All Right Already

After a rainy start to the day yesterday, the sun actually came out, setting the situation up for a real hammer and tongs of a thunder and wind storm in the afternoon.

Since it was nice for a few hours, we put down landscape fabric in the small garden I have kept for myself this year, having let the kids have all the big ones. They get ahead of me camp week.....

Then the biggie hit. We were at the kitchen window as it happened and watched a doe scuttle for cover under some heavy bushes and trees along the ridge. She looked like a little kid, hurrying to get out of the rain, head ducked, ears tucked, high stepping it as fast as she could. (This morning she was in the same spot...might be a fawn there...)

We were expecting our best hay customers at the time, but of course they waited until the worst was over to come, and rightly....who wants to mess with hay in the middle of a thunder storm?

Then, the phone rang. The boss was over at the barn and Liz was calling to let us know that our customers couldn't get here because there was a tree down in the driveway!

It was a big box elder, but these ladies are so intrepid that before the boss had time to even get the skid steer started they had broken off enough branches...by hand...to squeeze their truck through under it! Farm girls!

I am sad for all the folks around the country who are too darned dry and I apologize for this area having all your rain. Wish we could share.

Later in the day we hit the parks, which were pleasantly empty, and saw this little mama Common Merganser with what looked like either 11 or 12 babies. Boy, could they ever move! 

Today was the big find though. We went to Yankee Hill because there have been Brants seen and photographed there. There were plenty of Canada Geese, but nothing unusual.

On the way home I suggested we stop just for a couple of minutes at Lock 12 because you can see a lot of river there. I didn't even bother to start a list, although it is rich with birds, because the river was bare.

Then, just after I tucked my binoculars and camera into the case, 60 or so small, black, fast geese flew right in front of the car, singing a much different song than the Canadas do.

We found the Brants. Or they found us. Wish I had the camera out, but I did get a good look at them..binoculars first, camera second. That was a big deal for me I'll tell you.

Made my day!

from Northview Diary http://ift.tt/2rpBVpQ