Thank you Greg... I enjoy shooting the camera almost as much as shooting the gun... Almost!

King Brown... this particular property was not your typical planted loblolly or slash pine planation. It was a native (natural, not planted) Longleaf Pine ecosystem (of which, less than 3% of native forest still exist). The pines were clear cut when some of the nearby land was cleared for farmland. Why they decided to clear cut the area that was not being converted to farmland I don't know... the landowner does not typically clear-cut his longleaf pines but instead does periodic selective thinning as the longleaf pine forest will naturally regenerate saving the expense of replanting. The habitat is still excellent and the birds are still here but the land sure looks different.

Adam