Bow Season Starts Tomorrow

Our nearby gardens have suffered extensive deer damage this summer.  This group's ownership of our ground is so strong that their only reaction to the opening of the living room window was to look up.  That mother caressing her fawn is the one deer that I really want gone.  Each year she has twins and her loving bond with her offspring is so strong that they will still be at her side when the next batch are born.  It is possible that every animal in this photo is related to her.

Two additional deer moving down the hill got their attention.  Ground pawing and snorts sent the interlopers eastward.  Having never hunted we are unfamiliar with just how the thrill of the hunt builds.  I have suggested that the chosen hunters park near the road and walk to the house.  Stepping out of its shadow, an easy arrow could be launched.  If more of a hunt is desired, a stealthy approach through the undergrowth seen in the background would allow the hunters to experience a more traditional hunt.  In any event this group of deer both start and end their day on what is our lawn.  We are looking forward to a successful hunt.  There are simply an excessive number of deer here and they see this ground as theirs.

Here is a little seasonal color to help set the mood.  The two huge maples deeper in this side valley that usually glow orange have already shed their leaves.  We were late to drive here, but this small orange colored tree still holds most of its leaves.

My shadow falling on New England asters and Rudbeckia triloba growing in our garden near the road does not spoil this beautiful combination of purple and yellow.  We know what will follow but now we simply enjoy the beauty that surrounds us.

Fourteen Deer

Strong March sunshine seems to have drawn the deer out as can be seen by the mass of deer tracks directly in front of the house.  Sharp eyes may be able to find an impressively large group at the edge of the snow line backed by trees.  When we first noticed them they were much closer to the house.  We were standing motionless some distance back from the windows.  Still we were spotted almost as soon as we first saw them and they moved away.

Deer seem more active now.  Yesterday while I was returning from an errand run, three deer were spotted approaching the road.  I braked and one deer safely crossed in front of me.  Despite the fact that the two remaining were looking directly at me one decided to cross in front of me.  Hard braking avoided contact but the groceries on the front seat were thrown to the floor.  The third deer was the brightest in the bunch and waited on the roadside while I passed.  None of the juice bottles that went airborne were broken so no harm was done.

Here is another view of deer tracks directly in front of the house.  Three deer can be seen just inside of the tree line.  One is easily seen standing in line with the garden path that passes close by the end of the tumbled down stone wall.  Looking to the left the second one stands out just above a jumble of untrimmed apple branches.  The third one is well hidden behind bushes.  The entire herd scattered in all directions when the window was opened to take these pictures.

Later in the day only two deer were seen and opening the partially hidden basement door did not instantly spook them.  Very soon both disappeared over the hill.  Three more inches of snow are forecast for tomorrow night but daytime temperatures in the mid to high thirties and bright sunlight may make quick work of erasing the new snow.  We all need some time walking on snow free ground.

Hot To Trot

Today was promised to be clear and warm with temperatures climbing into the mid fifties F.  Overnight was clear and cold.  We found heavy frost and frozen ground early on.  A group of turkeys working across our mowed field surprised us.  Previously we had seen only a single bird that appeared to be suffering as a possible result of the deep and lasting snow cover.  These seven birds were doing what turkeys do at this time of year.

Two of the males were in constant display for the several minutes that it took for the group to cross in front of us.  Fanned tail feathers, foot drumming and stiffened body feathers must require a great expenditure of energy over an unbelievably long period of time.  The top of the males featherless head appears swollen and bright blue.  His snood hangs down over his beak and is red.  A careful look at the first picture will find both of these bright colors.

Birds have made a number of adaptations in order to make flight possible.  Their sexual parts shrink and remain dormant for most of the year.  Extended courtship rituals are necessary to wake up the sleeping bits and get them ready to function.  Unlike many mammals, male turkeys are usually devoid of seed.  They need time to prepare for mating.  While these two males were shaking their tail feathers, the girls were simply feeding apparently ignoring the show around them.  Actually their parts were also waking up but the girls need tremendous amounts of nourishment in order to fuel the huge egg output that is soon to follow.  We were amazed at how quickly this breeding behavior followed  the melting of the snow.

A group of deer were also heading toward the rising sun.  The presence of the deer was closely watched by the hen turkeys but it caused them no alarm.  The deer mated last fall and are now feeding heavily to support their growing fawns.

Becky thought that she saw tree swallows flying about.  That meant that it was time for me to clean out the nest boxes.  Despite the continuing presence of snow, this bird has already claimed her home.  I could have disturbed her and cleaned out the old nest but decided to leave her alone.  There is plenty of room for her to build a new nest on top of the old nest.

The lower grass nest was started by bluebirds.  Our early drought last year interrupted their food supply.  They left our area in search of a better place to rear their young.  Wrens built their stick nest above the abandoned bluebird nest.  How those small birds cut and move all of those comparatively large sticks remains a puzzle.  It must be quite a chore to work the sticks through the hole in the nest box.

When I first found the beady tan fluff in a nest box, I thought that it was insulation pulled from the walls of our old beat camper.  Soaked with a winters worth of mouse urine, it did not invite close inspection.  We have since determined that milkweed parachutes are the actual source of the material.  The mice may eat the milkweed seeds before rolling up the parachutes for bedding.  Here again the effort expended to move all of that material up the post supporting the nest box is impressive.

The day was every bit as pleasant as forecast.  All but one of the nest boxes are ready for new tenants.  We go to bed tonight tired, a little sore and happy.   Garden cleanup continues and spinach will be planted tomorrow weather permitting.