Weather Hodgepodge

 A week ago we were in the teens.  Then we got up to 80. Then is snowed. On the way home today, the car was indicating that it was 91 degrees outside.  Welcome to March in Ohio.

Here it is showing 83.

And here it is showing 27. Five days apart.

This weekend was gorgeous though so I took advantage of it to do some field work.  First I had to get the blade off and the brush-hog on.

Then I attacked some of the field encroachment.

I made some progress.

I also disked my one field that I will plant later in a summer annual.  Going to try something different - a cowpeas and vetch mix. It was still plenty wet.  I'll turn this one a couple more times.

Joan and I had a nice spin in her General.

More mylar balloons.

Also found an orange neck gaiter.

Lots of pole work going on this week.  This weekend there was a crew stringing lines that they said would be for Spectrum cable.

Early we had a crew taking down old Frontier phone landlines.

This two man crew worked all weekend.

I did have a nice long walk looking for shed antlers.  I just followed deer trails.

No antlers but more mylar.

Early wildflowers.

I have a lot (150 acres) of what most people would consider really nice woods.

If you look at it, there is virtually nothing growing at ground level.  The tree canopy is so tight, sunlight doesn't get to the ground.

Some of the deer habitat experts call this a "deer desert".  Deer make there living within 5' of ground level.  That's where they need food and bedding cover.

I've done some small treatments to open the canopy to make more cover and forage.  I've also done some TSI (timber stand improvement) to remove the junk trees stealing light and moisture from the more valuable trees.  I plan to do a lot more of this type stuff this year with the objectives to; 1.) make more valuable timber, 2.) increase the forage (and carrying capacity), 3.) try to encourage specific bedding areas.  I probably should also do some timbering - maybe next year.

The pictures don't do justice to the slopes in these woods.  Here's a topo of the spot where the above photo was taken.  I was standing at the blue pin.

Some spots seem prone to wind damage.  On this one fall line, there were about 8 decent size oak trees that have been blown over and uprooted in the last two years.

This is a look back at the ridge where they were laying.  Must be something about the soil there that allows them to uproot like that.

Here's a deer highway heading out of the woods to the pines in the main field.

I covered a lot of ground and didn't find any more sheds.

The deer seem to be moving again.

There have been a ton of them in the clover on a couple of occasions.

Snow around St Patty's Day.

Turkeys in background.

Some strutting.

We do have nighttime visitors at the barn.

All types.

I think that it's denning time for the coyotes.

Fox.

Bobcat.

This camera must be a popular perch.

About a month until turkey season.  Should be consistently warmer then.  Looking forward to the dogwoods and redbuds.

Oh, by the way, for the second time this year I flushed a woodcock while on my walk.  That's always a thrill.

Spring Chores

We have another cold snap headed our way.  I took the opportunity to do some frost seeding.  First I did some spraying.

It's not optimal - would like to have more bare ground.  We'll see how it does.

The only shed antler found this week.

Lots of issues with downed trees.

This one had been dead and sheared off in an interesting way.

I didn't get this one finished.

I was working on de-limbing it before dealing with the major cantilever.

I was mostly dealing with field edges this week.

This is the frog pond.  It also has salamanders - here's a video.  Salamanders

It would be a good time to kill multifora rose.  It is one of the only things that has greened up.

Daffodils behind the shooting range.

The clover has greened nicely and there is a crowd of deer on it at last light.

I've had both UTV's out for a spin.

Bucks still holding onto horns - March 9.

And March 11.

There is no shortage of does.

10 I think.

Does do yoga.

A squirrel surrounded by crows. 

Coyote.

Bobcat.

On my drive in I pass piles of old telephone poles.  Multiple truckloads.

You think somebody is burning that for heat?