Around The Farm In December

The baby fantail pigeon in the high nest who kept falling/jumping/being pushed out finally died, but the remaining baby kept growing and doing well. As you can see, I added a small slat to help keep her from going over the edge like her sibling:

She kept growing, as evidenced by her ever larger fantail:

 And one day I found her on the floor. She continued to thrive because both parents continued to feed and protect her:

 The two babies in the nest on the floor finally grew enough feathers for me to feel confident they could survive the cold:

I continued to put a new hay bale every two to four days, depending on the herd's consumption. Every time the snow melted, their hay consumption went down because they were finding grass to eat, though it looked like slim pickens to me. In this photo, I'd just put out a new bale. Jasmine, on the left, had a mouthful of hay and Remy, on the right, was using the bale feeder to scratch his butt:

And then it snowed again, leaving a rustic scene of wintry beauty:

We had a wild hail storm one morning, and I photographed the hailstones on the railing of my porch:

The cattle seemed immune to it all. I've been working to get them coming back into the barn for grain every morning, but sometimes I have to bring the food bowls out to them. Something must have spooked them about the barn a year ago, for they've been hesitant to go back in ever since:

Early winter, while there is just enough snow to look pretty and the temperatures are still relatively mild, is a wonderful time of year:

Millions of Canada Geese passed overhead for a week or more, and one day a flock of Snow Geese landed in the field across the road from me. The reapers had left big piles of kernel corn on the ground, so I'm sure the geese ate well:

Alas, the Snow Geese were more wary than the Canada Geese and I couldn't get close enough for better shot:

While I was standing in that corn field, though, I got a photo of the neighbors' farm. It's a picturesque place and they are wonderful people:

Snapshots From Around The Farm

Evening, just before dark. I'd finished the evening chores and was returning to the house to settle in for the night when I noticed this glorious sunset:

 Another day, mid-afternoon, just up the county road from my house: A snowy cornfield, filled with geese:

 They were close to the road and were only mildly concerned when I stopped my car to take pictures. The white birds are adult Snow Geese, the dark birds are Canada Geese and the gray birds are immature Snow Geese:

 Early morning, as I walked out to the barn to tend to the animals. Overhead were multiple skeins of loudly honking geese. They continued honking and passing overhead all through that day:

 I've been attempting to tempt the cows to come into the barn for grain every morning like they used to do. Alas, they've been resistant. On this morning, they walked up almost to the barn and stopped, looking interested but unwilling to enter:

 I had the bowls of grain prepared and wanted to get them used to eating it, so I carried the feed out to them:

 Jasmine still has three bad hoof cracks but has been standing and walking normally, so I am hopeful. On this morning, though, she had her collar hooked over her ear. Jasmine is tame and friendly, perfectly willing to let me adjust it. Some of the others are not that trusting:

 Once her collar was adjusted, Jasmine gobbled her breakfast. She gets expensive, extra sweet feed with a heaping dose of trace minerals sprinkled on top. She also gets a quadruple portion because I'm trying to help her recover from those crippling hoof cracks:

 The miniature horses had been eating their breakfasts also, but they were inside the barn, locked in individual stalls to keep them from fighting. When they were done, I shooed them out the door. Remy looked around, probably wondering where he could start the most trouble:

 Blue walked over the new patch of gravel and then just stood there:

 He took a drink of water from the stock tank and then looked at me as if wondering what I was up to. I'd hoped to take a picture which would illustrate how fat he's gotten, but these pictures seemed to have a slimming effect on him. I wish photos did that for me:

 Refreshed and ready to begin their day, both Blue and Remy headed out into the field to join their cow family:

Tis The Season For Snow

We've been snow covered much of the time for many weeks now, though it is all melted this morning.. These Canada and Snow Geese were in a corn field just north of my house. The dark colored birds are Canada Geese, the white ones are adult Snow Geese and the gray ones are immature Snow Geese. There is also a blue color phase in Snow Geese, but they have white heads, which is why I identified these gray birds as immature Snow Geese:

 When snow is covering everything, the farm is as pretty as a Christmas card:

 English Sparrows mobbed my porch one morning, leaving tiny footprints everywhere. Alas, they also left lots of tiny poops, which appeared when the snow melted. Both Daphne and Clover think they are dog treats:

 More troublesome are the fox footprints I continue to find using my tire tracks in the driveway as a highway to the barn. I will continue to keep the chickens locked indoors:

 Big Blue Jays also use my tire tracks while they raid the sunflower seed feeder:

 Inside the barn, the white fantail pigeons seem content and healthy:

 The nest on the floor is doing well with its two babies:

 The nest up on a shelf was doing well:

 Until I found one baby dead. Now there is only one, but it is growing at an astounding rate:

 One warm day melted our snow, but the very next morning it began again:

 I walked out into the field to give grain to Jasmine, and I was fascinated to see the pasture grasses and weeds covered with snow, creating a simple beauty:

 The dark patches beneath the snow covered pasture foliage were water. It made the white grass stand out even more:

April On The Farm

Days of frenzied hay eating have given way to days of leisurely cud chewing now that the cattle's bodies require less energy to keep warm:

They continue to eat hay, but less of it. This photo was taken in the red glow of sunrise:

Remy and Blue have become so happy in the field that they spend little time inside the barn, sometimes not even coming in for grain. The cows frequently refuse to come in for grain. They just can't be bothered:


Blue has been shedding copiously. At this rate, he'll have his sleek, shiny, summer coat soon:

I've never had Crocus before, but one popped up in the lawn this year:

I dug up the ancient white Peonies, separated the roots and added a few new, red Peonies. I planted them all in compost and put a border fence around them:


The neighbors have been exercising their horses frequently past my house:

And they almost always stop to chat when they reach my house:

 I made an ice cream cake for Easter dinner at church:

And, when I got home, the dogs and Bugsy got to clean out the pan. Seamus and Bramble only watched, not willing to push their way into that pack of ravenous ice cream eaters:

The Snow Geese passed through the area a month ago but Canada Geese are everywhere these days:

The seem to have a preference for corn fields with flooded spots. I guess the reasons are obvious - food and water:

Around The Farm

We've had confusing weather this year, with spring weather in February and winter weather in April. But the cattle were happy when the snow melted:

 Canada Geese and Snow Geese are returning to our area on their way north. Some of the skeins are mixed species, but mostly they have been Snow Geese:

 And speaking of Snow Geese, they have been stopping in corn fields near me, ideal for taking pictures:

 There are two color phases of Snow Geese, white and blue. The light gray birds are the immature blue phase:

 They are spectacular birds but more shy than Canada Geese. I always need my zoom lens to photograph them. Even if they're right next to the road when I see them, they are moving rapidly away by the time I stop and grab my camera:

 I saw this bold fox walking across my south field one morning when I was feeding the cattle. It turned in my direction when it arrived at the gravel road and began walking toward me, stopping only when I pointed a camera at it. I saw fox tracks every morning we had new snow. That is not good news for the chickens:

 The miniature horses seem immune to the cold and snow, but I'm sure they'll be happy to have green pastures once again where they can feed and play:

 We had one really nice day before the latest snowstorm, and I opened the door for hens to come outside:

 They had to cross a snow pile to get out, then ran down the driveway toward the bird feeders:

 They pecked around, looking for goodies:

 And then moved to the bird feeders (just to the left of this photo), where there was lots of spilled seed:

 I am almost out of bird seed and have a big rat which is feeding on spilled seed. I've been unable to trap the rat so far, but either way, I'll stop feeding the wild birds very soon: