by Susan | Jun 4, 2014 | On the Farm
There’s a new show on kitty t.v. at our house. This little bunny has been visiting after dinner. We first noticed him one evening as he hopped across the porch providing great entertainment for the kitties, Cinder and Snape. And us. Tonight I finally got a few...
by Susan | May 23, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Did you know a flock of hummingbirds is called a hover? Or a bouquet, a glittering, a shimmer, or a tune of hummingbirds? Regardless of the term, it looked like a hummingbird convention at the feeder last evening. They were zooming around so fast it’s pure luck...
by Susan | May 17, 2014 | Backyard Birds
Our ruby-throated hummingbirds have a history of returning to Downeast Thunder Farm on May 11 of each year. A friend once told me this was “the day” and sure enough, she’s been right in all the years I’ve been keeping track of their arrival....
by Susan | May 16, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
For the last week, I’ve been waking to the sound of “ra-ta-ta-ta-tat” coming from outside. Initially, I thought this was the sound of the metal flu on the furnace moving in the wind. This morning, a work-from-home day, the sound was really loud from...
by Susan | May 15, 2014 | On the Farm
This Mother’s Day I spent quite a bit of time outdoors enjoying the spring weather. I had fun watching this little red squirrel zip back and forth across the porch from one bird feeder to the next. He became increasingly comfortable with my presence and...
by Susan | May 11, 2014 | Backyard Birds
Twelve years ago, Paul made this bird feeder for me. It traveled with us to Maine and stands in the garden outside my kitchen window. It’s one of the best gifts he’s ever given me. Today I had quite a variety of visitors at the kitchen feeder. When my...
by Susan | May 5, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
I spied these goldfinches out the kitchen window this afternoon – the first I’ve seen this year. They were kind enough to stick around until I found my camera. A little sunshine on a rainy afternoon!
by Susan | Apr 15, 2014 | On the Farm
Yesterday, the pond all but melted, found the ducks hanging out on the bank. They’d yet to dip a foot into the pond, still splashing in their mortar box. All that water just waiting for them and they wouldn’t go near it. I talked Paul into helping me “coax” the...
by Susan | Mar 24, 2014 | On the Farm
It was a sad weekend here. We lost two roosters over two nights to what we believe is a single predator. What makes it even harder is that we knew that one of the coop doors needed repair and our delay in fixing it properly cost us. In the banty coop, a predator got...
by Susan | Mar 16, 2014 | Garden, On My Mind
The ground may be frozen and snowy, but spring arrived in my mailbox yesterday. Given my gardening history, I may have been just a little optimistic when ordering seeds – 32 varieties!?A typical spring involves me starting seeds, killing the seedlings at some...
by Susan | Mar 12, 2014 | Backyard Birds
Recently, a friend shared beautiful pictures of bald eagles that she took along the Narraguagus River. I confess, I was a little envious. I’d driven past this stretch of the river many times without a single sighting. So the last couple of weeks I took special...
by Susan | Mar 8, 2014 | On the Farm
This is our third season experimenting with producing our own Maple syrup. The weather has been so cold that we haven’t thought too much about the sap season. When the weather man predicted temps in the 40s, we knew it was time to get things rolling. On Monday...
by Susan | Mar 4, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Chickadees in flight. A beautiful sight from the kitchen window.
by Susan | Mar 3, 2014 | On the Farm
My enthusiasm over the victory over the squirrel has diminished. He’s back, and I do believe he’s mocking me. Adding cayenne to my bird seed this weekend kept the squirrel out of my feeder for much of Saturday. Yet, here he is the next day, giving me the...
by Susan | Mar 1, 2014 | On the Farm
This has become a common sight at one of my feeders. I haven’t been too bothered by the squirrel snacking. In fact, they’ve been quite entertaining at times. However, the past day or two, the little red squirrels have started eating me out of house and...
by Susan | Feb 16, 2014 | On the Farm
This morning, I stood at the kitchen window sipping my first cup of coffee, studying the aftermath of last night’s storm. Although still blustery and snowing, the storm looked as if it was on its last legs. Then, I noticed a little stirring in the pristine snow....
by Susan | Feb 15, 2014 | On the Farm
The past few mornings there have been fox tracks everywhere. This stealthy nighttime visitor has been routinely inspecting the chicken coups and duck houses, a fresh set of track appearing each morning. Today, as the afternoon skies turned gray with the promise of...
by Susan | Jan 31, 2014 | Ducks
Not long ago, Janet emailed and asked how the ducks were fairing this winter – that I hadn’t mentioned them lately. Well, Janet, winter is definitely not their favorite season, but our eight duckies are doing well. We got the ducks for eggs (although...
by Susan | Jan 29, 2014 | On the Farm
I wonder what she was thinking of me as I stood 30 feet away snapping pictures. She seemed as curious of me as I was of her. This went on for a minute or so before she became bored with me and quietly wandered off into the woods.
by Susan | Jan 28, 2014 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
After watching our Misplaced Grackle for weeks, recently another Grackle arrived on the scene. He/she is shy, retreating to the safety of the fir tree when I appear to take pictures. I’m happy to know my grackle is not alone! Funny how I project human emotions...
