until Thursday morning, and what an experience that was!  The film crew shot an opening scene of us gathered around the trucks discussing what was on the agenda for the day and then our morning departure.  Later that afternoon they caught up with us again to film us conducting nest checks.  (They had spent the morning filming "the refuge crew" nest search one of their fields.) After they had filmed us performing several nest checks, they brought us back to the trucks in order to interview each one of us. 

I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the DU TV hosts, the camera men, and getting to witness first-hand just what it takes film a show for television.  It was an experience I will not soon forget.

Mike Checkett and Huntley Ritter (DU Hosts)

Jordan's interview

Candling eggs during a nest check

My interview!

 Since today is Father's Day, I have a few wildlife/landscape shots that I'm sure my dad will appreciate!

Upland sand piper

This Is My Father's World

Ring-necked pheasant

They made a run for it but got caught!

Mallard hen and her brood

Happy Father's Day Ted Leininger

The show should be episode 13 and it will air in September and again in December.  It will also be posted on the DU website and on their DVD.

Thanks for reading!

http://www.ducks.org/