Almanac

Not one of our hay fields, but it might as well be

Yesterday I was watching the resident Red-tailed Hawk pair with their youngster. The adults slowly spiraled higher and higher into the sky with the young one following them, keening wildly, feed me, feed me, feeeeeeeed meeeeee......

Suddenly a large..... and I do mean large...... raptor flew into view over the neighbor's tree. I could not believe my eyes. It was an Osprey, flying just at treetop level and peering slowly back and forth at the ground. I know it's been wet but WOW! What kind of fish was it looking for in our yards and fields I wonder....

It was low enough and close enough for me to look right into its bright yellow eyes. Simply stunning.

Not an Osprey....just a gull

Meanwhile, up in the hay field where the boss was tedding some sadly doomed hay the Red-tails were hunting...and catching...baby rabbits. Hooray for them!

That is not the only hunting going on.

All week long I've been watching a Grey Catbird eating ground bees at a nest out by the Mugo Pine. We are much plagued by these aggressive little horrors and we watch carefully for their nest locations. Liz once ended up making an emergency trip to the hospital when a mare she was riding put her nose in a nest we hadn't seen......

This particular nest seemed busy one day and nearly deserted a few days later..... 

The catbird showed me why, spending ages perched right on the bare ground where the tunnel is, snapping up bees one after another. He comes back several times a day to eat more and more of them. I hope he finds the nests along the driveway....

Speaking of hay, I just don't know how we are going to put up enough baled hay for our own stock let alone to sell. The daily weather forecast is about as accurate as a fortune teller on the back lot at a third rate circus. The boss had some beautiful stuff mowed, tedded, and ready to rake and bale for today, then we got an ungodly downpour yesterday. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if that Osprey found a carp or two right on the lawn....

It is getting worrisome.

from Northview Diary http://ift.tt/2v33hVW