Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Honk, Quack, Chirp...Snort, All Sounds of Spring!

Spring is coming to the farm despite the cold weather and snow flurries! 
Instead of the usual pair that arrive each season, six geese visited the pond this morning.  They began to honk loudly as I walked Big Blue and Jess down the lane to the Cemetary Paddock. Several robins returned early last week then it snowed on them the following day, poor things.  Frozen ground means no worms, but the ground is now soft and squishy so lots of orange bellies are full of protein.  My mallards are swimmng around making plans for their version of cute fuzzy things to enter the world.  Hopefully those awful snapping turtles will leave them alone...the huge one mysteriously died last fall after making its way to the pond's 'beach'.  It looked to be in perfect condition. 



Our beautiful cardinals, nuthatches, tufted titmice, and assorted woodpeckers seem to be quite happy as all of the birds were singing melodious tunes while I cleaned the stalls.  I just had to stop and listen.  They sounded different today and all were very loud!

The Long Tails came running down the hill when they saw me.  Since they are the submissive group to Brownie and Bossy's 'brood' they have learned to watch and/or listen for me before the corn hogs appear before sunset.  Unfortunately, Patty Pat was with them and pushed them all aside (even a youngster!) despite the over abundance of corn piles.  Ringo sooned joined her for lunch.  And, my reticent turkeys even watched...but decided that it was too dangerous to share in the bounty and stayed up the hill.  They are finding leftovers as I see their prints close to the barn and even in the arena and under the bird feeder which is very close to the house. 
Little Snort is Thin Face's fawn.  She remains nervous like her mother but thankfully stands still for a photo.  I believe Thin Face is warning her not to trust that crazy farm lady with that black thing that looks like a miniature rifle (camera with my long lens).  I was surprised not to see Limp with the Long Tails.  Her poor knee may never heal.  She continues to hobble down the hill and trot around daily, looking for a bit of corn.  Patty Pat doesn't even give her a break!  Nature is tough to observe at times.  Patty Pat watched her mother get hooved constantly so I guess she is making up for past wrong doings!  I need to blog about her!



Finally, the ponies are getting more turnout time which makes for happy horses.  No crazy bucks today, just some silly crow hops.   Got to ride Blue yesterday and he was a very good boy! 
Yes, Spring is coming to the farm and happy times are ahead!

18 comments:

Rural Rambler said...

Kritter Keeper! Nice to see all your sounds and sights of Spring! I missed you and your posts. I love all the pics but really love seeing Jessie and Blue in their blankies runnin' off that full of it energy :)

Paint Girl said...

Such beautiful birds you have there, lots of color!
Love your deer update and pictures, great action shots. I can't wait for spring to arrive as well, it seems to be starting a little early this year. All of our flowers that usually bloom in April are already blooming! Hopefully that means we get some decent weather, so I can start riding again!

JC said...

That was a great update. I'm always thrilled to see that you've posted. I'd love to live on a farm and sense I won't ever .. I'll live through your tales ^,,^

Pony Girl said...

Yep, it's spring! Isn't weird to hear the birds so chirpy in the morning? They are waking me up tooooo early on the weekend! :)
"Nature is tough to observe at times" - SO true! It's mother nature but it doesn't make it easier for us soft-hearted to watch, does it?

Beck's Country Living said...

love the pitchers. Thanks for everthing I do need to get new pitchers up. I will try Beck

lisa said...

We have bird feeders right next to our den window and love watching the birds come in. We finally have a pair of tufted titmice coming to the feeder! you sure know how to capture those deer.

V.L. Locey said...

I may be feeling slightly envious of that robin photograph! What I wouldn`t give to see on or hear the call of the red-winged blackbird. *Sighs*

AJ-OAKS said...

All the wildlife there is so beautiful. It must give you hours of joy. Hopefully one of these days the turkeys will venture on down and get really close.

clairz said...

Lovely photos, lovely promise of spring!

City girl turned Country Girl said...

Oh I am SO ready for Spring!! Love all the cute birdies!! And I REALLY love the deer and snow pics!! Awesome!

Autumn Mist said...

It's lovely to see what's going on around you, through your lens. As I've said before, we'd never see anything like that here, it's wonderful. More please!

Michelle Palmer said...

Just adore your photographs!
I did have a picture with an old dog up... Someone pointed out there was a gun hanging on the wall against a fur, so I took it down. Never mean to offend anyone :)
It is titled "A Group of Friends" ~ if you would like I could email it to you. I think the animal illustrations are beautiful.
Hope your day is wonderful!
Michelle

Jennifer MacNeill said...

Oh such wonderful photos! Love the birds, geese and deer!

Jen's Farmily said...

I love your deer shots!! I've only been able to get one here and there... but they are always though a window or too far away.

Ali said...

What a great post, I love that it is getting to be spring! I am SO thankful, especially for the birds singing, even though we don't get many "pretty" birds, the song sparrows are about and they help brighten the day. And the fact that the sun has been out the last 3 days here helps tremendously! Glad you got to ride Blue, how I long for a ride! =)

Linda said...

emily dickinson has a poem that starts, "THESE are the days when birds come back". I love the beginning of spring! My barn is full of chirping right now, too. We've had the geese all winter off and on since we haven't had much of a winter--they're my favorite.

I can see why you don't get to your PO box very often--who would want to leave Eden? :)

Willard said...

A wonderful array of photographs.

It is good to see the upswing in wildlife activity as winter winds down and spring approaches. The geese showed up at our farm recently too. While many do stay year around in our area, we do not see them on the farm until this time and they stay until late May or mid-June and then leave for whatever reason.

Leslie said...

It is nice to see that the animals are content. You are blessed to have such an abundance of beautiful wildlife within shooting distance(I am speaking of your camera of course).