12/13/24

 

Sandhill Cranes

It makes me chuckle when I read about sandhill cranes being endangered.   You wouldn't know it around here.  This field has been a daily feeding ground for cranes this month.

Starlings

We've had plenty of starlings around the farm lately.  They fly in huge swarm, it looks like a synchronized ballet.

So amazing!

The video is long.  The big black blob at the first is a large mass of starlings.  I was grateful to be under the shelter in the second part.  Bird poop was landing all around us!

Birds

I am so far behind on posting farm happenings and photos!  Right now I seem to be going in some sort of alphabetical order.
Here you have B for birds.  :)

This is the last day I saw the dove in the goat shed.  He/she must have finally figured out how to fly.  It was the same day Buddy died. 

 Starling???  Not sure, but we don't have a shortage of these birds around here. 

 I mostly see this yellow bird in the rushes on Frog Pond.

 And, we seem to have plenty of these squawky loud guys all year long.  They only become scarce for a couple of weeks in November.  Otherwise, they are a common sight in the fields.  Jasmine spooks up her fair share of them.

Dove Update

The parent doves are at the nest less and less now. I see them both hanging around, but there really isn't any room for them in the nest now.

Original image of the nest and eggs taken on May 10th.

Then, the next time I got around to taking a picture was May 30th and this is how the babies looked.

Then, on June 2nd.

Finally, on June 4th.  I really need to take a step ladder out with me before they actually learn to fly!  I think I'm going to miss them when they're gone!

Birds

We've got no shortage of birds around this farm.  

They are everywhere and poop on everything and even build nests in the tractors.

Even so, I enjoy hearing them all around me and enjoy watching them.

 This one landed near us one day down at the river.

 Then, there was this large bird of prey that spent an afternoon soaring above the fields.

 And another turkey taking a stroll across the safflower.

 Of course, I have to include my favorite geese that live on a very busy road.

 We had a hen and a rooster eating right outside the kitchen window.  Of course, they did NOT want their picture taken.

 And a gaggle or two of geese and their goslings heading in to Narnia.