Sunday, March 6, 2022

A Taste of Spring

Strange weather for early March.  Saturday was 75 degrees and Sunday is a washout.  I took advantage of the warm, dry weather on Saturday to get a few chores done. I got the pumpkin patch and part of the prairie plot bush-hogged. 

Prairie plots (warm season grasses) are best when periodically burned.  It keeps out the progression of bushes and trees.  As I've already shown, I'm a bit of a hazard with fire.  To do it properly, you need permits and an experienced fire crew.  I got some advise from a DNR rep that, in the absence of fire, it is best to mow 1/3 of the plot in the winter dormant season to help suppress that progression.  
Speaking of fire, this appears to be the only real damage from my loss of containment a couple weeks ago.  These trees have developed brown needles in the heat affected zone.  I don't know if they will regenerate.

I try to keep the pond dam cleared of growth.  It is amazing how fast it comes back.  This section is too risky to get with the tractor.  I'm going to have to get in here by hand one of these days.
I went for a walk to look for sheds.  No luck at all.
No shortage of buck evidence.
Everywhere that I looked, there were trees down.  The combination of the ice storm and the wind has taken a toll.

On the walk, I came across this tree.  Our grandkids were with us at the start of the pandemic and we memorialized that event here.
Last week, Joan and I noticed the overnight disappearance of seed from the bird feeders. She suggested that I put on a camera on the feeders to see who the culprit might be.
No surprise.  Between now and green-up, it's tough times for the deer.
These feeders were empty but they are still coming in to check.
A pair of bobcats!  I really don't know much about them but I thought that they were solitary except for the breeding season.  I guess it might be time.


The ever-present coyotes.
Three of them in this shot.
I think that is a turkey on the edge of the frame.  This was the only turkey shot this week.
Nice stop action of bird in flight.  Robin?
As always, lots of doe movement.


Some bucks have lost some antlers.
But others are still looking intact.





This shot is a little older.

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