Tag: wildlife

Bird Watching

Sheeps & Peeps4 Comments

Although a very busy weekend, it was almost impossible to ignore all the wild bird activity… 
a Purple Finch and its mate visiting the platform feeder outside the dishwashing window… 

a pair of Bluebirds guarding their territory in the late evening light…

some Barn Swallows took turns standing guard…

while others were waiting to be fed…

and not one… but two Pileated Woodpeckers treating us to a yard side visit.

While we were enjoying the glimpses of wild bird life between chores, Barncat Davita found it a challenge to get anywhere, moving at a very slow pace, crawling on her belly a few steps at a time while she was being dive-bombed alternately by Tree Swallows and Barn Swallows.  Apparently she has a very bad reputation in the bird world.  And then it was nearly impossible to ignore Barncat Spot’s bizarre behavior, as she spent her entire Sunday afternoon on this rafter, obsessively watching one corner of the barn roof; a corner where, try as we might, we could find nothing to warrant all this attention.
You know… honestly… it’s never dull around here.

Almost Summer

Sheeps & Peeps7 Comments

After weeks of seeing relatively few deer, mostly bucks and yearlings, they are back out in full force and new life seems to be everywhere. During the last week, our family has come upon a fawn hidden between fence rows, ran over one with the hay mower which miraculously was unhurt except for a very small cut on its leg, carried a very shaky newborn out of the road and up a bank and almost hit one while brush-hogging. When a mama deer tells her fawn to stay put… it stays put! We are so glad all these encounters had happy endings.

In other news, our haymaking season has begun.  Saturday was a beautiful day to get the first 215 bales in the barn.  The two frosts and snow we had in April really set the broad-leaved plants back and our yield was significantly lower than last year.  We’re hoping for some good grass-growing summer weather and a thick second cutting.  We are so thankful for family that helped… from the mowing, tedding, raking, baling, stacking, unloading and more stacking…all the way down to the littles who cut up tomatoes and mushrooms for the meal that Mom and Lena had ready when the field work was finished.  We are blessed.

Closer to Spring

Sheeps & Peeps5 Comments

Slowly but surely we are inching closer to spring ~ the maple tree buds are swelling and  so are the daffodils.  The roadside wildflower coltsfoot are popping out and beginning to bloom.  The cardinals’ springtime dance has begun ~ with first a glimpse… a glance… a flit… and a flutter.
In just one short week, it will be official… it will be spring!