Got a lot to post

I have been lazy but the last item on this post is really cool so bear with me. Work has been nutz, our bullet is going through government acceptance and I have put most all my energy into that. Besides that I have been in the yard, fishing, or getting ready for this weekends big turkey hunt. So this will be basically a few posts in one.

Jenn, here are your Spring yard pics and of course, snowball is 1st!

Here is the Golden "clove" currant in bloom:

Front Prairie garden with only some tulips coming up (from when I first moved in they come back every year, I kinda like them cause the come up when the prairie is still dormant)

I finally got a tree to last more than 1 year, this red-bud has made it 2 winters:

So rabbits basically destroyed my first planting of the season and since I can't shoot 'em I build a fence:

I had to work this Saturday but I decided I wanted to go fishing on Sunday, I came home from work and did all my chores so Sunday would be all mine. I ended up picking a new spot, Outpost Lake @ Poney Express Conservation Area, I had to haul my canoe just over 1/4 of a mile through fields but eventually I got to catch several fish. Here is how I get there:

The morning was great, it was in the low 40s which made the lake look like it was smoking in the early morning (8 am). I didn't have binz but I got some good looks at some good birds. I had Osprey (just wait), 3 BW teal and kingfisher were the highlights, I would have had better birds but w/o binz I could not ID! I also had a muskrat that I chased around the lake in my canoe, they are fast little buggers. I had the lake to myself for about 3 hours

So how do you like my Osprey:

I caught a few big bluegill and some bass, the bass in the pic is the largest fish of the day:

So today I got home from work and I decided to go outside on the deck and I got to witness something unique. I watched the robins scavenging for food when I heard a sqeak and found and looked to see a robin throwing a shrew (most likely) around the yard. We have not used pesticides or fertilizer on our yard in many years, since then I have noticed a bunch of new "friends" sharing our yard. We did have 2 shrews get into the house somehow while we were in Texas but we haven't seen any since, I see them on occasion as I mow and I am happy they are here. I almost interfered with this incident but I held back, I feel bad for the shrew but this is life for the robin. I have learned if it is amongst native species let it be. I got video of the robin about 5 mins after he found the shrew, I think he is dead in this clip: