Tuesday, May 26, 2015

A Little Walk About the Place





Since Monday was the only day we are not forecast to have rain I had to make sure the new supers and last bottom board were painted today. I decided to do this batch in White which I admit is my least favorite color to paint. Not that it is saying much as I think painting anything is about the most boring thing on earth. Still it sure does make the stuff look better and last longer in our super humid climate. The White stuff here tends to get some black mold on it though more than other colors I use.

Why a bit of paint might even make those old tires some bloggers use to plant in look acceptable... Nah never happen :)




These rabbits found a hole in the moveable fence section that allows them to come and go into the garden area and out through the sheep pasture. My fencing project has proven to be a boon for the rabbits as they can now be bold knowing the dogs can't get to them. So far they haven't done any damage so I haven't had to introduce them to any of the anti-varmint weaponry yet. I consider all the wildlife on the place a resource that should be encouraged as long as it doesn't get out of control or start doing damage on it's own. The largest selection of food type wildlife we have right now are cottontails and Bobwhite quail but I am finally getting some tree rats and even deer into the back woodlot as well.

There was a Black Bear sighting in a small city not too far from the Small Hold last night. Apparently the poor thing ran around town and was tranquilized but managed to escape.

Black Bear Creates Excitement in Fulton

All I can say is the little guy (and his relatives) better stay the hell away from my bee hives :)





Lately I been noticing a new type of bird around that I have never seen before. I have witnessed a couple of them stealing sheep wool off the fence so they are nesting somewhere nearby and then I came across three of them in a Mulberry tree today. They are very shy and fly off quickly but I managed to get a quick not very good picture of one (above). The most distinguishing mark on them though is a bright yellow band on the end of their tail feathers, which I didn't get in the picture. I looked em up and found out they are called Cedar Waxwings.




What a gorgeous bird. Apparently not good for anything except looking at and they eat mostly berries and insects. They really seem to like the Mulberries though and since I have been encouraging Mulberries and other fruits to grow my guess is I have created the perfect environment for the little birds. I also suspect they are the cause of my poor Gooseberry production this year too. Our location is at the extreme Southern edge of their all year range but the bio on them mentions as a specie the Cedar Waxwing has been going through a population boom so perhaps they are moving into our neck of the woods now. Whatever the case I have never seen them before even though they are said to be quite common.

As fast as they were gulping down the Mulberries though I can see how more of them would be a real problem if our little group continues to grow.




As it stands right now though I counted 27 producing Mulberry trees around the immediate yard and along the pathway/fence line down to the back of the pasture and hayfield. All heavily laden this year as you can see above. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of the Mulberries yet. Perhaps someday I need to start looking into doing more with them than leaving them for the birds and my son to forage on.

The tree climbing Ground Hog doesn't count.




Finally I waded out through the waist high Fescue and Crimson Clover of the hay field to a little patch of Yellow Sweet Clover I noticed growing out there. This is the first year I have seen an actual patch of the stuff in my own fields although there was some of the White variety in with the Alfalfa last year it seems to have died out. The little patch is only about an eight foot circle that contains maybe 20 plants but it stood out and sure enough the honey bees were already working it. While I think Sweet Clover is a very beneficial and useful plant for bee forage and makes decent hay it can also cause bloat if eaten green. As long as it stays were it is the patch can grow but I don't want it getting into the pastures. If it does it will be time to plow it under and replant. Can't have the sheep eating it green.

I take the growing wild life and plant diversity as a good sign that we are doing some thing right. The wild bird populations alone have exploded recently as we add in more food and cover without using pesticides and only minimal herbicide in a very few locations. By seeing all the life gathering around you just know it's healthy. When I brush hog the fields the birds literally swarm behind me collecting the insects. Every blade of grass or leaf has a Lady Bug on it eating aphids and the larger wildlife seem to be taking numbers waiting to get in. The old nags seem to be finally reduced in numbers and grown in age that new trees are beginning to have a chance at survival in the back of the pasture. In fact over grazing appears to be lessening now as the remaining horses cannot keep the entire pasture eaten down.

Means more room for sheep expansion.

Keep Prepping Everyone!!!!!



 

18 comments:

  1. Cheers for the tour PP, that Waxwing is a beautiful looking bird.

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    1. JW - As near as I can tell we got at least two if not three mated pairs here now. The bio said the females build the nest and I saw two of them collecting wool off the fence today and three up in the Mulberry tree. Guess they are expanding their range.

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  2. listen ya nutter - we love our tires!!! and may perhaps think of painting them one day!!! the waxwing is a beautiful bird. we have noticed a few new species of birds this spring as well - i love having the birds all over the yard in all of the trees chirping and singing all day. they also work as an early alarm system because they will scatter if a car or truck is coming up the road and often before we hear it. i enjoyed the tour around the small hold and love those mulberry trees.

    much love buddy! your friend,
    kymber

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    1. Kymber - The best sentry bird we have here are the Mockingbirds. They will alert me to about anything in the yard that isn't suppose to be there. Especially big snakes!!!

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  3. Yeah you nutter kill those cute little bunnies for me.Nice trip:)

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    1. Bubba - Well I noticed today they are chomping on my pole bean seedlings a bit.

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  4. My husband just recently discovered local Mulberry honey & he's proclaimed it his favorite. I like just about any kind but his taste buds are much more acclimated to differences in the various types of honey.

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    1. DFW - Interesting. I have never noticed the bees working the Mulberry flowers but perhaps it could be a timing thing or some other reason I have missed it. I must look into this more.

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  5. I ignore rabbits as I have seen them in the garden but seem to do little damage, of course a large number of them may be a different story. They are a good winter food around here and worth letting them be during the warm months. I pile up brush to give them cover when I cut wood. Haven't seen any of those birds around here.

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    1. Sf - Well I think the rabbits have chomped off a couple of my pole bean seedlings the last couple of days. Looks like they might recover from it though. Rabbits are plentiful around here. I have had to thin them out around the garden a couple of times over the years when they got too bold and damaging. After we get a good frost they are supposedly fine eating here though.

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  6. Mulberry jam? Mulberry pie? I have two mulberry trees newly planted and have great hopes for future crops.

    The bear could definitely be bad news. Dan and I saw something we believe was one of those giant Asian hornets the other day. More bad news for honeybees.

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    1. Leigh - Someday I will choose to do something with those Mulberries but my son loves em so and goes out with a big bowl and collects them so at the moment I am happy to just leave em for him.

      Ya I am not thrilled about them allowing bears to move back into the areas.

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  7. We get Cedar Waxwings here every summer. At least 2 if not 3 pairs breeding on or immediately adjacent to our property. I suspect they're part of why I don't get many blueberries off my bushes! But they're striking birds......one of these days I'll have to remember to toss bird netting over the blueberries so I can get more than a handfull.

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    1. Ruth - I have never seen em before but perhaps they have been around and I just missed em. This is the first year we have been paying attention to the birds gathering nest materials. Apparently the Cedar Waxwing eats mostly berries so that would explain your lack of Blueberries.

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  8. Hey PP,

    Loved the tour!!! How about making your own wine with the mulberries. If you consider this I would also add grapes to the mulberries to help with flavor.

    Bears, oh boy......they can smell honey a mile away. You don't need them at your place!!!

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    1. Sandy - Well I should have the first grape harvest this year!!!

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  9. That's a lot of mulberry trees. Time to make some jam!
    Glad you think the same about the tyres as I do.

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    1. Kev - OMG I hate those tires. LOL not to the point of hating those who have them like an Obama voter but I just can't stand the look of em.

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