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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 6h

A very large beaver lodge, in a wetland adjacent to the Coeur d'Alene River in Idaho. It is definitely in use, as trails are everywhere. #nature #wildlife #wetland

A beaver lodge made of mud and sticks in a wetland, with forested hills in the distance.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 6h

Narvik looks out from the cabin porch in Washington. Photo taken October 4. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray tabby cat with a red leash and harness sits on a wood porch, overlooking a large boulder and pine trees.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

Yesterday morning, near my cabin in northern Washington. Nice cloud pattern. #photography #landscape #nature

Scattered ponderosa pines at sunrise, with a mottled pattern of clouds in the sky.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

I'm back in civilization after a stay at my off-the-grid cabin. Narvik likes the loft, where he's above all the activity. #cats #catsofbluesky

A gray tabby cat is stretched out on a blue pad in an unfinished loft. Out the window, trees and mountains are visible.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Salmon River at Riggins, Idaho. The intriguing pattern on the steep hillside is from animal trails. Cattle, deer, and elk follow the same routes. Over a span of time, the grass is worn away and the trails can be seen from a distance. #photography #nature #Idaho

View looking across a river towards a dry landscape, a steep hill with only a few scattered trees.

Same picture as before, cropped to show the pattern of animal trails on the hillside.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

On the road two days ago, Narvik looks out from the driver's seat at a rest break. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray shorthair tabby cat with a red harness and leash is on a car seat with one paw hanging over the edge.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

There's a lot going on in this picture. The cattle are totally oblivious to the Forest Service controlled burn on the distant hill. New Meadows, Idaho. #forestry #landscape #photography #farming #Idaho

A herd of black cattle is gathered in a valley pasture. Low mountains dominate the middle of the image. Smoke rises from one of the peaks, from a managed burn on Forest Service Land.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

I will be posting sporadically the next few days as I travel. Here is a recent pic of Narvik. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

It doesn't take long for Narvik to figure out that a road trip is happening soon. #cats #catsofbluesky #CatsInSuitcases

A gray tabby cat in a half-packed suitcase, with wide eyes.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Maples along a street in McCall, Idaho yesterday afternoon. #photography #trees #autumn

Two maple trees with intense red fall foliage. The sun shines through the branches of the tree on the right. Sky is blue except for a few small clouds.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

That tree has been through a lot, and still survived! In all my years of wandering in the woods, this is one of the most extreme examples of a tree enduring damage without being killed.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Nearly all of the bear sightings I've had in this part of Idaho were near hawthorn patches. Their coats must be thick enough to ward off the thorns. And since hawthorns tend to grow close to creeks, there is water nearby.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

It's pretty, but stay away! A few days ago, I worked in a woodsy location that had dense patches of hawthorn that displayed fall colors. The thorns will shred you if you attempt to push your way through. Going around the patch is the only option. #photography #autumn #nature

A forest of ponderosa pine interrupted by a patch of hawthorn that is turning yellow. A stray hawthorn with red leaves is in front of the pines. The ground has grass that is covered by pine needles and dotted with fallen pine cones.

Close-up of a hawthorn bush, showing the wicked thorns.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

That's definitely a stop-for-a-photo moment.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

For #ThickTrunkTuesday, a weathered snag I encountered yesterday. It is hollow. The open side reveals a jumble of rotted wood and pine needles, showing the result of decay, plus evidence of various animals and birds using the space. #forestry #trees #nature #snag

Full view of an old tree snag, about 20 feet tall. Around it are conifer trees of varying sizes. Sky is blue with a few cumulus clouds near the horizon.

A close up view of the same snag, revealing a hollow shell with rotten wood and pine needles inside. The pine needles are probably the remains of a bird nest.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

View from above, as Narvik walks from tall grass to mowed grass. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray tabby cat with a red leash and harness walks from unmowed grass to mowed grass.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Here is another forest road to explore. Autumn colors brighten the scene. #photography #landscape #backroads #forestry #Idaho

A gravel road in an Idaho forest. Understory vegetation has shades of yellow, orange, and red. A few stray aspen and cottonwood trees add splashes of yellow higher up.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

On #ManholeCoverMonday, a square cover with a lake view. McCall, Idaho.

A square manhole cover in the middle of an asphalt path that leads to a lake.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Thanks. Narvik makes for good photos if he sits still! He's usually moving his head when he's outdoors.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

This barn is a short distance from the house I'm staying at in Idaho. I like to take pictures of it when the weather gets interesting, like it did yesterday. #photography #landscape #barn #farm #weather

A red barn with a metal roof and white trim, surrounded by level pasture land. Low mountains are in the distance. A weather system is moving in, and the skies threaten rain.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Climate change, too. Most places I go, I see more dead and dying firs than live ones.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

For #ForestFriday, a species I don't see often in my work area. Subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) prefers higher elevations. These two trees were growing at 4,500 feet in a cool zone next to a creek. See alt text for more info. #forestry #trees #nature #Idaho

The two middle trees are subalpine fir. A distinctive feature is the narrow crown which wards off heavy snow. The species is under threat from an invasive insect called the balsam woolly adelgid. Note the dead tree to the left of the live specimens.

Bark of subalpine fir, smooth and silver colored, with horizontal ridges.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Live trees only. I don't return the core. The tree quickly covers the hole with sap. Researchers who bore the same tree multiple times over a span of years say that the corings do not harm the tree. Knowing the age and height of a tree tells us how productive a site is.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I count enough tree rings in the course of my work. The job requires me to take increment corings of trees to determine age. The rings on that piece of wood are easy enough to count, though.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I came across this cross section of a ponderosa pine yesterday. It was part of a tree that was leaning towards a power line, and was cut by a maintenance crew. I like the way the growth rings show up so clearly. #forestry #trees #nature #photography

A cross section of a pine tree that clearly shows the bark and the growth rings.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yesterday as I worked in the woods, I could smell smoke. When I got back to the valley, I could see that it was coming from a controlled burn at the top of the ridge. Narvik was unconcerned about all of that; he was just happy to be outdoors. #cats #catsofbluesky #nature

A gray tabby cat with a red leash and harness sits on a wood platform, facing away from the camera. In the distance, a plume of smoke rises from the top of a ridge of mountains.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

What happened here? This is something I see frequently in the Idaho woods. Rocks moved, rotten logs turned over. Bears do this in search of food. It seems like a lot of work for a few bugs or other critters, but bears gotta eat. #nature

A rock, nearly a foot in diameter, has been moved from its longtime resting spot, leaving a small crater to its right.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Your daily Narvik picture. He is always observing when he's outdoors. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray shorthair tabby cat, wearing a red harness and leash, is lying in tall grass. He faces away from the camera with his head up and ears perked.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

For #ThickTrunkTuesday, the end of an era. I first saw this 55" diameter pine several years ago. Two days ago I learned that it had fallen. For centuries the pine had survived fires and lightning strikes. It was done in by fungi, as the wood was decayed all the way through. #forestry #trees #nature

All that's left of an ancient ponderosa pine near McCall, Idaho.

Photo of the same tree taken September 2022.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

A view from the Idaho woods after the recent rain event. Clouds stuck around all day before yielding to blue skies. #photography #landscape #Idaho #forestry #nature

Clouds loom over an Idaho conifer forest. In a foreground clearing, shrubs are beginning to show red and yellow fall colors. Forest trees consist of grand fir, ponderosa pine, and Douglas-fir.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Hello, is anybody in there? Narvik checks the hollow in the old apple tree. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray tabby cat with a red leash and harness sticks his head into a hollow apple tree. I made sure he didn't get into any trouble.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

This patch of aspens near McCall, Idaho shows its colors earlier than most other groves in the area. I've been driving on that road since 2012 in the course of my work here. Pic taken September 20, 2026. #autumn #aspen #photography #nature #forestry #layers

A gravel road passes through several layers. First, an open meadow. Then a patch of hawthorn shrubs. Next, an aspen grove with yellow autumn colors. Finally, green conifer trees. Sky is bright blue with no clouds.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Narvik surveys his domain as the sun slides behind the trees. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray tabby cat sits at the edge of a wood platform surrounded by tall grass. In the distance is a shed and a pine tree. Farther away in the center of the image is a group of aspen trees with the sun behind them.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

This stump was being dismantled from the inside by carpenter ants, until something came along to make a meal of the ants. Possibly a pileated woodpecker, maybe a bear, maybe a smaller mammal. The ants usually work out of sight unless their home is disturbed. #forestry #trees #nature #ants

An old tree stump that has been ripped open to reveal chambers carved by carpenter ants.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

I've gotten in the habit of looking up while I'm out with my cat. The cloud formations can be striking. #photography #clouds #sky

Cumulus clouds against an intense blue sky. The late afternoon sunlight is illuminating some of the clouds but not others.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Your daily Narvik pic. He spotted something in the grass that he wants to check out. And maybe pounce on. #cats #catsofbluesky #adventurecats

A gray tabby cat with a red leash and harness walks through green grass, towards the left of the frame. His eyes are focused on something ahead of him.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 19/09/2026

Seen in the Idaho woods this week. An animal has been busy ripping up ponderosa pine cones to get the seeds. Cones, and pieces of cones, are strewn around this stump. A burrow is nearby, possibly that of a large ground squirrel. #forestry #nature

An old stump serves as a dining area for an animal, possibly a ground squirrel. Pine cones have been gathered, and many more have been chewed up in search of seeds to eat.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

It's #ForestFriday. There are things in the woods that maybe we're not supposed to see! #forestry #trees #nature

An oddly shaped side branch on a ponderosa pine.

A dead branch on a ponderosa pine, capped with a rounded gall, standing quite erect.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Narvik doesn't play with the toy mouse very often. Yesterday he wanted me to throw it around the house so he could pounce on it. It must have been an omen, because Narvik cornered two real mice last night! #cats #catsofbluesky

A gray tabby cat in a playful mood with wide eyes. A toy mouse is next to him on the stairs.

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foresterbob @foresterbob.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Thanks. There was a window of a few minutes when the sun was shining on the lakeshore. That makes the storm clouds appear even darker and more ominous.

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