bknight,
Thank you for your prayers for our land and critters. You have seen the rain in Kansas, so you know it can rain. Unfortunately, you experienced our last rain. There is some cooler weather in the forecast, but no moisture. It will at least be good to get some relief from the heat.
I have hunted Meade State Lake in the wildlife area for quail. A number of years ago with my year old Drahthaar. He was working a ways ahead of me when I see him go into a brush pile. Fearing a skunk I ran to get to him and when I got there he was backing out and looked like a walrus with a nose bleed. His first experience with a porcupine.
I know about being blamed or the fear of being blamed for something you didn't do, like would have been possible with the campfire. We were on our way back from Kansas City and I was pulling my flatbed trailer, it was about 11PM and my wife was on the phone with her sister in a western time zone. My wife suffers permanent injuries from a drunk driver. About this time I am meeting a vehicle and all a sudden the headlights are coming right at me, I swerve to my left going across center to let him have my lane & ditch. My wife screamed and at the same time inadvertently disconnected the cell phone. About this time the car, now on my shoulder, must have hit the rumble strips on my shoulder and I suspect woke up decides to go back to his lane. Now I am hauling for all I am worth to get away from him again. We miss by a few inches, but it is a wonder we didn't have a head on collision with him being in his lane and me being left of center. I got to thinking, if that had happened and people killed I would have been blamed for the wreck.
Your concern for the wild bird populations is valid. I hope there are enough of us to preserve wild bird numbers.
Thanks again & God Bless