French Broad River after Tropical Storm Fred (18 August 2021)
It’s been a long time since my last post. Actually, that seems to be a pattern. and I’m not sure why. I don’t know if it’s because I haven’t had the time or that I haven’t had much to write or that I simply haven’t felt like sitting down to the computer. Maybe a bit of all three. And part of it may be the weather–I started this yesterday but had to shut down the computer when it started thundering.
Ah, yes, the weather. Tropical Storm Fred dumped over 4″ of rain here in the Hollow. Other places nearby got much more. As you can see above, the river was so high that there weren’t even ripples over the rocks. Other than that, it’s been up and down since my last post.
French Broad River 23 July and 27 August 2021
What about critters? Well, I had finished my walk and was headed toward the house on the morning after my last post when a rather large black bear crossed the road ahead of me. I quickly snapped the photo then began sounding my air horn. I kept sounding it intermittently until I lost sight of the bear in the tall brush in the meadow, then I quickly–and cautiously–walked to the house. (I couldn’t run uphill on a gravel road at the end of my walk.) Fortunately, there was no sign of a bear visit there, but I kept my eyes peeled until I learned that a neighbor had seen it headed away. That’s the first photo.
The second photo was sent by a different neighbor just a couple of weeks ago. We had just finished chatting as they drove down when they called to tell me that a bear was not far behind me! I never saw it, but that was another cautious and quick walk home!
It looks to me like the deer have plenty to eat in the meadow and woods, but they seem to prefer the corn and apples I feed them. I never know how many will be waiting for breakfast, sometimes impatiently! Dolly occasionally tries to stick her head in the bucket as I walk down, and Fuzzy paws (hoofs?) at the feeding pan if she thinks I’m taking too long to fill it. Jenny and her two fawns are almost always waiting in the meadow, although the fawns run away or hide in the tall brush.
I still don’t know how many fawns are in the herd(s). A little one appeared just this week, while the older ones are losing their spots. I sometimes seen one that appears to be alone when I walk, and I wonder if it’s an orphan or simply curious.
The young bucks Flopsy and Muley hang out with their moms and their 2021 fawns, but the other young bucks are more of a gang. If they’re nearby, they come running when I feed, although the does are still the bosses.
I’ve been at this most of the afternoon and really want to get it posted today, so here are the views of Dark Hollow:
I started this post last week and have included what I wrote then at the end.
July 5
Judging from the number of views on my YouTube channel, only a few of you are interested in watching the day-by-day videos of the river and Dark Hollow, so I’ve decided to post the image comparison of the first and last days only.
French Broad River
If you could follow me as I ramble most mornings, you might see me watching the woods for a deer, stopping to listen to birds (and sometimes using the new Sound ID feature of Merlin Bird ID from the Cornell Lab), stalking a butterfly, talking softly to a rabbit or maybe a deer near the road, or just marveling at the beauty of nature. Until this week, you would NOT have seen me stop in my tracks because of a bear headed toward me on the same road! We just looked at each other, and it went down the hill into the woods before I could take a photo.
Oh! You’d also see me looking for box turtles in puddles in the ditch and the stream. Sometimes they’re buried in the mud so much that it’s hard to even see them!
Although there appears to be plenty for the deer to eat (including the phlox and other flowers in my garden!), several are waiting to be fed almost every morning. The young bucks born last year are especially eager, but the mama does often chase them away.
And yes, there are fawns—at least two, maybe three. I know that Spooky and Jenny each have one one, and I think one of the more skittish does may have twins.
It makes me smile to watch them play.
Fawns at play
I started this post last week because I hoped that writing it would help get it out of my mind, and it did help some. Here’s what I wrote then:
I’m glad I didn’t see it. Hearing the terrified cries as they faded was traumatic enough, and the sounds still haunt me. As I was feeding in the meadow one morning this week, a nearby neighbor texted that a fawn had just run by, closely followed by two coyotes. The fawn didn’t get away. I heard the gut-wrenching cries from the woods above me and then silence. I think I’ve written at least one post about the circle of life every year, and it always makes me sad to see a dead animal, but hearing it happen…
The memory has begun to fade. I still don’t know whose fawn it was; I do know it wasn’t any of the ones in the photos above. And I know that the coyotes have to eat, too, and they may well have babies of their own to feed. Nonetheless, it was a very hard day.
It was late June before I saw the first fawn this year, and I’ve seen only two so far. (I saw one twice.) I know that the pregnant does in the video have had their fawns, but they haven’t brought them to the meadow. I keep looking and hope they’ll show up soon!
The does still come to eat, although I never know when. I always take food down when I see one; they definitely have a fawn (or fawns) nursing and are always hungry.
Last year’s fawns show up more predictably; they’re usually waiting when I get up in the morning, and one or two emerge from the woods almost every time I take food to the mamas. Oddly, all six yearlings are little bucks; even Friendly finally grew antlers. The antlers in the posse are a variety of lengths, ranging from a few inches long to almost a foot, and one has forked antlers.
Meanwhile, the French Broad has risen and fallen several times since I last posted. (This video will play; I don’t know why it shows up looking like a cassette. I am still struggling with iMovie.)
French Broad River, late May through June 2021
When I ramble down to the river, I sometimes see some of the semi-resident Canadian geese in the field by the shore. This year they raised a gaggle of goslings!
I pick up my newspaper (yes, I still read a print edition) down at the river highway, too. The box I put up last year was moved during roadwork, and the carrier can’t get to it easily any more, so they toss it nearby. It’s a good thing, too; some male Carolina wren decided the box would be a good nesting site!
Carolina Wren nest
If you’ve followed this (almost four-year-old!) blog for a while, then you know that I really like seeing box turtles. (In fact, I’m such a nerd that I regularly post my photos to the Carolina Herp Atlas.) So here are the ones I’ve seen since April:
Turtles in French Broad Hollow April through June 2021
I don’t usually write about anything but my rambles, but I had my house painted since the last post and wanted to share this! I love the new colors and fresh look!
I started this post yesterday and don’t want to wait another day to post it. Maybe I’ll finally learn how to use iMovie without getting too frustrated, and the next time will be easier. Until then, here’s Dark Hollow, across the ridge from us.
Wow! It’s been a long time since my last post, and this being spring, things in the Hollow have changed a lot. You can see how the view of the river has changed:
French Broad River 11 April and 20 May 2021
And if you want to see it day by day (missing a few days occasionally and a week in early May):
French Broad River
The deer are changing, too. Last year’s fawns are skinny; the does would be, too, if they weren’t pregnant. (I usually first see a fawn in mid-June.) And they’ve all shed their winter coats. I was gone for a week and had a hard time recognizing some of them—even Friendly!
Friendly 11 April and 14 May 2021
They are finding more to eat in the woods and fields, but I often see a crowd waiting for breakfast. The “interlopers” that live in the woods across our road are very skittish and usually run off if I approach them but usually return to the meadow as soon as I head back up the hill.
Well, this has taken a lot longer than I had planned. The app I use for making videos from photos quit working. It turns out that it’s no longer compatible with the iOS upgrade I installed after the last post (although the app worked yesterday). I used another app for the deer video but have a lot to learn. So I’m leaving the flora and other fauna photos and discussion for another day (maybe tomorrow?) and getting a glass of wine. Until then, here’s another before-and-after and the closing video.
It wasn’t raining when I took this photo earlier this month. In fact, it was a beautiful sunny day, one of many we’ve had since my last post. We’ve had some rainy days, too—and an April Fool’s Day high of 41 and lows in the 20s several days later. We’ve had plenty of rain, too, including a record daily rainfall as I wrote my last post. You can see the changes in the river in the video. (BTW, if you’d like to see these videos and others I never get around to posting, you can subscribe to my YouTube channel here.)
It’s breeding season for the Wild Turkeys (although some of the ones around here aren’t too wild). I hear big Tom gobbling off and on most days, and sometimes I watch as he struts to impress the hens.
The deer are shaggy and skinny; I can see that some of the does are pregnant They are beginning to find more to eat in the woods, but there is almost always a crowd when I go down in the mornings. I often see them headed somewhere else in the Hollow as I walk. Sometimes they don’t return to the meadow until after dark; then they miss an easy evening meal if I’ve already closed up the house.
It’s been raining steadily since I started writing this but fortunately let up a little when I went down to feed the deer. Later I stayed in the house and just watched as two tom turkeys put on a show for a couple of hens; maybe I’ll get a video another time. I thought about adding some photos of my apple trees and the Blackhaw Viburnums(Viburnum prunifolium) and American (or maybe Chickasaw [Prunus angustifolia]) Plums near the house, but the heavy rain made me change my mind. I’m hoping it lets up soon so I can bring in the birdfeeders (in case a bear decides to visit). As for now, it’s time for evening chores and a glass of wine, so I’ll leave you with this.
It’s been raining most of the day, and now it’s pouring. We had a lot of thunder earlier, but I think it’s passed for now. When I opened the door to take this photo, the only sound was from the spring peepers. They’re mostly in the little creek, but a couple live in a deep puddle where one of the culverts empties. I became aware of them over a week ago when I hear one jump from the bank into the water and have been trying unsuccessfully to get a photo ever since. To paraphrase the pangram, “The quick brown frog jumps into the muddy puddle.”
It’s been a while since we’ve had a day-long rain, and I don’t really mind (although it will be a slippery and muddy trip down to feed later). At least it’s not snowing, as Facebook reminded me has happened several times before on March 25 since I’ve been here. You can see the changes in the weather and some high water from lots of rain upstream last week.
No noticeable changes in these trees yet
Spring is definitely on the way. Last week I noticed tiny American Field Pansies (Viola bicolor) on the side of the road (where they had survived last year’s scraping and widening of the road), and yesterday I saw Bloodroot (Sanguinaria canadensis) and Cut-leaved Toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) blossoms. The forsythia is blooming by the mailbox, and the woods seem full of Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin). The Slippery Elm (Ulmus rubra) is budding out, and the Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis) began showing color this week. It seems that Ragwort is everywhere, although I’m not sure if it’s Roundleaf Ragwort (Packera obovata) or Golden Ragwort (Packera aurea). And I love the Common Blue Violets (Viola sororia) all over my yard!
It’s late in the afternoon; I keep checking to see if the deer have arrived and am relieved that they haven’t. We’re still in the midst of a thunderstorm, and it looks as though it may continue for a while. The deer would rather avoid leaving their cover in this weather, too, I think; once in a while they don’t show up in heavy storms. Here are some photos taken in nicer weather. You can see that they are looking skinny and shaggy.
Even Tom hasn’t shown up today! I hear him gobbling most mornings and either he or Tommy and Thomas usually show up at some time during the day. (The trio of winter seems to have broken up.)
Four deer were waiting the last time I looked. Well, they were actually heading back into the woods but returned when I called them. It was a group of four young ones (last year’s fawns) from the group that comes from across the road that I used to call the interlopers. Most of them won’t let me get very close. (Many of them are in the photos above.) Of course, I took them corn and apples and took a few photos. While I was in the meadow, I saw that a small tree had fallen in the road but wasn’t blocking it. You can also see how the ditches are running full. (We’ve gotten about .75″ so far today.)
I recently realized that I was not writing as much as I used to (and some of you have noticed, too!). Maybe this will hold you until I have more time, but now Cisco’s telling me that it’s time to feed the cats.
Daffodils brought from Tuscaloosa in front of retaining wall
The weather has been unseasonably warm and (mostly) sunny for almost a week now, and we’re all trying to keep from being seduced into thinking that spring has arrived. It hasn’t.
My Facebook memories today showed snow on March 12, 2017 (before I started this blog), and when I looked back at my March blog posts from the years since then, I saw photos of redbuds, forsythia, violets, etc. This year—besides the weeds—only the daffodils and hyacinths are blooming around my house, and the trees are still bare, except for a big Red Maple (Acer rubrum) and a single Box Elder (Acer negundo) of the many, many in the Hollow. On my ramble today, I did see bees buzzing at a Winter (Bush) Honeysuckle (Lonicera fragrantissima). I may have overlooked the witch hazel, but I know the forsythia has yet to bud out.
After I started writing, I realized that I hadn’t taken many deer photos lately. They are almost always waiting in the meadow (looking up at the house) when I get up in the morning. They keep me busy when I take the food down, and I haven’t thought to take photos, especially on those mornings when it’s in the 20s and my coffee is waiting in the house. I wait until I see them before I take food down in the afternoons, when they more often come in small family groups. The missing ones usually come when I call.
Deer coming up the road and through the woods to eat
They are skinny this time of year, and their coats are rough-looking. Friendly still eats from my hand and lets me rub her. The other one above (“Muley”) is from the herd that lives on the other side of the road; she wants to get close but hasn’t yet worked up the courage. (I think she’ll come around.)
Deer eating and not sharing
And what about the cats, you ask? Yesterday was the first anniversary of adopting the muchachos. Here they are a few days later:
And here they are a few weeks ago:
They have been a wonderful diversion over the past year.
Noel, the little black stray, was removed from the Asheville Humane Society adoption floor after his respiratory problems returned and has been living—and reportedly thriving—while being fostered. I’m told he’s expected to be back on the adoption floor soon.
So that’s what’s going on around here. Maybe I’ll have more spring photos next time (or maybe more snow photos!)
Often on my rambles I’ll notice something or an idea will pop into my head, and I’ll start thinking of how to write about it. This hasn’t happened much lately; it seems as though–except for the weather–nothing has changed much. I guess that’s how winter goes.
The weather changes, of course, sometimes even on the same day, and one never knows what to expect. You can see in the video below that we’ve had snow again; you can’t see the rain (because I usually don’t walk when it’s raining!), but you can see how the river rises and changes colors.
French Broad River
It was starting to snow as I finished my last post (before Noel’s Story; I hope to update you on that soon.). Here are some deer photos from the next day and from the two snows since. I don’t remember having as many snowy days in the ten years I’ve lived in this little hollow as we’ve had this winter.
Deer in a snowy meadow
The route I usually walk ends with me getting my newspaper and mail as I head up the hill to the house. Sometimes I cross the little ravine where I’ve set up a trail camera that I recently took down. I thought you might get a chuckle seeing how the camera caught my fashion sense. 🙂
Captured by the trail camera!
I continue my rambles and photos, but I can’t think of anything else to write today. Maybe next time.
I still wonder where he came from and how he found his way into our little mountain hollow. That would be Chapter One of Noel’s Story and will always be a mystery. All I know is that one afternoon in early December I noticed the deer in the meadow stomping and snorting. When I looked to see what was disturbing them, I saw a black cat heading up the hill into the woods. Later that day, a neighbor caught sight of the cat crossing the road and checked to make sure one of mine hadn’t escaped outside. This is how Chapter Two of Noel’s Story begins.
Noel captured by the trail camera 12-20-20
I walk almost daily on the gravel roads in our rural “neighborhood,” a handful of houses on about 70 acres of woods and meadows. On my walk the next day, I saw the little cat hunting in the weeds. When I spoke, it didn’t run off, as feral stray cats usually do; instead it looked at me as if to say, “Bug off! Can’t you see I’m hunting?” I noticed that it had a nasal discharge and that one of its eyes was opaque.
The next day the cat was hunting beside the road again, and I knew I had to do something. There’s not much for a little half-blind cat to eat in winter, and it’s not safe, either; the little cat could easily become prey for a coyote, fox, or bobcat. So I sat down on the road to talk to it. It wouldn’t come close, but as it walked away, I told the little cat that I’d take care of it if it came to my house. I knew I couldn’t let it suffer.
Noël sunning 12-21-20
The cat made the rounds of the neighborhood, especially houses with birdfeeders, and soon it began hanging out around my house. I couldn’t get close enough to tell if it was a male or female, but since it was near Christmas, I called the little cat Noël .
Noël waits for food 12-23-20
I began feeding Noël whenever I saw her/him, and s/he would hiss, but not run, when I got close. After a few days, s/he would come to eat when I called. And I noticed what seemed to be an extra toe on each front foot.
Noël’s shelter 12-25-20
I fixed a shelter box under the side porch, which stays dry and is high enough that I can easily crawl underneath. The timing worked out well; as Christmas approached, so did a snowstorm and temperatures in the low 20s. I insulated the shelter box with more boxes, a small plastic greenhouse cover, and all the bubble wrap and packing pillows I could find. (This was the holiday during the pandemic, so we had received lots of packages!) I was relieved to see that Noël seemed content to be in the shelter.
After the snow melted, I began feeding Noël on the front porch, where I sat on a chair near the food bowl. S/he was not hissing at me so much and was getting more comfortable daily. I put a cat carrier under the chair and began moving the food bowl closer to the carrier. One day at lunch I put the bowl inside the carrier; s/he went in, and I shut the door. Poor Noël! There was such a commotion that I wondered if the carrier would explode!
X-ray of Noël’s front feet
I had already explained the situation to the vet and was able to take Noël straight to their office. Later that day I learned that Noël (now Noel) was an intact male about six to eight months old, that he wasn’t chipped, and that he tested negative for the fatal diseases often found in strays. The eye problem was due to an old trauma, and he may never have full sight in his bad eye. And he didn’t have an extra toe, but the dewclaws on his front feet are three times the normal length!
Now what? I had prepared myself to have him euthanized if he had a fatal disease, and now I had to decide if I was going to keep him or to surrender him to a no-kill shelter.
Noel in his apartment (later moved near the windows) 12-31-20
It didn’t take long to decide, and I told the vet to vaccinate and neuter him—Noel would be joining my other three cats. Before he could live in the house, however, he had to get healthy and learn to trust me. In the meantime, he’d live comfortably in a giant Mastiff-sized dog crate in the insulated daylight basement where my plants over-winter.
Noel became more comfortable with each passing day and quit hissing at me (at least most of the time). He ate well and let me pet him while he was eating. He began to purr and rub against my hand.
Sweet Noel 1-17-21
However, his nasal discharge continued, and test results showed that Noel has the feline herpes virus. Herpes is treatable but not curable—we could have dealt with that —and it’s also very contagious. It was heart-breaking news. Regardless of how fond I’d become of Noel, I knew I couldn’t risk exposing my other cats, especially the elderly one, who has health issues of her own.
It was a tremendous relief to talk to someone at the Asheville Humane Society and learn that they would accept him and help him find a home. Since there wouldn’t be space for a few weeks, it gave Noel more time to learn to be a pet. AND HE HAS! He’s still frightened sometimes and occasionally half-heartedly swats at my hand, but he also rolls over to get his chin rubbed and lets me pick him up and put him on my lap. He’s definitely a sweetheart.
And that’s Chapter Two of Noel’s Story. Like Chapter One, the remaining chapters will be unknown to me. But he’s a lucky cat, and I know that Noel’s Story will have the happy ending he deserves.
UPDATE TODAY: The wonderful people at the shelter treated him, and HE’S AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION! Here’s the link and photos! I hope this lucky boy finds a forever home soon!
It’s hard to figure out the weather lately. One day it’s sunny and warm(ish); a few days later it’s cloudy and in the 20s. Or rainy. Or snowy. Or warm enought to wear a t-shirt when for the afternoon feeding! These are from the trail camera on January 6 (left) and January 24 (right).
You can see the changes in this video of the river, too.
The French Broad River in January 2021
Other than the weather, not much else has changed in the Hollow since my last post. The three tom turkeys and the deer come regularly. Friendly and some of the other deer have become rather insistent about getting apples and will sometimes try to take them right out of my bucket!
Give us apples!
I haven’t gone through the thousands of pics from the trail camera to see who’s visited recently, but here’s a visitor that walked up the road one afternoon.
The fox went out on a chilly…afternoon?
And here’s a video of what goes on in the meadow.
And some from the white Christmas plus a few more.
And here’s a video I just took! I’m glad I filled the pans earlier; we were expecting another wintry mix, but nothing like this!
There’s a story about Noel, the little black stray cat I rescued; I’ll make a separate post soon. But for now, the closing video of the field. I have to get ready in case we lose power! 😦
French Broad Hollow Ramble 