Month: March 2018

The calendar says it’s spring, but it seems that the weather doesn’t agree. It’s barely—and only briefly—been above 50 since my last post (about 10 degrees below the average high), and we’ve had rain, sleet, and snow. Nonetheless, the songbirds are singing, doves are courting and mating, and the tom turkeys are gobbling. I just saw these three trying to impress the little hen. (Later this spring the toms will be in full display.)

The turkeys and deer still come to eat, and I sometimes get a video. This was taken on one of the cold and snowy days, and there was quite a crowd!

Springtime for the deer means they are looking shabby as they lose their winter coats. Some of the does are beginning to “show;” fawns will be born beginning May, although their moms will keep them hidden. I usually see the first fawns in early-to-mid June. This doe seems much bigger than the others; I don’t know if that means she’ll give birth early, or if she’s carrying more than one fawn.

Spring flowers are beginning to appear in the Hollow, and I’m working on a post about them. Here’s hoping that spring weather will arrive soon!

 

It’s been a while since I posted—and a while since I rambled. (Even the two photos above were taken from just outside my car, and not on a walk.) You should know from previous posts that the weather doesn’t usually keep me from walking, and it hasn’t been the weather that has kept me inside. I was taking care not to get sick before a visit with family in Roswell, New Mexico. I didn’t get much rambling done there, either, and left from the local airport early yesterday morning.

The Roswell International Air Center is located on the former Walker Air Force Base. While these days it is used to store and disassemble old airplanes, it played a big part in the 1947 “Roswell UFO Incident“. This short Smithsonian video gives a good description of what goes on these days.

It’s been snowing off and on all day, and I never made it out for a ramble. (I did feed the deer and Tom the turkey, but I didn’t get any photos. And, in case you’re wondering, one of the neighbors made sure all the animals were fed while I was gone—although I don’t know if he sang to them.) 🙂

Here is a photo of the deer I took last week after feeding. You can see that some are resting to chew their cuds, and others are grazing or hoping I will throw more apples. I shot this video of Tom the turkey the same day.

I plan to get out for a ramble tomorrow, and then I’ll let you know what’s new in French Broad Hollow.

I got my ramble in after the last post (after feeding the deer, who were still a bit wet from the rain). After rambling to the top of the ridge, I spotted a few of the deer in the woods on the way down to the river, watching to see if I was going to feed again. One of them was still lying there when I walked back up. (It’s hard to see them in these photos, but give it a try! I had the advantage of hearing them on the way down.)

It snowed the next two mornings, but it wasn’t much and melted soon after the sun rose above the trees. Wednesday it was so windy that the snow was blowing sideways, and I decided not to walk. Wednesdays I get home from my volunteer job later than the usual feeding time, and the deer are usually waiting, sometime impatiently.

Most of the roads in the Hollow are gravel, and the rain and snow have taken their toll. One of the culverts had to be replaced after it began to collapse.

There has been some preliminary work around the new house-to-be. They dug some holes for a “perc” test. They chained the backhoe to a tree—not to keep it from being stolen but, rather, to keep it from rolling away down the hill. There’s a post marking the house site (or something), but I have no idea what the painted marking on the road mean.

The rain makes the trains so loud that sometimes it sounds like they are coming into the Hollow. Listen here.  I prefer hearing the birds singing; here are a couple of examples: birds singing near the driveway, birds singing near Dark Hollow gate.  And the Dark Hollow gate is where I take these ending photos.

 

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It’s been a while since the last post. A combination of unseasonably warm weather, outdoor chores, and other responsibilities kept me away from the computer. I had planned to post a few days ago, but my internet was out for most of the day. Today it is cold and rainy—a great day for catching up! (Of course, I hope to get in a ramble if the rain stops soon.)

The deer and one lone turkey continue to visit. The turkey  pecks around and makes quite a racket when he goes for the corn in the pan. Watch here!

The deer aren’t so noisy when they eat. Deer eating  It’s fun to watch them come when I call; you can watch, too. I just looked out the window; some deer and the turkey are waiting already (although it’s earlier than the usual feeding time). How many can you see?

It’s stopped raining, too, and I think I’ll sneak in a little ramble in the mud—after an early feeding. 🙂 I hope to write more soon.

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