Wings

The frist thing of note I spotted while installing the deer fence were these three wings.

From a Luna Moth. These moths are common in the yard, for the few weeks they are alive, but this is the first evidence I've seen of them this year. 

Maybe we need to get the moth light out ...

Deer Fence, the Sequel

We are so happy with how the deer fence worked out we've decided to do the rest of the yard. We started out by the quonset hut, and went across the back of the property, our border with the state forest.

Hard to see, but that is kinda the point, as we don't want a fence to be the focal point when out in the yard.

It was while clearing a path for this section when I found the roofing shingles.

This was a long stretch, so I added a gate to allow access to and from the back woods. It was very helpful when working on the fence itself. And it is near here, a few feet to the left, where I found the worm snake.

This is Max reading the instructions for assembling and installing the gate. How they got here, two days after the gate was installed well away from the path around the fish pond, is a mystery we may never solve. As to why Max is looking at them upside down, that's easy. Cats can't read.

This part is along the road, east of the septic mound, and connects to a section I added back in March, where I used the remaining fence from the initial installation. Now the entire east side of the property, to the 'front yard', is fenced. 

Well almost. I was one foot short. The orange cord securing the end of the fence to the last post tree.

Not to worry, that's another roll of fence, wrapped in blue. Under a gate to install where our driveway connects to our neighbor to the west's property, the horse farm. Once upon a time our two properties were part of a larger blueberry farm.

There are still two long sections of fence to install. And then we need to figure out what to put across the front yard, likely a split rail type fence. And then what to do with the driveway.

I better get to work ...

Quixotic

In my continuing quest to turn the front septic mound into a lush field of Carex pensylvanica, I ordered fifty more plugs from Pinelands Direct, during the Pinelands Preservation Alliance's annual spring deer food sale.*

And they delivered a hundred plugs. I guess it was buy one get one free? Perhaps I double clicked the "add to cart button"? No matter, I'll need them all. And then some.

The first thirty have been planted. The roofing shingles have proven to be very effective at killing the covered vegetation.

A couple days later the number of planted plugs is now sixty-five. I've also planted a dozen Blue-eyed Grass plants, moved from the edge of the road, before the township comes and mows them down (the mowing ended just up the road from us, I assume it will resume sometime next week after Memorial Day?). 

And now all one hundred plugs have been planted, and just before the rains came (again). If you look closely you'll also see a  Milkweed that I transplanted from elsewhere on the the mound.

But you can see that there is quite a bit of area for the sedges to expand into. And while the mound is mostly dry, it may be too sunny for the sedges to really thrive. Although they do seem to be doing ok. And have done quite well around out front door (which is behind me) which gets similar sun.

Even so, I might need to add a more aggressive spreading ground cover to the mix.

We'll see.

🦌  🌾  🦌  🌱  🦌

* For marketing reasons they call it a "Native Plant Sale", but they're fooling no one.

Empty Nests

Bird's Nests ... of the Fungal variety.

After the encounter with the Worm Snake, I came upon an outcrop of White-egg Bird's Nest fungi, sans white eggs.

All the nests were empty.

This is not surprising. Once mature, the eggs are knocked from the nest by raindrops. And we've had two rainy days this week (it was raining while I was out there working on the fence).

And there is plenty of downed trees and branches for the spores to take hold on.

Which is no doubt what happened here. Each of the white spots on the main trunk is an empty nest.

Keep looking down.

🍄  🍄  🍄  🍄  🍄

Yard Critter of the Week

Eastern Worm Snake, Carphophis amoenus amoenus.

A tiny snake.

That's it in my work gloved hand. 

I had my work gloves on because I was, wait for it, out working. Staking the bottom of the new section of deer fence. I moved a dead log, and something squirmed. A giant worm? No a Worm Snake! The first I've ever seen.

Here it is "hiding" under some debris. 

I put it in a small holding tank to get a good look at it. Note the pink worm-like underside.

I took my pictures, went inside and showed it to Patty, and then returned it back to where I found it and let it go.

It might be obvious, but these critters spend most of their time burrowed in the leaf litter, under rotting logs, or in the dirt. Most of their time is spent underground and out of view. Like worms in more way than one. And those earthworms are their primary prey.

🐍  🐍  🐍  🐍  🐍

You can find all of the Yard Critter posts listed here.

Mama Bandito

This is the view out my home office window, overlooking the deck, fish pond, out to the woods to the east.  The Redstart was in the Crabapple Tree in the upper right.

The large black rectangle in the lower left is the screen of my work laptop. The small square, just left of center above the deck railing, is a platform bird feeder. And no, that is not the optimal angle for it to be hanging.

Doesn't really seem to bother the birds though.

There is a yard critter who has figured out how to tip the feeder and dump out the goodies.

This critter:

A Northern Raccoon, getting a drink (I think) from the fish pond. I don't think it was after any fish nor the snakes. Up until the last few days it has been very dry around here (the first two images were taken Saturday morning, while it was raining).

Mostly nocturnal, it is unusual to see raccoons out during the day. As this one will flee if approached it is unlikely to be rabid. My researches found that nursing mothers will feed during the day. A likely explanation methinks.

And have I mentioned that if I have to work, (spoiler alert: I do), I much prefer working from home?

Other Flying Things Seen While Walking

Both with prominent green parts.

The Peafowl were out, and I could hear their vocalizations from down and around the bend. Alas, while noisy they were not showy. Always cool to see, showy or otherwise.

And there were plenty of these damselflies, Ebony Jewelwings, along the road. This one surprisingly cooperative, letting me get close enough with my phone to take this (un-cropped) image.

The rest of the walk was rather uneventful, one friendly Rooster excepted. I did hear, but not see, an Eastern Towhee. And there were a number of turtles that splashed away as I marched along the bog spillways. But other than that it was quiet. 

Which, as this was more an 'exercise' walk than a 'nature' walk was a good thing. I guess.

Snakes On The Rocks

Continuing the "Wildlife Out My Office Window" theme, I noticed what I thought was a snake by the fish pond. A common occurrence as the Northern Water Snakes have been hanging out in the filter boxen. 

I was wrong, it wasn't a snake.

It was two snakes. Northern Water Snakes. A female and male I believe, the female being the larger of the two.

And when I looked closer, I spotted a number of red mites. I count six on the female and one a rock in the image above. As there were a bunch more on the rocks, I'm not sure if they were afflicting the snakes or only wandering over them, just another type of rock as far as they were concerned. 

🕷  🕷  🕷

"So, naturalists observe, a flea has smaller fleas that on him prey; and these have smaller still to bite ’em; and so proceed ad infinitum." - Jonathan Swift

While trying to find out more about these mites I came upon the Parasite of the Day blog, specifically the page on Chiggers. I don't know if these are chiggers, although they do prey on reptiles. But I thought it was interesting, albeit a bit disgusting when you poke around there, that there is a Parasite of the Day blog.

Saying A While?

I've blogged about the migrant birds that pass through and sometimes stay in our yard. Some are not so easy to categorize though. Like this one.

An American Redstart. In this case an adult male. Females replace the orange feathers with yellow ones.

The maps show that we are in the breeding range. But we only see and hear these birds sporadically throughout the season. They choose nesting sights within, not on the edges, of woodlands. And prefer large tracks of forest. Leaving our place just outside prime territory. Still, they could be nesting out in the back woods.

For now, we'll just have to enjoy their irregular visits.

New and Improved! (Improvements Not Included)

I received the following email not too long ago.

Straight up marketing BS.

The key point as it pertains to this blog, is that some time after July, there will no longer be emails of the posts. 

I don't know how many people subscribe, although apparently I can download a list and find out. Not that it would do me all that much good, as I've investigated and all I could find was paid services to replace what Google is taking away as part of its 'modernization' efforts.

Now you could use a RSS reader to get updates when they happen. But that's another thing to check in addition to email. And of course you can visit the blog directly, go ahead and set it up as a favorite if you haven't already.

But neither is a easy and convent as email. 

Thanks Google!

(It seems to be a theme with them.)

Reflections

There is quite a bit going on in the image below.

I took it through a window in what is now our home office. The window is double paned, resulting in double internal reflections, which are most obvious with the deck railing posts, the white vertical "stripes". 

On the left, below the taillight and over the gas tank door are direct reflections of computer cables, repeated again a bit further to the right.

And of course, there is the passenger side mirror.

And then, the reflection in the car door. Of the subject that prompted me to take the picture in the first place.

An Attack Turkey. One of two.

It was actually this one which caught Patty's attention. As it was on top of her car. Alas, by the time I got the camera it had made its way down. 

After which it headed over to attack my car.  By then  I was outside to chase them away.

That was yesterday. Today Patty went out and washed her car, making it even more reflective. Just to torture the turkeys methinks.

Walking Buddy

For reasons still not quite clear to me, I, along with Patty and five other family members*, are planning to hike up to the top of Mt St Helens. And back down again, later this summer.

It is a ten mile round trip.

So to prepare, this morning I went for a walk around the block. 

I turned right out of our driveway. I then made the first for lefts. And nine plus miles later I was back at that driveway.

It's a big "block". And unlike Mount St. Helens, very flat.

And as I was in the final quarter mile I heard something running up from behind. I dog I thought.

Nope.

A Rooster.

As you can see it came right up to me. As if I was a long lost friend.

After a couple of hundred yards or so, when it became obvious I didn't have any food, it tired of my company. Or the journey. Or both. But instead of turning around it just wandered off into the woods.

Our neighbors, if you can call them that, on both sides of us, as well as others down the road, have chickens. Most of which are free range. So this fellow could be from anywhere around here. I hope he found his way home before the rains came.

~~~~~~~~~~

* Patty's brother and her nephew Stephen. My brother-in-law Steve and his son and daughter. 

43% Steve's.

Good For Nothing

We've been enclosing more of the yard with deer fence, and part of the process involves hanging the fence from the line with clips, prior to permanently securing it.

Clips like this:

Look carefully at the "Caution" section on the right side (the back of the package). 

Specifically this line [emphasis added]: "DO NOT use this accessory for load carrying, overhead lifting, or in any application."

????

🤨  🤔  😵‍💫  🤔  🤨

I ignored the caution and used them will installing the fence. They held. 

As apparently did my luck.

Relaxing Rabbit

It has been a bit on the warm side of late. And even the critters are feeling the heat. Like this Eastern Cottontail outside my window, resting in the cool clover.

A friend and (one time) rabbit keeper told me that a rabbit in this relaxed pose feels safe and secure. And judging how they react when I'm out in the yard, they feel pretty comfortable with me about. 

There are several that call our yard home, each with its own comfort zone, five feet being the closest at least one will allow me to approach.

Perhaps to comfortable in our presence, as they have replaced deer as garden menace number one.

Time for a rabbit fence? 

Just Lost

Sometimes a migrant bird gets lost. Maybe they should have stopped and asked for directions. 

Now, we, and our friend Terry (actually both of them) live in New Jersey. And a quick look at a globe will confirm that NJ borders that Atlantic Ocean.

So it is a bit of a surprise when this bird ...

Image courtesy Terry Lodge

... a Pacific Golden Plover appears in these here parts.

Image courtesy Terry Lodge

It is not clear why birds veer so far off course. Maybe that part of the brain responsible for navigation is mis-wired. Maybe a storm blows them off their path. Maybe the just want to explore and see new places (yeah, probably not this).

But the discovery of such a wanderer causes another migration of sorts. That of birders from the surrounding area to the site where the wandered was found. The rarer the bird, the greater this secondary migration.

And so it was that Patty and Terry found themselves driving down to the Jersey shore. Where they got to see this bird.

The happy duo.

Image courtesy Patty Rehn

These two, who both work in grammar schools, got to see the bird. I, who still had a couple hours of my work day left, got to do a blog post.

Not to worry, I've seen this bird. Twice. Once in Hawaii. And once on Tatakoto,  an atoll in French Polynesia, where I also saw this.

Staying for a While

Not all migrants are just passing through.

Some, like this Eastern Phoebe, decide that our yard is the place to end their migration.

To build a home.

And raise a family.

It seems they really like it here.

Zombie Tree Update

The Willow Tree, and parts thereof, continue to sprout.

This is the main trunk, resurrected, and sprouting leaves.

The stumps are also doing well.

It will be interesting to see how this progresses.