How'd it go today?

[cory]

Nice pics, Page.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Bang it out, Scott!!

 

[flushcut]

Well we just confirmed that we have a Great Horned Owl living some where in the area. Saw it plan as day about an hour ago. Big sucker about 20" tall with a wing spread of 36-40".

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Sweet.

My ornithologist friend just built some owl boxes. I'm going to make some. Would be wicked to get one at home.

 

[FireFighterZero]

They are hard on cats, for what its worth.

 

[SouthSoundTree-]

Cats are hard on a lot, but thanks all the same, Jim:-) . Since thee cat moved to town, I've seen rabbits here. Haven't seen them since the car moved from town with us, about 7 years ago.

 

[treebilly]

Then I need to attract them my way Jim.

Did the srt course today. I was able to get a bit of instruction on the hitch hiker and dialed it in pretty well. I also had the privledge of having Mike ( Haasender) as one of the instructors. After trying his knee ascender (which he did not inform us was his design, so no self promotion) I realized that I'm gonna like this SRT stuff.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Big old elm. I hope to climb a big one some day

 

[stig]

They are hard on cats, for what its worth.

So am I.
Would love to have a great horned around.
I don't have any owls in my nesting boxes this year, the kestrels have taken them over.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

All the kids did owl boxes this year for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and 4H. We will be placing one on our property as well.

 

[flushcut]

I hear him hooting almost nightly. I just cleared about an acre of honey suckle and buckthorn out of my backyard and opened up some nice feeding ground for him.

 

[pantheraba]

Page...that was a serious tree...big spread, had to be a lot of work. Good pictures.

 

[pantheraba]

Re: owls...we hear them here often. I think they are probably barred owls. I was stretching in the driveway awhile back and happened to look up in the tree above me...I was being watched. Then after a few minutes I realized the watcher was being watched. It was spring time...likely the big one was courting the little lady.

 

[woodslinger]

Here's a short clip from the fir removal I did for my sister yesterday. I'll try to put some more pics up later when I have more time, and I think my mom has a video of the trunk coming down, I'll have to get that from her.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MVPkq0oINlU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[MasterBlaster]

Toss it!

 

[FireFighterZero]

Well, dad got the road patrol stuck. Busted my big rope trying to get him out with my tractor. Going to take the D8 over and pull him out with our favorite cable.

 

[cory]

Not many problems a D8 can't solve

 

[CurSedVoyce]

No doubt!

 

[FireFighterZero]

Yep, problem solver. Snapped a pic as I was walking up just now to get her started, now I am charging the batteries with my generator! I'll make some black smoke in a couple of hours.......

 

[cory]

That's real manly when your around-the-homestead helper machine is a bulldozer instead of some garden tractor

What do you take to the grocery store, a Peterbilt?

 

[squisher]

Where's Mick. He'd be proud of me. This morning we topped a big beautiful fir, nearly in half, a solid 50' top thrown from the bucket. All in the name of satellite internet. Everyone knows the interwebs trumps tree health every time.

 

[Mick!]

That's a D8? How long to get it there?
Ps Proud of you Squish!

 

[FireFighterZero]

Ha! Peterbilt? I gots three of em! And yes, I have picked up groceries with one once. I picked up the kid from daycare with a tractor once too. That made the paper. I suspect I am compensating for something........

The D8 will go about 4 or 5 MPH, so I guess about 45 mins Mick. I could haul it, but it rained a bit last night and I would have to walk it in the last half mile anyway, bout the same time to walk it there.

 

[squisher]

Bring an iPod or something, atleast radio muffs and don't fall asleep! That sucker could do some damage. I fell asleep turning hay once, ran the tractor right into some wheel move irrigation before I woke up. Wow my boss was mad over that one.

 

[stig]

Where's Mick. He'd be proud of me. This morning we topped a big beautiful fir, nearly in half, a solid 50' top thrown from the bucket. All in the name of satellite internet. Everyone knows the interwebs trumps tree health every time.

I think I made up for that today.
I might have saved a Sequoia.

Got called out to bid a removal of a Sequoia.
Huge one for around here, since they are quite rare and a recent thing.
Bout 5 foot DBH.
Had to go because they were building a house close to it and were worried about the foundation damaging the roots.

It was on extremely sandy soil, so I figure it has a deep rootsystem in order to get water enough.
Normally here, we do a full foundation on houses, but I asked them if they had considered doing it the American way, with separate concrete posts.
Those could be poured between the roots with a bit of care.
Guy was a builder and he caught on right away, and his wife was excited about maybe being able to keep the tree.
So they'll try to do a root excavation by hand, to find out if it is possible to save the tree.
If not, we kill it.
Be a shame, Sequoias that size are really worth hanging on to.

Got plenty of other work out of the visit, so my time wasn't wasted, even though i temporarily went into tree hugger mode.