Bird-Friendly Ranching

A week and a half ago, our good friend Kyle Dudgeon joined me for a field-harvest.

I showed him what we do and how we do it. And then — when we were finished — Kyle set up a remote camera on the gut pile.

(Kyle is an incredible photographer and filmmaker — he made the excellent short film about our Audubon bird-friendly certification — and he is a fellow wildlife and bird nut.)

The first photo below was captured not long after we left.

I love this photo.

A whole bunch of magpies, some ravens, and a young golden eagle.

In the winter when I’m field-harvesting regularly, these birds are really dialed in on the gut piles.

We regularly see bald and golden eagles hanging around, and the gut piles are an important winter food source for all of these birds — the birds start showing up while I’m still field-dressing the bison.

Eventually, the birds (and the mammals that stop by in the dark) clean the whole gut pile up.

The scavengers get some important meals out of it, and the blood and guts are excellent for the soil.

After a day or two, essentially the only thing left is the grasses and plants that were in the bison’s stomach.

The detail work by the birds always amazes me — they are impeccable in how thoroughly they clean up the gut pile.

Ultimately, the whole thing is super cool and fascinating — and a great reminder that nothing goes to waste in nature.

-- Matt