Catherineville State Forest, Santamont Trail - Part 1

Our winter took a break, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees (F). The snow was all melted at the farm, so I took the dogs to Catherineville State Forest, about 8 miles away, where there was still plenty of snow. We began walking the trail, following a Coyote's footprints. The dogs were not concerned, so neither was I:

They began with their usual exuberance, though I am happy to report that they stayed a bit closer than usual and required less hollering on my part. Fergus' ears were flopping as he bounded along the trail:

Jack was just getting over a bad cough, but that didn't slow him down, especially when it was time for him to do his traditional rolling for joy in the snow:

The dogs investigated everything, covering much more ground than I did:

With five dogs going in five directions, I had all I could do to keep track of them all - and that's why I want them to stay so close to me:

Fergus wondered if that tiny tree was worth peeing on:

Seamus led the way for awhile and his little buddy, Jack, ran joyously behind. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see that Jack's feet were not even touching the ground when I snapped this photo:

There were some interesting smells for the dogs and beautiful sights for me:

And every so often, the dogs collected in one spot with much enthusiasm. We saw no wildlife, though, not even a mouse:

The forest was mostly Red Pines and Balsam Fir, with an understory of golden leafed Beech trees:

The dogs took occasional side trips off the trail, but I stayed where the snow was worn down:

They ran and played, while I concentrated on not slipping - and on keeping track of the five of them. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Degrasse State Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I were hiking in Degrasse State Forest (see also previous two posts) and had already been swimming in an oxbow of the Grasse River and seen a privately owned cabin in the forest. We were on our way back to the car:

I spotted a large patch of Yarrow in bloom along the way:

The dogs were no longer running ahead and needing me to holler at them. They were happy, tired and satisfied:

The forest of mixed conifers and hardwoods was beautiful, though the underbrush was thick:

I'd seen a coyote cross the road on my way to the trail head so I wanted the dogs to stay near me even more than I usually do:

Our walk back was leisurely and comfortable. I enjoyed the sights and sounds, the dogs enjoyed the scents:

Clover, who usually leads the way, began to lag and stay close to me:

But we were all happy and feeling as if we'd had a grand experience:

I got a stone in my shoe and stopped to get it out, so Fergus came back to see what was slowing me down:

We were almost back to the car and I felt some sadness that this hike was almost over:

We arrived back at the car:

But before we left, I saw this lovely pond. It was on private property, so we couldn't investigate - but I did take a photo:

Adirondack Wildlife Refuge - Part 2

I was touring the Adirondack Wildlife Refuge and had reached the cage with Barred Owl, a common owl around here. It has a distinctive call which I frequently hear early in the morning when I let the dogs out:

They had a number of Bald Eagles, all with permanent injuries which prevented them from being released back into the wild. They have, however, had successful releases including one which now lives on Whiteface Mountain and returns to bother the captive eagles sometimes:

A Goshawk:

This Porcupine was a favorite of the staff and a friendly clown. He had been rescued when his mother was killed by a car. He was released and lived in the wild for about a year but returned, missing the easy life at the refuge:

Great Horned Owls:

Sedwick, the Great Blue Heron:

Broad-Winged Hawk:

I came to a clearing in the forest with a number of cabins and a small pond. I had been told earlier that the coyotes were being kept from view so they would not get used to people and could be released soon. From what I could see, I figured they were behind those tarps:

There was a house or office building from which a woman emerged, carrying a small animal:

It was a female Saw-Whet Owl, seven or eight years old. She had been rescued from her nest as a baby after crows had pecked out her eyes and will live out her life at the refuge:

 The woman pointed to the crow on a nearby cage, explaining that it was very tame but loved to torment the owls, including the Screech Owl in the cage:

While a small boy interacted with the crow, I snapped a picture of the Screech Owl:

And then the crow flew over to a sign, where it landed and no doubt contemplated what other trouble it could cause. But there was still more to see, and I'll Post Part 3 tomorrow:

A Farm Update

So much has been happening that it's been difficult to keep this blog up to date. The lilacs are long gone now, but this photo from last month was so lovely that I wanted to show it to you:

And the chickens continued to roam freely with (so far) no more losses:

I let the dogs out one morning at dawn and photographed this sunrise in the eastern sky. Despite the old adage, however, the day was very nice:

One morning I saw what appeared to be a coyote in the field and, when it didn't run away, became concerned. I kept an eye on it and became even more concerned when it began coming closer. But it turned out to be a neighbors' dog, a very well behaved dog, so I relaxed. Nevertheless, I delayed letting the chickens out for the day. Even a very good dog might succumb to temptation:

The first two baby fantail pigeons of the season left the nest and were growing rapidly:

Their parents continued to feed and care for them, even after their squabs hit the floor:

But while they were still in the nest, I got this video of Mom delivering a breakfast of pigeon milk. She got nervous with me filming her, though, and you can see the babies pick up on her cue and quiet down, turning their backs on me:



One day after giving the cows grain, I managed to trap Rosella and Gladys inside the barn without the big girls. I called the neighbors to come help me tattoo Gladys' ears and give her an ear tag. He and his wife wrestled her down and held her still while I performed the operations and their three boys watched. Afterwards, I got a family photo. The two boys holding their noses were making an editorial comment about the smell of cow manure in my barn. That's Rosella and Gladys in the background:

Baby apples began appearing:

And baby pears, some of them even showing a reddish glow:

The chickens grew fat and healthy on summer grasses and bugs:

And both the purple and yellow Iris bloomed simultaneously. Usually the two colors bloom at different times, but this year we plunged directly from winter to summer and everything had to make adjustments:

Chapter Three - The Wild Center!

I was nearing the end of my tour of the Wild Center. This display was about the natural cycle of processing natural materials, decay and soil building. That board which looks like it has thousands of worms was actually filled with Red Backed Salamanders. I wish I'd asked if they were real but I never did:

A Coyote:

"Every night the river sings a new song:"

This was part of a display about high peaks summits and explained the process of how rock becomes soil:

There was a small model of an elevated walkway and I wondered if there was one outside which I might tour:

But no, the elevated walkway is planned to be opened in 2015:

There was a cafe in which to have lunch, and also a gift/souvenir shop:

I especially liked the gift shop. I revert quickly to boyhood in natural history museums and zoos, and even more so in their natural history related gift shops:

They had Adirondack themed edibles, pottery, artwork, games and aromatic items filled with balsam needles:

Adirondack themed ornaments:

Plush birds which sang songs typical of their species:

And lots of puppets and stuffed animals, especially the big favorites of moose, bears, fish, otters, rabbits, etc. But I had cows and chickens and dogs and cats waiting for me at home, so I bid farewell to the Wild Center and began my journey back to the farm: