We have four pairs of geese hanging around the pond this year, and also too many raccoons. I had given up on having goslings because of nest predation, but today five goslings appeared, grazing their way around the pond with the proud parents.
It looks like we will have fawns soon.
The baby buzzard videos will end soon, as these young birds are getting ready to fledge. It's been too hot to work up firewood the last couple weeks, so the buzzards have been undisturbed except for my trips in to get the SD card out of the camera. They don't like me, but I'm going to miss them. So far we have not been flogged by Mama. Approach barn quietly, carefully, and be watchful!
It is great fun to sneak into the barn and have a peek at these little guys!
I checked the camera and we have more than an hour of baby buzzards in 10 second segments! Here's a few minutes of the joy for all of you!
Buzzards!
You must be very careful. Do Not Alarm the Mama! I don't know how far they can project vomit, and have no intention of learning!
Our friends Tom and Ray both hunted for a gobbler this spring. Ray got one in the first season, and Tom got his today, in the final turkey season for Spring 2021 in Illinois. The birds were taciturn yesterday and would not even talk to Tom, but this morning they were all chatterboxes, and Tom had his choice of three good birds. Well Done, Tom!
...is to let the little ones alone. Let them get to know you, too, if you have the time to be in the woods.
One of the commenters on our Monarch Butterfly post mentioned that there might be readers out there who don't know milkweed. It's so common to us that I didn't even think about that, so we are correcting that right now. I even found a couple more caterpillars this morning. It's a thrill.
You probably know that Monarch Butterflies are in trouble. Monarchs need milkweeds to reproduce successfully, and there just aren't enough of them. The researchers don't seem to know why, and I think this problem began with genetically modified beans that tolerate glyphosate herbicide. You don't see any milkweeds in bean fields like you used to. Monarchs prefer to lay their eggs on milkweeds far from the edge, so the roadside milkweeds are not preferred, but that is what they are using at our place. Leave 'em be. You can mow those areas after frost when the little critters have moved on.
