All posts in Our Farm

One autumn, several years ago, we found a wee baby snapping turtle.  He had hatched from his leathery egg not long before.  What a fascinating little creature!

We liked to turn him over and see his shell in the shape of a vest underneath.  He was a friendly little guy, and seemed to enjoy all the attention he was getting.

How do you do, handsome Little Snapper?

Some day you will grow big, but for the moment, you are just my size.

Come sit on my lap and lets be friends.

We called this visit “All creatures great and small” because – look who we found next.

A giant of a toad!

Grumph.  No, I most certainly will NOT sit on your lap.

Thank you very much.

And you shan’t sit on mine.

Farewell.

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Penny is perched here on our front porch with her binoculars, glassing that big tree across the road.

Because it was in this very tree that we saw an eagle perching recently.

Yes, a real live eagle that lives nearby.

Here, in the pictures I took then, you see him high in that same tree, flanked by crows that were there to pester him.

By zooming in as far as I could with my camera I was able to capture him like this…

Wow, MAJESTIC!!

“of lofty dignity; stately; grand.”

Here is a video I took as he sat there on that windy day, with those crows pestering him.  It is so amazing to see him alive and responsive.  Just look at that beak!

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By reading the Sibley Guide to Birds, we learn that a bald eagle can be 31″ in length, have a wing span of 80″ (nearly 7 feet), and weigh 9.5 lbs.  It can take 4-5 years to acquire adult coloring – that is the white head and yellow beak.

Not far from our house at the Wildlife Refuge there is a nesting eagle.

My parents love to take part in watching and monitoring this nest.

They took these following pictures over there.

Though in that previous picture, the nest looks almost like another weed head, it really is a huge structure far up in that tree.

This nest originally was an osprey nest, a rather loose and bulky affair, but as the eagles arrive in our area first from their winter migration, this pair claimed the nest and added their own touches to fill it out.

Adult male and female eagles look alike and take turns sitting on the eggs.

Usually two eggs are laid.

Did you see that little head poking up?

Keeping the little ones fed is a full time job as they grow.

Here is what the Refuge looks like this time of year as we watch the buds swell on the trees.  Soon the green will come.

If you look over at this row of pine trees, you will see that I boxed in the location of the eagles’ own original nest.

Since the eagles have moved to larger quarters,

someone else took up residence in this vacated nest…

Now, what do you think of that?  A Canada Goose!

I looked that up in The Sibley Guide to Bird Life & Behavior and found that though Canada Geese often nest on the ground, they do at times choose unusual nest sites such as old eagle or osprey nests.

My, my!  Dad says that the little goslings better watch out for that first step, its bound to be a BIG one.

Almost Majestic.

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*****

“You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians,

and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”

Exodus 19:4

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Spring has officially begun, but here in Western New York, the landscape in March still looks a little bleak.  What really lets us know that spring is on its way are the smells and sounds that are awakening after a snowy winter.

I took Penny exploring one morning recently and together we enjoyed gazing across the hills and poking about in the hedgerows.  Penny found this little hooked branch that looked as if it was meant for her to sit in.  Not quite a swing, but rather fun just the same.

We found many fun places to explore, piles of rocks, aging wood, and the morning sunshine streaming through secret paths.

It is thrilling to see that the tree buds are swelling, they hold delightful promise of greenery soon to come.

Then under this evergreen, Penny spotted a fallen robin’s nest from last year.  We love robins; they are returning now as a welcome sign of spring.

We also love to watch for the coming of the pussy willows!

Pardon my gloves in the picture.

The snowdrops are the first flowers to show themselves, then crocuses too.

Hello pretty robin in the maple tree, won’t you sing us your sweet song?

Later, I planted the first box in the garden with the early seeds of beets, carrots, swiss chard and such.  The silkie chickens are my inspectors, keeping a close eye on what I’m up to.  It was warm enough to leave my coat off, and no freezing fingers, yay!  Its time to get the rest of the garden weeded, don’t you think?

As I worked the geese were flying overhead.

The hillside looks grey but color is coming soon.

I like this shot of the geese in air as they “honk, honk, honk” overhead!!

Rustic beauty.

But winter reminds us that it isn’t far gone.  Just a few days after our hike, we had freezing rain.

It really was pretty coating everything, even the old weeds.

And ice covered crabapples are pretty too.

But never you fear, spring is really here…

Bless the Lord, O my soul.  O Lord my God, Thou art very great;

The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Thy works.

The trees of the Lord are full of sap,  … the birds make their nests:

He appointed the moon for seasons; the sun knoweth his going down.

O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! … the earth is full of Thy riches.

Thou renewest the face of the earth.

The Lord shall rejoice in His works.

I will sing unto the Lord…my meditation of Him shall be sweet.

Praise ye the Lord.

(Little snippets of the beautiful Psalm 104)