Blue Heron Farm Alpacas
Nancy Clark
Blog
Avian Update
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Well, the two sitting guineas finally gave up and abandoned their eggs, which I quickly removed. But there are two new batches of eggs, thus far un-sat-upon, one in their stall and one in the alpaca stall, so we may still eventually get keets to inhabit my put-together-too-late brood pen. On Monday, I noticed there were only six guineas, and on Tuesday I found Dolly guarding a body. I don't think she's the culprit, though she can be a bird-chaser, because she and the flock have been happily cohabiting for more than a year. If she were a murderer, wouldn't she have struck sooner? But if we've got a possum or a fox prowling about, I do wish the dogs would do something about it! Today, I only saw five, but it is raining so perhaps one is taking cover.
The nesting pair of geese and their four surviving offspring took off for places unknown about a month ago, but before they left, they were joined at the pond by three others. At first, the resident family was quite stand-offish, but eventually they all mixed and mingled. And then poof! Only the three interlopers remained. For a week or ten days there were also regular visits from dozens of other geese -- I counted 28 one day and hoped they weren't planning to move in -- and then one day they were all gone. Not a single goose to be seen for more than a week. Headed south? It seems a little early since the temperature hovers in the 90s. Perhaps they've gone north to escape the heat!
So the blue heron and the snowy egret have the pond all to themselves, and here's the proof. (It is particularly difficult to sneak up on the the heron to get a decent picture. He -- or she -- inevitably takes to the air the minute I open the gate to the pasture. Shy creatures.)
The nesting pair of geese and their four surviving offspring took off for places unknown about a month ago, but before they left, they were joined at the pond by three others. At first, the resident family was quite stand-offish, but eventually they all mixed and mingled. And then poof! Only the three interlopers remained. For a week or ten days there were also regular visits from dozens of other geese -- I counted 28 one day and hoped they weren't planning to move in -- and then one day they were all gone. Not a single goose to be seen for more than a week. Headed south? It seems a little early since the temperature hovers in the 90s. Perhaps they've gone north to escape the heat!
So the blue heron and the snowy egret have the pond all to themselves, and here's the proof. (It is particularly difficult to sneak up on the the heron to get a decent picture. He -- or she -- inevitably takes to the air the minute I open the gate to the pasture. Shy creatures.)
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