Fascination

Part of the beauty of having so many animals around me is having the opportunity to observe them as they go about their daily routines.  I am always amazed by them.

What really fascinates me, however, are the animals and birds that live in the woods around our farm! 

 Yesterday, after my work was finished... (oh, and I may have made one (maybe 2) more trips to the greenhouse... but more on that later!).   Yes, after all of that was finished, I took a little time to immerse myself in nature and see what I could find.

We've had a myriad of birds at the feeders this spring - and I love watching them.  But, there are so many more birds that never come to the feeders.  It's these birds that I searched for yesterday.  As I sat in different spots around the farm, I saw bluebirds...

barn swallows flying close to the ground in search of insects...

an elusive scarlet tanager in the trees at the edge of the woods...

a pileated woodpecker pecking his way through a rotted tree stump...

 

and a turkey vulture cleaning up a leftover carcass on the road...

It seemed a virtual smorgasbord (maybe we should call it a smorgasbird?)  of bird sights was being served to me on this particular day - and my eyes consumed the feast through the lens of my camera (the good camera with the long lens).

Everywhere one looks, right now, there is bird activity of some sort.  It's that busy nesting time of year.  

I went over to the Hundred Acre Wood and sat silently in the Field of Dreams hoping to see some of the elusive forest birds, or maybe one of this year's fawns.  I sat there waiting, but no one revealed themselves.  I did, however, hear a warning snort from a deer in the woods - most likely a mama who was warning me to stay away... her fawn, surely,  hidden nearby in the underbrush.  I respected her warning and left the area.

Hubbs and I share a love of birdwatching - with nothing being more exciting than seeing a new species.    Hubbs uses a wonderful free App from the Cornell Dept. of Ornithology to identify bird calls.

The other day, while sitting on the front porch, this App picked up the following birds singing in the trees of our front yard:

As for those trips to the greenhouse... I noticed while watering the cottage garden at Maven Haven a rather large weed.  Upon pulling it, there happened to be a large space with no flowers present.  Well, we couldn't just leave it bare, now could we?  So, off I went to the greenhouse for a few more specimens to fill in the holes (a couple more foxgloves, coreopsis, purple sage, red yarrow, and a candy tuft).  Now the garden looks like this (no holes!):

and this:

Finished!  (I swear!). 

Don't you love this sky?  Yesterday was chilly and cloudy... a perfect spring-like day!

We've made a decision this summer.  Ordinarily we have a lot of ground that gets mowed.  This summer we decided to return a few good sized parcels back to nature and to the bees and butterflies.

 

A couple of areas like this will no longer be mowed in the hopes that wildflowers take over in the coming years.  

Comments

jaz@octoberfarm said…
thanks for the app info.! i bought my husband our first birdfeeder for his birthday. it's dicey here with pigeons. but we are going to give it a try and see what happens. i love that you are going to let the fields go back to nature! you might not be done with nursery trips. plus, fall is right around the corner.
daisy g said…
Beautiful birds! We enjoy watching them daily too.

I love the idea of a meadow for the pollinators to enjoy. I wish I had the space.

Have a lovely day!
SusieK said…
I put the app on my phone last week. I was at a cross stitch retreat in Iowa and I saw an Oriole for the first time!! I absolutely love getting up in the morning and reading your blog, such a breath of fresh air. I own donkeys vicariously through you. (some day!!!)
Karen said…
Yes - we are bird lovers too (and any other creature that shows up!). It's so fun to see what wildlife at your place . . . I would love to know what binoculars you use - I need a new pair (only I could trip and they flew right into the dog's water dish:( . . .and the choices are massive! I have NO idea where to start. Love that turtle!
Love, love, love all your colorful bird sightings! And now you've got all the holes filled in around Maven Haven with flowers! Can't wait to see them blooming! What a great idea to let some of your huge yard grow naturally, encouraging wild flowers. In our last home with a lot of acreage, we did that too. Always a joy to come to your blog....thank you Bev!
Lynne said…
This was a favorite . . .
Especially loving the bird songs this spring.
It has been the best!
woody said…
We are also bird watchers. I am fascinated not only your sightings, but the pictures as well. Can’t get enough of those Pennsylvania beauties you’ve displayed. Thank you so much!