No good deed goes unpunished

First, some pictures from yesterday:

I never dreamed that a red-bellied woodpecker could be so feisty. This one was not happy that the starlings were trying to eat HIS suet. Look at that posture! I would be scared off, if I was a starling.

A fluff photo...goose feet.

...and a grinning goat. Sounds like a good name for a English pub, eh? In fact, I think Geoff and I ate at one called that on our honeymoon. :)

I love song sparrows, for their subtle beauty. A lot of color for a "little brown job".

I routinely hang grapes in our cherry tree (the cherries that grow on it disappear about 2 days after they arrive).

A robin samples some fallen fruit from the crabapple tree.

I think this is one of my absolute favorite bird pictures. The goldfinch on the right looks like he is saying "Ooooooo". Imagine how birds would look if they had lips...just wondering.

Carolina wrens are very good at camoflage. This one blends in so well with our sleeping little blue stem.

I stopped at RAPTOR yesterday with the girls to do some well-needed organizing to my education box. Junior was there, of course. I waved the net at him (he hates it when it is anybody else's hands) but he was neither impressed or frightened. Damn.

Today's birding excursion was at Indian Creek Wildlife Area. It was disappointing, though. Not because of the site, because it has amazing potential. It was the snow, covered with a thin film of ice. I sounded like I was walking through potato chips. Hard to sneak up on a bird that way.

It's managed for hunting and fishing, but open year-round for wildlife observation. It was quiet (except for my crunching), since it's not hunting season.

Someone explain this to me. I know that they are targets...

...but what does this mean? If you hit the turkey in the ass, you get a prize?

I did see a red-headed woodpecker...not a great shot, and not a life bird, but they are hard to find and beautiful. That, and the only other bird of note was a hermit thrush. No life birds today.

But I did find a dog.
HEY! Hear me out!
When I pulled into the parking lot, this big, friendly black lab bounded up to me. He was hungry, but not starved. I gave him all that I had (a stale cookie from one of the car seats) and went on my walk. The loop doubles back to the other end of the parking lot, and he was waiting.
I drove around to the few houses in the area, but no one recognized him. And every single person said that "people dump their dogs off there all the time".
WTF??? I hate people sometimes.
I called Geoff and he Googled the closest shelter, and I drove the dog there and dropped him off. And my day of birding turned into a drive through western Brown County
with a strange dog.
I was not about to take him home. I have learned that lesson. (Famous last words, huh?)
Speaking of dogs...Boomer is still here. We are running out of options. I refuse to put him back into the shelter system, the few offers I received were very far away, and one even offered to pay to have him flown to Pennsylvania. Nice, but I don't feel comfortable shipping Boomer off to strangers. Soooo...if nothing comes up in the next day or so, I will try a local pet store that sometimes accepts dogs. (They almost took Lulu, until they saw that she was part pit bull.)
The cats are suffering in the basement. You can't keep five cats in a limited space like this and it not affect them. They are fighting and unhappy. The girls don't spend much time down here with me, and they miss their kitties.
So, as the title says, no good deed goes unpunished.