Affordable Housing

I have another dozen nest boxes waiting for the finishing touches of their construction.  Having been pressed for time they aren't going to be deployed for this year's crop of cavity nesting birds.  New design and cedar construction.  Affordable housing.

Next spring for sure.

Whilst I'm waiting on the local does to drop their fawns the local birds haven't let-up on their procreative activities.

I took a peek in a nest box the other day and found out what the tree swallows have been up to.

click on images to enlarge

Should have chicks anytime soon.

Waiting on the Fawns

None of the three trail cameras have captured any fawns just yet.

But I suspect that is about to change.

Check out this pregnant doe - she's about as wide as a barn!

click on image to enlarge the already large deer

Blooms!

Nothing like a normal spring, eh?

Last year the early warm weather followed by a cold snap clobbered the lilacs and the apple blossoms.  The result - hardly a fragrant lilac for a vase.  And no apples last year.

This year to blooms are making-up for lost time.

Check this out...

Click on blooms to enlarge

The apple trees are in their full glory.

And you know what they say when the lilacs bloom...

The crappie bite is on!

I think I'll take the boat out.

The Garden Chronicles

The main (raised-bed) garden is in!

Phaseolus vulgaris - #274 Blue Lake Green beans

 

This past weekend I finished direct seeding of a remaining row of beets and radishes, Blue Lake green beans, pickles, pumpkins, patty pan squash (with trellis) and some miniature melons that my pal Rottieguy gave me.

A couple of short rows in the kitchen garden - spinach and mixed leaf lettuce.

After the coming weekend I'll plant my potted and container plants - namely tomatoes, peppers, Swiss chard and kale.

It's all falling into place.

What could possibly go wrong?

The Proprietor

Sometimes even the proprietor deserves to be published.

Checking on a camera...

 

Hauling a spray tank of herbicide to defoliate a location for a food plot...

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Family Life

...amongst the local deer herd.

A deer grooming itself.

 And a couple of very pregnant does.

click on images to enlarge

 

Future Wallhanger?

He's looking a tad thin but he's still pretty muscular.

Antlers are starting to form...

click on images to enlarge

And Even More Deer

Nothing here to attract these whitetails.  All I did was position the camera on a well-worn game trail.

Four deer in one shot.

click on the deer mob to enlarge

I wonder how many were out of range or behind the camera...

Going to the Birds

It's flipping bird-crazy around here. 

Largest number of Baltimore orioles we've ever seen.  We've got two feeders out and we have to replenish them twice a day.  Been trying to get a nice photo but these birds are super skittish.  Just approach the window with camera in-hand and they're off!

On the other hand The Frau was able to walk right up to a Rose-breasted grosbeak on a feeder, whistle to me to approach and we both watched the bird from less than ten feet away.  Amazing.

And then there are the pair of cranes.

click on birds to enlarge

They've been hanging around the pond for a couple of weeks.  I wonder if we are going to be grandparents...

More Deer

In my humble opinion the deer population around here is too large.  Exceedingly large.

As evidence of that I submit these pictures of our cedars - totally munched.

And the smaller oaks (and any other hardwood for that matter) all the buds up to the height of a deer - gone!

And beaucoup photos of deer.  If you visit here there were 291 photos of deer taken over 15 days.  Sure, many were duplicates but the impression I have supported by physical and photographic evidence is too many deer.

click on deer to enlarge

This year brown is down.

You read it here first...

Scarface

Life in Dog Patch, USA.  Never a dull moment.

Sister ran into a tree tearing through the woods with Girlfriend on Saturday.  She's took a chunk of fur off of her forehead.  Right down to the next layer of dermis.  Looks like bad (thankfully small) road rash. 

click on Lab to enlarge

Keeping it clean, uncovered and dressed with Neosporin a couple -three times a day and at bedtime.

She doesn't seem to be too bothered by it.

If the fur doesn't grow back she'll be sporting a nice scar on her otherwise lovely face.

We're already referring to her as Scarface.

Dogpatch

Been living with three dogs lately which has made life pretty interesting.

click on canines to enlarge

From left to right - Girlfriend, Sister and Gilligan.

Death Comes to the Platz

Pardon the drama.

When out for a walk with the girls we found a pile of feathers on the main trail.

click on Lab to enlarge

No flesh.  Just feathers.  I cannot even be certain of what species of bird was the previous owner of the feathers.

Hawk, owl or coyote kill?

It's anybody's guess.  Only Death knows for sure...

Raggedy, Scraggly and Mangy Deer

Collected the SD cards from the three trail cameras yesterday.  They're all in new locations.  Had to hunt for the third because I had forgotten where I placed it two weeks ago.  Picture count numbered 36, 93 and 162 for a total of 291 photos over the course of 15 days.  All deer.

Not only have the trees on the farm been hammered by over-browsing by the deer - the post winter deer herd is looking pretty rough. 

click on images to enlarge

 

You can even see the pelvic bones poking through on this gaunt-looking deer.



This is as good a sign as any of a local deer population that is at carrying capacity.  With all the browse gone and unlikely to be replaced this year the deer are going to be stressed to the point of significant mortality.

Unless, of course, someone thins the herd this year.

Shake, Shake, Shake

Here's Girlfriend shaking her booty after a run through the creek.

click on Lab to enlarge

And Here's KC and the Sunshine Band shaking their booty.

Happy earworm to you...

More Deer

More deer in the heavy cover.

click on image to enlarge

I've moved all the cameras to three new locations.

It will be interesting to see what pictures I capture.

If I can remember where I left them...

Deer

Not as many deer on the cameras as a month ago.

I wonder why?

More tromping around?  More food sources emerging so the deer are dispersing?  Now that the weather is moderating they don't have to take cover in the pines?

Still catching a few of them on camera.

Like these.  How many deer in the second picture?

click on images to enlarge

Visitors

When I first saw this picture on the SD card of the trail camera I thought - What the hey!  Some guy I don't know out for a stroll with his wife or girl friend.  The nerve!

click on the rubber boots to enlarge

Then it occurred to me.  Possibly DNR personnel checking the evidence of seriously-bad deer damage to the trees on the property?

Nope. 

Trespassers!

The Big Dump

Just had another twenty yards of screened topsoil delivered.

Screening is critical inasmuch as Door County has precious little topsoil and much of it is full of rocks!

Landscaping projects this summer - planting, filling and seeding.  It'll be gone before too long...

Visitors

Not much escapes the patient and watchful eye of a trail camera.

Like Sid paying a visit and taking his hunting dogs out to stretch their legs...

click on image to enlarge

Opening the Flood Gates

Once the snow begins to melt and the frost is out of the ground things tend to get pretty soggy - quickly.  Add some precipitation and things rapidly get worse.  If enough debris builds-up at the crossing of Silver Creek a small lake forms as the water backs-up behind the jam of flotsam and jetsam.  For instance...

 

That's Braumeister slogging his way through the flood waters down at the creek.

 

So Six Deuce and I went down there with our tall rubber boots, a rake and pitchfork and cleared the jam.  Within minutes the water level in the creek had dropped a half foot and the lake receded.

 

click on images to enlarge

 

 

 



Turkey Hunter

A shot of yours truly trudging out to a turkey blind.

 

Only to sit almost all day long and not see a single bird.

After I'd left for home guess who cruises through where my blind was located...

click on image images to enlarge

Nuke The RCG

Ha!  I'll bet that title got your attention. He's talking about nuking the Republic of something that begins with the letters C and G.

Actually I'm referring to one of those rites of spring (and sometimes a rite of fall) namely spraying the reed canary grass with an herbicide.  Short form is Nuking the RCG.

I installed the fifteen gallon tank sprayer on the Polaris and filled it with water, 5+ cups of Rodeo concentrate and a blue turf dye.  Five cups in fifteen gallons of water give me an application strong enough to kill, Rodeo is labeled for wetland use and the turf dye is useful for keeping track of where you've sprayed.  Spring is good because the invasive RCG greens-up before most of the native grasses and forbs and is vulnerable because it stands out.

I've been rather diligent about this for a few years and the results are showing.  In areas that previously had been solid masses of RCG turf I now have only scattered remnants peeking thru.  Where RCG previously dominated there are now native plant like marsh marigold, sun drops and blue vervain. 

click on the four-wheeler to enlarge

Contrast

Contrast the current splendid weather with what was typical only a couple of weeks ago.

Wind, rain, snow and ice pellets!

click on the frozen hunter to enlarge

Blech!