John and I teamed up with Allan and Jef and our Cousin Eric for a red-hot Valentine’s Day Weekend. Feeling confident after our prescribed burn a couple of weeks ago, we filled the drip torches and the water tanks on the back of the tractor and gator and over two days did two more prescribed burns on the small pasture between the creek and the goat shed, and extending between the road and the southwest border of the coastal Bermuda field.
John and Allan were the “igniters,” and Jef, Eric and I were the “suppressors.” We had a couple of exciting moments when the blaze threatened to move into the coastal Bermuda field, but Jef and the tractor laid down a wet line inside the fence, and I followed in the gator to take care of any errant flare-ups. John’s well-laid burn plans worked well, and we destroyed lots of briars and small, invasive gum bumilia saplings.
We weren't the only ones pleased with the results of our efforts. After we completed the burns and were walking the area, we saw this beautiful American kestrel perched in a tree overlooking the pasture. He took advantage of the reduced vegetation to go hunting, and swooped down several times in pursuit of prey on the ground.
It was a good day!
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