By Dr. Leonard Lee Rue III When I wrote my book, The Deer of North America, in 1978, I had already been studying deer for 39 years and had taken thousands of photographs of them. I have over 17,000 reference books in my personal library and I read 486 books and biological reports on deer in order make my own book as complete as possible. One of the reports, in the Journal … [Read more...]
101 Years Ago
The year was 1920,"One hundred-and one years ago." What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1920: - The average life expectancy for men was 47 years. - Fuel for cars was sold in drug stores only. - Only 14 percent of homes had a bathtub. - Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone. - The average US wage in 1919 was 22 cents per hour. - The average US … [Read more...]
Piebald Deer
Marilynn Norford in Allegheny County, NC was able to capture this shot of a rare “piebald” deer. Here is her account: “I'm excited to share this one, and yes, it was exciting to photograph because it's such a rare sight and some people will never get to see something like this! So, yay me, (even if I haven't got my photo of a bear), yet.......ha. I had been hoping to get a shot like this … [Read more...]
Grounded
A few weeks ago, three snowbirds appeared beneath my feeder. That was a sign for me to begin scattering more seed on the ground in addition to keeping my feeders filled. Many birds in our yards are ground feeders, and it seems unfair for them to have to scrounge for bits of food and seed dislodged from the feeders. So, I feed them directly on the ground. How much you feed them will determine … [Read more...]
Chicken Livers Supreme
The world is divided into two groups. Those who like Chicken Livers and those who gag when they hear those words. I am not a gagger. I like, rather I love, Chicken Livers. It’s one of those dishes, that when I serve it, I wonder why I don’t have it more often. Funny, when you eat Chicken Livers, you’ll have the first one and think, “I should have cooked more.” Then, you eat the second … [Read more...]
Virginia State Record Atlantic Tripletail Certified
An 8-pound 9-ounce Atlantic tripletail caught on July 14, 2021 by Hayden Head of Yorktown has been certified as the initial Virginia State Record for the species by the Virginia Saltwater Fishing Tournament. The record-setting tripletail measured 23 inches and had an18.5-inch girth. Hayden, his dad and four other anglers were primarily searching for cobia but spotted the fish hanging below a … [Read more...]
The First Noel
Christmas memories. Strange, how some things stick in your mind through all the years. A Christmas memory I vividly recall happened in 1956. It was a few days before Christmas and Uncle Jim, my Aunt Jodi and Mama Ida had come from North Carolina to spend Christmas at our house in Lewisburg, WV. With an hour or two of sunlight remaining, I asked my uncle if he wanted to take the dogs out and … [Read more...]
Born This Day
(The final in a 4-part short story, While Shepherds Watched) Amos was now alone, a sole shepherd guarding the sheep, as the others departed hastily towards Bethlehem in search of the newborn King. The Angels had come and gone, leaving the shepherds with amazement and joy. The Messiah, promised from the beginning of time, had been born that night in Bethlehem. But someone had … [Read more...]
Merry Christmas, Mr. Cactus
We have a Christmas Cactus, several actually. Nancy has combined three smaller plants - given to us as previous holiday presents - into one, large Christmas Cactus pot. Except, our plants do not pay attention to the calendar. It (they) usually blooms at Thanksgiving. Like small children, they just can’t wait for Christmas Day. Native to Brazil, there are several varieties of Holiday … [Read more...]
Creating a Quail-Friendly Wildlife Corridor
(Quail populations are down by over 80% since the 1960s. Some have given up all hope of their return, but others are taking action, as described below.) By Marie Majarov Landowners and neighbors in rural western Frederick County dearly missed the once-frequent “bob-WHITE” whistle and coveys of northern bobwhite, our native Virginia quail scurrying across their … [Read more...]
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