My Basalt Bird Bath - The Popular Spot at The Shack

In April, I splurged and bought a basalt stone bird bath by Stone Age Creations. I wanted that bird bath from the moment I saw it at Sun Nurseries but it's price tag was almost as hefty as the stone itself. But I splurged. And I'm so glad I did.

You can read my original review about the bird bath here. Or jump directly to the Stone Age Creations page on Amazon here. 

Almost immediately the birds began enjoying it. And I enjoyed watching the birds. The eastern bluebirds seemed to visit the most often and the most tolerant of me being at the window to take photos.

Since April, I've moved the bird bath around (due to felling a tree and cutting the firewood) but it is still located at the old apple tree. I've also placed a Moultrie game cam on the wall of The Shack facing that direction. When checking that camera, I see that the bird bath isn't just a favorite of mine and the bluebirds but of an assortment of visitors. 

I thought I'd share some of those photos with you. 

These are the first observed visitors, my friendly eastern blue bird couple. 

I moved the bird bath to keep the tree from falling on it when we were taking out dead trees and cutting firewood. In next couple of photos the bird bath is just to the right, out of the frame. When I checked the camera in October, I could not figure out why several cats, a ground hog, squirrels, and other visitors walked from left to right.  In hindsight, I think they were all going to have a drink in the bird bath.

One of the many "wild" cats I have that visit. I'm not sure if they are dumped domestic cats or feral cats. But I have 4 regular feline visitors.

Yes, this is a bear!  No bird feeder to steal. Nothing to eat that I know of (do they eat weeds and wood chips?). I took the bird feeders down awhile ago because of the raccoon and bear birdseed thieves. 

Each time I check the cam that is hung on the wall of The Shack, it changes position just slightly. And I moved the bird bath after we got all of the brush and wood cleaned up. The following photos are from checking the cam during my November visit.

This deer apparently likes the bird bath. Night after night the cam catches deer in this area and drinking from the bird bath.

The bluejays came to visit (yes, plural. One on the bird bath and one in the tree).

What I realized, through the many pictures taken by the game cam, is that I am so glad I purchased such a heavy and sturdy bird bath. Especially since it is a water source for such a variety of animals. Other (taller or lighter) bird baths would likely tip over as some of the animals tried to drink... like this calico cat and black and white cat.

The only drawback is that I do not have any way to keep the bird bath full between my visits. I am looking forward to living at The Shack for many reasons. Keeping the bird bath full so that the animals (like this deer) don't find a dry watering hole.

Surprisingly, when I went camping this weekend, I put water in the bird bath and within 2 hours, the birds were back. Almost as though saying, "Hey slacker, where have you been?" and "Am I glad to see you". 

Related Links:

I love visiting and shopping at Sun Nurseries. It seems they have everything. Including fountains, bird baths, garden sculptures, and stone benches. Check out my review of that AMAZING plant and garden store here. 

I love my Moultrie game cams. I watch for clearance sales at local box stores or sporting goods stores. I can pick them up at 1/2 price or less this way. If you want to read my review of my first Moultrie, click here. If you want to read the update and see some of my first photos (including my first bear sighting on my own land), click here. 

*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you. I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you

Moultrie has been the brand I rely on. However, there are many brands of quality game cams to choose from. Whether you are interested in improving home security or watching wildlife I highly recommend a game cam. It's really fun to see what goes bump in the night where you aren't watching.

Why Did the Bear Cross the Road?

Why did the bear cross the road? I don't know. Perhaps to give me an unforgettable visit to The Shack. Perhaps as my totem animal bringing a message. Perhaps to scare me half to death. I'm really not sure but the experience was amazing!

I totally forgot that I had not shared this photo! What a shame. It was such a cool thing to happen.

I was camping at The Shack in June. I was trying to do some weeding, clearing of the brush pile/poison ivy patch, and just hang out and relax. One late afternoon, I went to the top of my hill and sat to relax, birdwatch, and hopefully snap a couple of photos of the Cedar Waxwings. Initially, I had my nose buried in a magazine about planting habitat for birds - making a wish list for shopping at the nursery.

The breeze was cool and felt great after the busy warm day. I closed my eyes to relax and thought of how thankful I was to be there. I intentionally tried to clear my mind of all of my usual negative thoughts. I began to mediate.

I opened my eyes and immediately, out of the corner of my eye and over my shoulder, noticed a black blob in motion. I realized what it was just in time to snap a couple of photos. This bear came up from the corner of my yard, crossed the road, and disappeared. Thank goodness my camera is usually set on a burst of photos!

It had to have been more than just coincidence that made me open my eyes at that moment and see that bear. It gave me goosebumps thinking about how statistically lucky that was. Or was it some sort of divine intervention.

What a wonderful experience.

Initially, I watched to see if the bear would come back. Then I decided that it was time to go back into The Shack and watch from the windows just in case it did come back!  Yes, you can laugh. I laughed at myself while I kept watch from inside.

What a wonderful memory. That was an extra special day at The Shack. 

*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you. I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you.

Homestead Themed Address Labels by Colorful Images

The Country Lodge Classic address labels

I have recently ordered new address labels from Colorful Images and I was beyond thrilled to have several homestead themed designs to choose from. The variety of designs is one of the things that keeps me coming back to Colorful Images - there is a design for nearly every mood, season, holiday, and interest.  

As you may know from a recent post, I have recently discovered that not only are bears in the general area near The Shack, I caught photographs of a bear in the yard!  I am both thrilled and afraid with this new information. I love bears. But to have them in your back yard... that is a bit intimidating.  The good news is, it will take awhile before I can live on my land so I have some time to get accustomed to the idea of having bears in the yard.

When shopping for new address labels a few days later, I chuckled when I saw the Country Lodge Classic design. Perfect to represent my life at the moment - and my fervent desire to live in my "country lodge" with the wildlife just outside the door. The "rustic" artwork, full moon, bear, and small lodge art caused me to purchase without looking any further.

Country Lodge Classic address labels (4 designs)

However, if you prefer a homesteading style address label with a different size or design, there are still plenty to choose from. 

So many homesteads have chickens. And with chickens often comes colorful Roosters.  The Year of the Roosters labels are large labels of 12 different artistic illustrations of gorgeous roosters. 

A Year of Roosters Select address labels (12 designs)

Another great option is the 12 different designs of the Farmscapes Select.  These designs are seasonal portraits of farming landscapes that includes cows, round hay bales, autumn leaves, snow, and of course a green and yellow tractor. I enjoy having the ability to change my labels with the changing season.

Farmscapes Select address labels  (12 designs)

This is a very small sample of the homesteading address label designs offered by Colorful Images.  I have had nothing but good experiences when ordering from Colorful Image and am glad to have address labels that express me so perfectly.


*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you.  I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you.

Moultrie Camera Update - At The Shack

It had been months since I've visited The Shack and I missed it oh so much. There were many, many reasons I wanted to spend the last few days of December 2016 camping there, but the Moultrie Game Camera was one of those reasons.  It had been so long since the last time I checked it. I couldn't wait to see what had been caught on this wonderful little game camera up until the time that the batteries went dead - because after so much time the batteries had to be dead. Right? Wrong.

The Moultrie Game Camera Update

I purchased my game camera in the spring of 2016.  You can read the full review of the camera here. At that time, I found it easy to use and reliable at taking good photos of the wildlife and domestic dogs who were visiting my place on the ridge.  I highly recommended this game camera to one and all who were looking for a camera for wildlife, security, and similar purposes.

However, at that time, I did not know exactly how impressive this camera was!  You see, I last visited The Shack in the end of August/beginning of September. The camera was re-positioned on September 2nd.  I was not able to return until the end of December.  I thought surely the camera batteries would have expired by then. But they had not!

This little camera has taken some amazing photos from April to December 2016 on one set of batteries. In fact, the camera continued to take photos as I opened it up in order to turn it off on December 28th.

My only irritation with the camera has been some user error.  If you aim this at blowing tree limbs or the tops of tall weeds, you will end up with many, many photos of leaves blowing in the wind. However, aimed well, this camera takes great photos.  With a lot as steep as mine, it's not always easy to aim it away from the blowing flora.  But when I aim it away from the leaves, I am amazed at what visits my little bit of land.

Wildlife Visitors at The Shack

Dogs, cats (domestic), and deer have been the frequent visitors to my little camping cabin in West Virginia. I was thrilled to see what I would find on the camera during this trip. I hope you enjoy viewing my wildlife visitors and the changing seasons as much as I did.

Whether using a game camera for hunting purposes, security purposes, or just to watch what is going on outside, I highly recommend the Moultrie. What great fun to see what is happening outside when you are not there. And when nature is going about it's business without humans present.  

My dream is to someday build a little gazebo or viewing deck under the crest of the hill (where my "yard" meets my woods) so that I can view this clearing which is invisible from my little shack deck. It will take some planning because I would want to build in a way that has low impact on the woods and wildlife but allows me to watch this activity in person. Until then, I'll just watch remotely via this wonderful little device.





*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you.  I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you.