[pontibeast]

We still have some time before blackberries and wine berries come in here but we have to share with the bears and they don't mind eating them before there perfectly ripe so they get more than their share. My wife makes awesome cobbler and muffins with them. I let the neighbors take most of the wine berries as I am not a a big fan of them but love the blackberries. Here's a pic of one of my competitors raiding the cat's food.

[ponyakr]

I've never seen a creature like that, while pickin berries.

Hope I don't.

There are some black bears in LA. But as far as I know, none live in my area of North central, LA.

http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/louisia...r-status-range

Correction ! TJ just informed me that some folks not to far from us had a bear come into their yard, and crawled over the tailgate of their pickup, & tore into some sacks of garbage there. OK

A Google search turned up this sighting, in a town about 35 miles from us.

http://www.ktbs.com/story/32044916/y...day-in-arcadia

If I see one in a berry patch, I'll yield right of way !

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by ponyakr

"...those are great pics of Woody...Especially the in-flight photo. Not an easy bird to get a clear shot of even at rest...Very shy. "


Just to be clear, I did not take those pics. I Googled 'em. We have several of those birds in our immediate area. I've seen one, on several occasions, on a tree just North of our house. I could have taken good pics, with a good camera with zoom lens. I see 'em flying over, quite often.

And we can hear 'em, most any time we go outside. The sound they make reminds me of the bird sounds that Hollywood used in the old Tarzan movies. I've read that those birds actually lived in South America, rather than the jungles of Africa. And the loud pecking sounds they make are unmistakable. We also have some of the small woodpeckers here. Their pecking sound is not even similar to the big bird sounds. It sorta reminds me of the difference between an M-16 on automatic vs a 50 caliber machine gun. The 50 is MUCH louder and slower.

Oh, I'm very familiar with that bird...I had some totally destroy the eaves on my house once trying to get at the carpenter bee larvae in there. We've got plenty of them out here but they usually dart through the trees making it hard to get a good look. The pic I attached was taken in my front yard with a cheapo camera.
You are right about the sound. Much slower and heavier sounding than your typical small woodpecker...and man do the wood chips and pine bark fly!

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

...You are right about the sound. Much slower and heavier sounding than your typical small woodpecker...and man do the wood chips and pine bark fly!

http://alifeinthewild.com/pileated-woodpeckers/

https://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threa...-woods.193990/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pe0CAaJDAm8

http://www.almanac.com/content/bird-...ted-woodpecker

I just Googled it & learned that the Tarzan jungle bird sounds were actually made by the Laughing Kookaburra. Hollywood had to record only certain parts of the call.

http://soundandthefoley.com/2013/05/...-jungle-sound/

"...The Laughing Kookaburra is native to eastern Australia, living in forests and urban areas. This means that, 90% of the time you hear a kookaburra in a film, it’s definitely in the wrong place..."

[Greg Reid]

Those bad boys can move some wood...



Never heard of a Kookabura...interesting bird. Birdwatching is a minor pastime of mine. I keep a lot of bird feeders around.

[ponyakr]

https://fatfinch.wordpress.com/2010/...d-kookaburras/

http://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/re...ovaguineae.mp3

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXA0-YAoo9Q

[Greg Reid]

That fatfinch site, very interesting.

[pontibeast]

Originally Posted by Greg Reid

Oh, I'm very familiar with that bird...I had some totally destroy the eaves on my house once trying to get at the carpenter bee larvae in there. We've got plenty of them out here but they usually dart through the trees making it hard to get a good look. The pic I attached was taken in my front yard with a cheapo camera.
You are right about the sound. Much slower and heavier sounding than your typical small woodpecker...and man do the wood chips and pine bark fly!

I'm pretty sure that is a Pileated woodpecker and the sound is very much like a jungle movie. We have a bunch here in VA and the first time I heard one I thought of Tarzan too. They get much worse during their mating season when they will search out the loudest material to bang on trying to attract a mate. I have heard from several neighbors that they have damaged the roof flashing and the flashing at the base of their chimneys. I have seen them up close when I was hunting and in full camouflage and they are really cool looking. We also have a much smaller woodpecker in our area and they are way quieter.

[Greg Reid]

Originally Posted by pontibeast

I'm pretty sure that is a Pileated woodpecker and the sound is very much like a jungle movie. We have a bunch here in VA and the first time I heard one I thought of Tarzan too. They get much worse during their mating season when they will search out the loudest material to bang on trying to attract a mate. I have heard from several neighbors that they have damaged the roof flashing and the flashing at the base of their chimneys. I have seen them up close when I was hunting and in full camouflage and they are really cool looking. We also have a much smaller woodpecker in our area and they are way quieter.

Yeah, that's exactly what it is. It's very similar to a woodpecker long thought extinct, the Ivory Billed Woodpecker. That one is even bigger and has a white bill instead of black.
I hope I find one on my property

[ponyakr]

Another cold front came thru last night. So, it was a cold start to my berry pickin this morning. This time I wore my winter knit cap, to keep my ears warm, on the tractor ride to the berry patch. Kept it on for the first 30 min or so of the pick. When the sun came up, it was a very nice morning.

There was a big Woody, close to the patch. I never saw it. But, I could hear it make an occasional peck, as if it was trying to locate a soft spot in a tree. Also made a "jungle call" or 2.

Found a shady spot where there were several big berries. Thought maybe one of 'em was an inch long. But 15/16 is all we could get, at the longest measurement. Don't know if I'll get a 1-inch dewberriy this year or not.

In the pic below, the big one looks like it is an inch long. But, it's just the camera angle. TJ & I both checked it out real close. We just could not quite stretch it out past 15/16.

[ponyakr]

The dewberries are almost gone now. And the blackberries are getting ripe, in some patches. I picked about a gallon this morning--all blackberries. Pickin blackberries results in a LOT more battle scars. But, at least you can pick most of 'em while standing up. That's a lot easier on the back.

Had lots of bird sounds at the patch. Besides Woody, I heard a Hawk, a Dove, lots of Crows, and lots of assorted, unidentified small bird sounds. I suppose there are some people who can make a positive ID, of LOTS of bird calls. But, I only recognize a few.

As I was going to the berry patch, the moon was still shining brightly in the early morning sky. No clouds--just a clear sky & a bright moon, just over half full. The temp was about 60°--nice berry pickin weather.

[GT182]

Do the dewberries have seeds like blackberries do? Other than the taste being about the same, what's the difference between them?

[Greg Reid]

I can't tell the difference if it's not on the bush.

[ponyakr]

Originally Posted by GT182

Do the dewberries have seeds like blackberries do? Other than the taste being about the same, what's the difference between them?

I absolutely can't tell any difference in the berries themselves. But the vines they're on are different. The dewberry vines grow closer to the ground, which is probably the reason for the "dew" in their name. Their vines can go for several feet, along the ground, and will many times try to trip you up. It's very easy to get your feet tangled up in the vines, while focusing on the berries. Some of these vines appear sorta purple colored, and appear sorta "fuzzy".

The blackberry vines can be many feet long, and will even grow up onto tree branches. The thorns on blackberry vines seem to be longer & will dish out more pain. The new vines will intertwine with the older, dead vines. These older vines seem to be harder and are quick to draw blood, if you touch 'em.

I keep some hand pruning shears in my pocket, for making the berries easier to get to, without quite so many punctures, scratches, rips, & with less blood shed & pain.

https://www.google.com/search?q=diff...hrome&ie=UTF-8

[GT182]

Ok.. dewberries are ground huggers while blackberries stand tall. Thanks for the link Ponyakr.

[ponyakr]

I finally found that 1" berry I've been lookin for.

The long side is actually 1/16 over 1". But, the short side is exactly 1". So, I'm gonna call it 1". The one on the right side is 15/16.

[GT182]

We used to ride 4-wheelers up north out if the wilds. We came across a blackberry patch and the berries were as big as my thumb. We ate until they were almost gone in one small spot. Then.... we saw bear tracks and poop. Fresh poop at that. So being not as brave as we thought we were we hightailed it out of there real fast. Nothing worse than a PO'd black bear you interrupt when they're eating... or have their cubs around.

[ponyakr]

Yeah, I'm sure there are lots of berries bigger than those in my area. I just Googled it. The largest blackberries are a Kiowa brand, which can be up to 3".

https://www.starkbros.com/products/b...owa-blackberry

Those monsters remind me of the big grapes found in the promised land, by the 12 guys who were sent in to "spy out the land". Took 2 guys to carry one cluster.

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage...24&version=GNT

[GT182]

That blackberry is almost a meal by itself.

[Greg Reid]

If I had more sun on my property, I'd order one of those Kiowa plants.