Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Orioles-0, Hummingbirds....lots!


Well the Orioles have come through and left on their way to the nesting areas. Many more hummingbirds this year, than in years previous. Two feeders are continuously used and fought over. I was able to see the hummingbird courtship, it consist of the male flying a semi-circle in front of the female. It is almost a perfect mathematic 1/2 circle. The female makes her choice based on her impression of the circle. The males are quite vocal during this display.

The bee's are being extremely productive and we may be able to harvest honey this year. It often takes a year to harvest in order to leave enough honey for the bees to survive the winter. We have sampled some honey and boy is it good!! Pastures are coming along nicely this year. Each year we have more and more grass that is replacing the weeds. It's amazing how keeping the pastures mowed will decrease the weed population dramatically. I will tell you that I am looking forward to not having to mow but it is nice to see all the grass coming in. The cool spring has allowed the cool weather grasses to come to seed, something they have not done since I have been here.

Looks like we might have a few more calves this spring also.

I have given up on keeping the border collie from chasing the horses, as you can see by the picture the horses activelly seek out this pastime! I think that often the horses enjoy chasing the dog as much as she likes to chase them!