May 2018 Activity

Weeks 18,19,20, 21, 22

Bluebirds are raising a batch of birds.  Important now to see that they have water, because the rain has been really short so far.
Water in the feeder tanks disappears each night, so we are getting a lot of visitors at night at the troughs.
See only 2 to 3  deer on occasions. No fawns observed yet. (early part of  May).
Painted buntings have arrived.  One pair has always nested in the area for the past 8 years.
There must be a fawn nesting somewhere close by as a doe keeps moseying around the area to the north in the middle of the day.
No mowing, in fact if we don't get some rain, there may be any mowing soon.
Watering new oak trees on regular occasions as we need the acorn production in future years.

April 2018 Activity

Weeks 14,15,16,17 of 2018

Holding off from mowing the greater portion of the grassland.  The winter grass is doing well, but I need to see some progress of the warmer season grasses before I mow.  We always need the seed and so it has to develop and mature.

Two more loads of brush to the pile nearer the road.  This is a small pile located in the brushy area and may not offer good refuge as the larger pile to the west.  Will have to evaluate it to see if it is worth continuing to build it.

Since the 2 inches of rain in March,  we have had no other rain to amount to any good.  Soil is looking dry and the grass is not developing.

Quail have arrived.

Bluebirds are staying, purple martins never show up.  Barn swallows make many passes in the area, but the phoebes drive them off.  Next to the mocking bird, these small birds are quite domineering.

Not much show from the 4 footed creatures such as skunk, raccoon and possum.

March 2018 Activity

I have modified the format so that there is posting of activity for the whole month, as it has seemed that there was not enough activity to make it worthwhile for a weekly posting.

Weeks 10,11,12,13 in March 2018

Seven large cactus plants pulled out and stacked on the brush pile.  All these were taken out of the area to the west of the gully where the grass has more trouble than it does to the east side of the gully.

This area was really "beat up" when we first excluded the cattle from the area.  The grass was so poor that the first Ag appraiser thought maybe that there was only rock on this hillside, that is, the soil was so thin that it would not support grass.   Now, 5 years later, the grass is making a good comeback and looks pretty good.  That's the reason for a bit more care to remove some of the cactus.

It is important to not remove all the cactus however, because these established stands of cactus provide good cover, especially for birds in the winter.

No quail sounds yet

All the kitchen vegetable scraps are going to the deer for feed, cutting back on the sweet feed.

Looks as if the bluebirds will nest in the box.  THIS IS A FIRST FOR THIS SITE.  It would be interesting to know why they nested here, in this new box, and never nested in any of the boxes in the past 7 years.

Nothing in the purple martin house yet.  It would appear that purple martins do not find enough bugs in the area to make this there home.

Lots of bees on the rosemary bushes.

Had two inches of rain---needed it.