May 2020 Activity

 Mid may we received a good rain.  Good rains are those that don't produce a lot of runoff and yet are more than the usual amount lost to evaporation the next day.  This rain was about six inches and ran through the pipe under the driveway,

Another bag of sunflower seeds bought from Tractor Supply, along with a bag of sweet feed.  Sweet feed seems like a better food for deer than corn.  Filled the bird feeder 12 times this month, between the birds and occasionally a squirrel and the raccoons at night, it disappears rapidly.

Deer twins are still hanging around.

One load of brush to the pile in back.

April 2020 Activity

 Mowed some of the land but stopped due to the presence of many birds that were flushed from the deep grass ahead of the mower.  They were either loafing or were eating seeds.  There are not many seeds to be eaten as they grass did not do well last year to produce any seed heads.

Waiting for the quail to start singing but have not heard any yet.

Moved the 30 gallon watering tub to downhill from the main water tank to make it easier to fill with a permanent hose running atop the ground from the water source to the tank.

Continuing to provide kitchen vegetable scraps to the deer to not only provide food, but to lessen the load on the garbage hauler, and at the same time adding to the humus should the deer not like the selection.  So far over the last few years, they turn their noses up on radishes and cucumbers.

We are not putting the rainfall record here because it is all recorded by a rain gauge 1000 yards from this location.

March 2020 Activity

 Hauled two loads of brush to the pile in front this time, as it was shrinking.  Feeding the cardinals and the titmice sunflower seeds while trying to keep the squirrels away from the feeder

Deer twins are still around.  No other wildlife observed other than the usual suspects of deer.  There is some evidence of a visit by raccoons as there are nose prints on the glass windows next to the front door. We think they come to the glass to chat with the cat.

Quiet month,

February 2020 Activity

 Even though we have received some rain, it is not nearly enough to saturate the ground preparing it for the hot summer months when we get little rain.

The (as many as) 6 deer show up for their scraps of vegetables from the kitchen.  This last spring we had twins born to one of the does, and those two have stayed together all this time and seem almost inseparable.  We simply call them the twins.

Observed a gray fox in the front yard and again in the back yard this month.

Noting that the fox is considered a predator, we have heard nothing of the coyotes for some time and presume that some local rancher is poisoning them.  Thats a shame as deer are more of a problem to the natural world than the coyote or the fox.

Deer don't appear to need special watering yet, so holding off on that.

Cardinal population is definitely down this year from last, all supported by the December bird count.

January 2020

 January started off with average conditions for wildlife, with just the amount of rain and normal temperatures.  Not much activity to be observed.  We see about four deer, all does, and no sign of any bucks as they are either hiding or dont yet realize that the hunting season is over.  We have not heard of any of our neighbors having a successful deer hunting season this year.

Cut some brush and hauled two scoops to the brush heap.  Its amazing how the brush heap keeps getting smaller, or at least staying the same size despite me hauling new loads to dump on top of it.  It would be interesting to know what might be using it for a den,

No sign of a cottontail so far this year, and no sign or sound from any ows.  We need to remember that we experienced a severe drought in this one spot of Hays County last year and that effect will roll on through in other ways in future time.

Bought one sack of sunflower seeds and six gallons of diesel fuel.