Nesting Season

We have had an incredible weather this spring and now early summer.  It has been nice to have a real spring instead of getting into the hot temperatures right away.

I have enjoyed watching the birds building their nests.  We have a few nesting boxes that encourage Eastern Bluebird, Black-capped Chickadee, Tree Swallows and we even have a Screech owl box.  It is interesting in early spring to watch the birds battle over who will take the box.  The English House Sparrow often likes to take a box, but we keep a close eye and remove the nest and any eggs.  They are quite aggressive and will take over the boxes from native species like Eastern Bluebirds and will even raid a nest. 

Nesting Box for Eastern Bluebird or Tree Swallow

House Sparrow Nest- often contains a lot of debris, even candy wrappers

House Sparrow Egg

The Tree Swallows are pretty acrobatic and it is fun watching them snatching bugs in the air.  One year they were dive-bombing our older Jack Russell, which wasn’t such a smart thing to do.  She sprung in the air after them and fortunately couldn’t catch one.  I don’t know how they handle setting on the eggs in the little boxes as the outside temperatures rise.  I often see them sticking their heads out the “window”.  Unfortunately, this year, we haven’t been successful having a bluebird in one of our boxes.

Young Tree Swallows

 Lately, it seems like where ever I go there is a House Wren chewing me out to move away from their nest.  They nest every where- even in our fence post.  They jam the nest cavity with tons of little twigs.

The Barn Swallows have been building several nests in our barn.  They swoop around me as I am feeding the goats.  They are a bit messy so I don’t always appreciate them taking over the barn.  They work so hard building their nests out of mud and even seem to build a couple of nests before picking one to lay their eggs in. 

I enjoy the extra chatter and watching the parents going back and forth feeding their young as I am doing chores.  I only wish I could get better recognizing bird songs.

The native wildflowers keep showing up each week.  Some of them don’t last very long.  The fragrance from the Milkweed is wonderful and it is fun watching the bees and butterflies flock to the flowers.  The honey suckle is also nice even though it is not a native plant.  Most of the plants grow naturally on our property.  If we do plant, we try to only plant native species.  They are accustomed to our weather, take less water and often provide a source of food or shelter for native birds.

Birdsfoot Trefoil

Black Caps Ripening- yum!

Milkweed

Philadelphia Fleabane 

Silky Dogwood

Small Wood Sunflower

Yarrow

Venu's Pride Houstonia

Spring, a Good Time to Start a Blog

Why start a blog?  Well, a few months ago I lost my corporate job of 27 years due to downsizing.  It was not totally unexpected, and in some ways it is a blessing, but still a major life-changing event for me.  So I am on a soul-searching mission to determine my next career.  I after a few months of endless worrying and trying to figure out my future, I decided that I need time to heal and to just let life happen.  So I am going back to my roots of spending time with my animals and nature.  They are my true passion and have always been my best teachers.  I am very fortunate to have this farm with my husband and love sharing it with others so they can experience what means so much to me.  So that is how this idea came about.  It gives me a chance to reflect, research and share.  I plan to share activities on my farm from animal care and their antics, my husband’s artwork to native plants and wildlife.  I am always open to your questions and suggestions too!

Spring is my favorite time of year. I enjoy seeing color come back to the landscape as the plants and leaves emerge.  The birds are singing, making nests and the sunlight feels so good after a long winter.  Spring brings vitality and nourishment back to my soul.

For the last few weeks I have been walking and exploring and truly enjoying this spring.  Growing up, I explored the woods surrounding my house with my dog.  I turned over rocks looking for salamanders, cleared brush from the stream, watched the wildflowers emerge, listened to the birds and followed deer trails.  I was a budding wildlife biologist.  It feels wonderful to be able to enjoy spring again after years of working in the corporate world.  I love this opportunity to tap back into that spirit I had many years ago.

So I snapped pictures as I traveled on the trails of our farm.  Like the “old days”, I often drag my dogs along with me and now I have goats to follow along side of me too.  It was fun to keep tabs on the nesting boxes, time to identify wildflowers and bird songs, see which trees leaf out first and even watch the dreadful poison ivy sprout.  The heavy spring rains brought a surprising visit from a painted turtle, toads hanging in our mulch pile and the chorus of grey tree frogs.

Here are a few snap shots taken during my trail walks this spring:

Cody, my Australian Shepherd

Crabapple- my favorite spring blooming native tree

Close up of the flower

Noah and Nellie with the Spring Beauties

Mr. Painted Turtle

Spring Beauties, a native woodland wildflower

American Toad staying warm in our mulch pile

Woodland Phlox

Like spring I am starting a fresh new chapter in my life.  A time to refresh burned out parts from the corporate world, a time for reflection and a chance to allow new pursuits to occur. 

Thanks and enjoy!