Wildlife

 We have had a beautiful spring.  Our weather finally changed and our dry winter and early spring finally gave way to several weeks of rainy weather.  Several inches have fallen during May, and we are grateful for each one.  In the beginning, we saw days on end of drizzle and light showers which saturated our parched pastures.  Then in the last week or so, we have had downpours that finally put some water in our creek and stock ponds.  The lower tank is now running around the spillway and the upper pond is up appreciably.  Even though the wet weather has put a damper on Cody’s and my herding practice and some of our outside chores, we welcome it and hope for more.

We have been frustrated by the lack of progress on our barn.  There is still much to be done, but none of it can be accomplished until the electrician completes his work…and he hasn’t even started.  We have been given two explanations for the delays.  One is that construction is booming as we exit the pandemic and all the trades are busy.  Another is that many in the labor force choose to stay home and collect their government stimulus checks rather that go to work.  I don’t know the answer; I just wish our job would get to the top of someone’s list.

We are also still “in the process” of selling our home in Volente.  It has been on the market for two weeks, and we hope to have an offer in hand soon.  Maybe we’re supposed to learn to be more patient as a result of all this waiting…  If so, we’re getting plenty of practice.

One thing that keeps us entertained while we wait are visits from the numerous squirrels that share our spot here on the top of Goat Hill.  They are always lurking in the trees for a chance to visit one of the bird feeders.  This cute little girl-squirrel is especially persistent.

She has tried every approach imaginable to reach this feeder.

The Squirrel Patrol is vigilant, but whenever they chase her up the tree, she sits out of reach and scolds at the top of her lungs.  And, when they nap, she strikes.

I hate to lose the bird seed, but she does keep us amused.

As does the occasional turtle.

Another form of wildlife that is much more destructive are the bands of feral hogs that visit often.  They root in the coastal hay field and along the creek, causing a lot of damage.  We usually only catch glimpses of them at a distance, but last Sunday morning we got a much closer look.  We were taking a morning walk with the dogs along the east side of the creek that runs through our property.  As we approached our northeast property line, I looked to my left and saw a virtual pig parade.  About 50 yards in front of us, four or five large sows and a number of piglets (John says perhaps 20) made their way up from the creek and up the “mountain” on the east side of our property.  They trotted quietly along the fence line, never appearing concerned about us or our dogs.  The dogs showed little more interest in them, thank goodness.

When I downloaded photos from the game camera yesterday, I found these images.  

I don’t know how they got into the enclosure around the feeder, but thank goodness they aren’t tall enough to help themselves to the deer protein.  If so, pig eradication would be even higher on our list of projects!