Art Lander’s Outdoors: The house finch is found statewide, but most abundant in Central Kentucky
If you live in central Kentucky and feed songbirds during the winter months, there’s a good chance you have seen a House Finch (Carpodacus mexicanus).
The House Finch shares the distinction with a small number of other songbirds of being a recent addition to the breeding avifauna of Kentucky.
In The Kentucky Breeding Bird Atlas, author Brainard Palmer-Ball Jr. wrote “Although the species is native...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Four types of diving ducks encountered by Kentucky waterfowl hunters
Diving ducks are not as numerous as dabbler ducks in Kentucky, and are encountered in somewhat restricted habitats, most often big rivers or larger, wooded lakes. About 10 species migrate through Kentucky in the fall and early winter, heading south to their wintering grounds.
Here’s some life history information and observations on four high-profile species:
Lesser Scaup
The Lesser Scaup (Aythya...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Dabblers are most abundant duck species in KY, found in a wide variety of waters
Dabbler ducks frequent a wide variety of waters in Kentucky. Waterfowl hunters take them on rivers, streams, small lakes and major reservoirs, farm ponds, cypress sloughs, shallow marshes, agricultural fields and woodlands flooded by backwater from streams, or standing water from heavy rains.
Here’s some life history information and observations on five high-profile species:
Mallard
The Mallard (Anas...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Furbearers in Kentucky, a diverse group of wildlife with interesting life histories
Kentucky fields, forests and wetlands support more than a dozen species of furbearers, a diverse group of wildlife with interesting life histories.
The river otter, beaver, raccoon, mink, and muskrat live in and around rivers, ponds and wetlands. The red and gray fox, coyote, bobcat, weasel, opossum, and striped skunk are upland species, living where the landscape is a patchwork of woods and fields.
Here’s...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Five must-have gifts for the avid hunter on your Christmas shopping list
With the holiday shopping season upon us, here are gift ideas for the avid hunter on your Christmas list:
(Photo from Cabela’s)
• For the archer a BlackOut 6-Sided Foam Archery Target.
The 18 by 18 by 16-inch target is ideal for practice with arrows tipped with field points, or fixed-blade broadheads or mechanical broadheads, when sighting in.
The durable foam target has six shootable sides,...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Holiday gift ideas for the Angler on your shopping list
The holiday shopping season is here. Is there an angler on your shopping list?
Here are five gift ideas:
(Photo from Bass Pro Shops)
• Safety on the water is a must for anglers, even if they are competent swimmers.
The Bass Pro Shops AM24 Auto/Manual Inflatable Life Vest is a lightweight, low-profile vest that provides comfort, safety, and peace of mind. It automatically inflates when immersed in...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Shopping tips for the young outdoor enthusiast on your holiday shopping list
Black Friday is the unofficial beginning of the holiday shopping season.
Is there a boy or girl on your holiday shopping list, a son, daughter or grandchild who is interested in the outdoors?
Here are three gift ideas:
• For the budding gun hunter
(Photo courtesy Daisy)
A Daisy Buck Model 105 Youth BB Air Rifle.
The lever-action rifle is 29.8 inches long, weighs 1.6 pounds and is recommended for...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Highly popular among state’s small game hunters, rabbit season set to begin
If you drove down rural backroads in Kentucky’s Bluegrass Region this summer, early and late in the day, you likely saw rabbits along the roadsides. That anecdotal evidence suggests it was a good year for rabbit reproduction in the region.
But in fact, roadside observations are one of the two main indices that biologist use to predict if rabbit populations are up, down or stable throughout Kentucky.
This...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Jeptha Knob is a little known Kentucky rock formation with a mysterious history
Jeptha Knob, the highest point in Kentucky’s Bluegrass region, towers over surrounding farmland (Photo by Art Lander Jr.)
Jeptha Knob is a Kentucky natural wonder of mysterious origin that is little known outside of central Kentucky because the land is privately owned, and there is no public access.
But nonetheless, the cluster of hills are impressive and unique in the state. The highest hill...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Kentucky’s modern gun season for whitetail deer opens November 11
Modern gun season, the main event of Kentucky’s annual white-tailed deer season, opens next weekend.
This year the 16-day statewide season opens on Saturday, November 11 and continues through the Sunday after Thanksgiving, November 26. The season dates are slightly different, from year to year, due to calendar shift.
Modern gun season, the most important of Kentucky’s seven deer seasons, is when...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: As cool autumn temps arrive, the magical draw of a campfire is hard to resist
As cool weather sets in, the hours of daylight shorten and the leaves turn colors, we are drawn to campfires, in celebration of autumn.
The flames are hypnotic and magical, as they dance into the cool night air. From ancient times a fire has always radiated a feeling of warmth and security.
Gathering around a real wood fire is a fall ritual for many. (Photo from Flickr Commons)
In our busy modern world,...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Late fall and winter is ideal time for feeding songbirds, now is time to prepare
Everyone gets an up close look at our feathered friends when you feed songbirds during the fall and winter months.
The onset of cooler weather in early November is when many of us begin feeding songbirds in our yards.
Get ready now by stocking up on wild bird feed — black oil sunflower seeds, a quality seed blend, and suet cakes. When choosing a seed blend be forewarned that blends that include...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: The song sparrow is most common in central and eastern parts of Kentucky
The song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) is a year-round resident, most common today in central and eastern Kentucky, absent or in low numbers west of the Green River drainage.
In the Kentucky Breeding Bird Atlas, author Brainard Palmer-Ball Jr. wrote that “Audubon did not observe (the species) in the parts of the state he frequented during the early 1800s.” Towards the end of the century it was found...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: Making knives from parts is rewarding and yields a handcrafted heirloom
Over the years spent hunting and fishing, and in the kitchen cooking fish and game, a good blade comes in handy for everything from filleting fish and butchering game, to preparing meals.
Knives come in all shapes and sizes, and making one from parts is rewarding, and not overly difficult. Your efforts will yield a handcrafted heirloom.
It doesn’t take a lot of specialized shop equipment to make...
Art Lander’s Outdoors: WildTail’ documentary recalls one of country’s greatest conservation successes
From the swamps of Florida to the rolling hills of the Bluegrass State, the white-tailed deer has become a wildlife icon.
Country singer Dustin Lynch serves as narrator and guides viewers on the unlikely journey of white-tailed deer from near extinction to the ecological and economic hero of today.
The hour-long documentary was created by the Southeast Deer Partnership, which was formed in 2020. Other...
