Meanwhile, Back at the Farm

It’s spring, and nature replenishes itself. We try to help any way we can. Mostly, we try to provide the plants and animals with their appropriate habitat. In the bee yard new queen bees are emerging from their cells in the mating nucleus hives. Elsewhere, signs of wildlife and domestic creatures can be seen all about the farm. Wild Canada geese guard their hidden nests. Wary wood ducks enter their nesting boxes then are rarely seen. Screech owls occupy other wood duck boxes and raise their young in them. Great Blue Herons can be seen any day. The Ross’s goose seems to have enjoyed her winter’s stay and decided to skip the flight to the arctic. The American coot is getting comfortable on the lake bank by the queen bee mating yard. Guinea fowl regularly check out the queen bee evaluation yard. The Cooper’s hawk will fly under a parked truck to ambush a sparrow.

Rita holds an hours-old domestic goose, the first to hatch this season. The predators seemed to have taken an exceptional toll this past winter. It’s time for replenishment.
--Richard