Ticked

It is indeed the time for ticks. All of us have been pulling them off of us of late. Yesterday Jay found three of them on the dog. It's one of the problems of living in the country. Some of the best things to do are to wear light clothing. Don't walk in tall grass. Don't up against brush on the sides of trails by staying to the center. Do tick checks of you and your pets after you have been outdoors. If you aren't averse to it wear insect repellents containing deet. Below is one of the wee beasties we pulled off of Badger the Wonder Dog yesterday. Photographed with a handheld Canon 7D and a 100mm macro lens. ISO 400, F 8.0 at 1/400th of a sec. Go out and enjoy the summer. God's love and blessings to all of you, chris

What are You Doing Back There?

On my recent trip to Colorado one of my must visit places was Rocky Mountain National Park. I spent a good part of my growing up years there watching the wildlife,hiking, fishing and camping. The Rocky Mountain Elk found there are one of the the most popular animals to watch in the park. Elk jams caused by traffic stopping to watch the elk are common in summer.In winter this is less of a problem and I had plenty of opportunities to watch the elk with few people around.The most fascinating sight of my whole vacation were the magpies feeding on ticks and other parasites on the elk. I just loved watching them. The elk provide food, shelter, protection and warmth. In return the magpies pick off the parasites off of the elk. God's love and blessings to all, chris

Wee Beastie

With Springtime comes the growth of green grasses and brush along with the increased probability of getting ticks on you. I pulled one off of me on Friday and I have been getting them off the dogs with more frequency as well. Here is one of the engorged ticks I pulled off of our dog Lance. God's love and blessings and no ticks on you, chris