Jason closes his journal... Thanks!! I love you!!

[TanksHill]

Oh, thank heavens I though it was just my eyes.

 

[modern_pioneer]

Gosh, I sure love all that flat ground you have!!!

Have a great day!!!

I know, lol, this whole conversation is up hill from here.

Making due with what I have, but I am making it better because I can.

Ok -How did you make that "crazy" go upside down?

A. I think I yelled at it and it got scared, and tried to run from me?
B. It was crazy in the first place, and did its own thing?
C. I couldn't spell crazy and sounded it out backwards?

 

[modern_pioneer]

IW I found the link where I turned it upside down. I hadn't book marked it, so here you go.

http://www.flipmytext.com/

Yesterday evening while doing watering rounds, I was heading up to the pond area. I shut the tractor down to look at my fruit trees. When something caught my eye moving in the pond, I looked over, there were two ducks/loons swimming together.

They were a navy blue color and the male had some red and white stripped markings on his head and neck. When they saw me, zoom they took off.

They weren't very large birds maybe 2.5 or 3 pounds each. The female had a darker head, and looked a few shades darker than the male. They had short wing spans, and were shaped like footballs. They made calls while taking flight, and continued until they were out of sight.

I am going to carry my camera up there to see if I can get a photo if they return.

What kind of ducks or loons could they be?

I built a fence in front of my shop last year, and just tilled some dirt, planted some morning glories. I have reworked those flower beds this year, although they don't look very pretty, the will serve for their function.

Today, Josh and I strung up the cross wires for the grapes, raspberries and black berries. It wasn't very tough work, but I could tell I am coming out from the winter now. Though it wasn't very hot, somewhat humid, the sun just seemed to drain my energy. I made sure to eat and I always have some water or iced tea with me to drink. The task just got completed when we were hit by a down pore from a weather system.

After dinner, Danielle wanted to see the progress we had made, she was pleased to see that I was able to get the whole project done in just a few hours. No matter how little, having those extra set of hands was great. I had to run back to the feed store to pick up one more turnbuckle, I treated Josh to a cold pop and a snack cake for helping me.

I have very nice strawberrys coming in now, Josh scoped one out that is the size ping pong ball, its still green not ready to turn white, I wonder how big it will get?

I look forward to tomorrow as the weather is to be a great and getting back in the garden. I will have lots of pics to share.

 

[freemotion]

Jay, they aren't likely loons, but if they are......SO COOL! Loons are shy and avoid humans. They need a good length of open water to get themselves airborne, and they will make a little hooty noise when doing that. Their call is very unique and haunting, unmistakable. I haven't had the opportunity to watch or hear loons in many years. There are some on a small lake near my parents, and I used to ride my horse there on occasion just to hear the loons. It was very remote and hard to get to, even on horseback, so I didn't get there too often.

I hope you have time to do a google search and let us know what they are.

 

[modern_pioneer]

I remember the sounds of the Loons from the movie On Golden Pond, but wasn't sure if all Loons sounded the same.

But today while doing some work in the garden, I saw them fly in from the south and land in the pond. So I quietly went back to the house, grabbed the camera to sneek up and get a photo. I saw only the male at first, when the flah went off, he mad the noise again and they flew off again. Very skiddish these ducks.

I had my camera on full zoom, and used my editing software to zoom in a little more, 4:1 ratio. I would say these are a pair of Wood Ducks.

But they seem to have a lot more blue than the photos I have seen. The female is almost fully cobalt blue, and her head is darker.

Pretty birds, wish they'd stay around for a while.

 

[MorelCabin]

Very nice place you have there! I like the cucumber trellis over to the side of the garden...I gotta make me some of those! They would also make great "row covers' if covered in plastic sheeting!

We have alot of loons here, I absolutely adore that haunted sound they make in the evenings. I sleep with the window open just to hear them call out to each other. \The neighbors make loons nests from old tires and mesh stretched across, hay on top, and float them out in the bay. It attracts a pair every year.

 

[Aidenbaby]

You do have a very lovely property.

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

Yes, those are definitely wood ducks! My husband wants a pair (I keep saying No, imagine that! lol) because he thinks they are the most beautiful ducks ever. I prefer Mandarin ducks.

If they are there and continue to be there for several days, I would suspect they have a nest and have decided to make your pond their summer home, so you might get your wish! They just might stay awhile and surprise you with babies!!

 

[modern_pioneer]

Are skiddish by nature?

Thanks Morel and Aid, its not much, but it is my little piece of ever evolving Mother Earth. It makes my soul feel good to see all the nice things I have done here over time. I find that planning over years has helped me not to take on too much at one time. I use to have a bad habit of starting 5 projects and none ever seemed to get finished. So I made a 5 year plan of the changes that I wanted to do.

Quail, I have been looking into these ducks today.

For your husband... http://www.ducks.org/media/Conservation/Conservation_Documents/_documents/duck_box_plans.pdf

Now I do have a tree with lots of wood pecker holes in it and now wonder if they are living there? I think it might be time to get the game camera out and see whats going on in the wee hours of the morning.

Thats another point to make about birds that live on my property, I am not short of Woodpeckers. I think I just might have the largest population in the western pa area, LOL...

 

[MorelCabin]

Ugh! Woodpeckers! When we lived in our last house we knew spring was here by the sound of that INSANE woodpecker that used to bang on our metal radio tower right on the other side of our bedroom wall at 5 am! I used to hate that thing oooohhh so bad! All summer it did it's thing and I swear the thing flew away as soon as it heard the front door open cause we never once saw it!