by Susan | Nov 25, 2021 | On the Farm
The other morning I was visiting this little doe in the front yard. I stood on the porch talking to it and snapping pictures – Gidget oblivious of her for a bit. I returned inside and sat at my desk, unloading the deer pictures onto my computer, when I saw...
by Susan | Jul 5, 2021 | Garden, On the Farm
Today was the quintessential perfect Maine summer day. It was a lazy day for me. Coffee on the porch, lawn mowing, puttering in the yard and garden. My happiest discovery is that Ms. Monarch, who was here earlier in the week did her job. I discovered my first Monarch...
by Susan | Jun 28, 2021 | On the Farm
This is the view out my kitchen window. It was full of orange butterflies this morning. I was excited as I haven’t seen the Monarchs since my first sighting earlier in the month. I abandoned my coffee in favor of a camera and headed outdoors. I found Pearl...
by Susan | Jun 17, 2021 | On the Farm
While watering my hanging flower pots this evening, this little Clearwing Moth – aka Hummingbird Moth came to visit. With the lilacs all but faded, there’s not much in my garden to feast on until the lavender blooms – except for my hanging baskets....
by Susan | Jun 14, 2021 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
You likely know by now that I’m an avid, total novice, backyard bird watcher. I’ve discovered this morning that there are birds singing in my backyard I’ve never seen before. I’m often focused on the birds at my feeders (which have been put up...
by Susan | Jun 9, 2021 | On the Farm
The past few days have been miserably hot. Ninety-degree weather on this eastern section of the Maine Coast is a rarity typically saved for a few days in August. To have three days in the 90s in June is unheard of. For years we had no air conditioning – we...
by Susan | May 20, 2021 | On the Farm
Yesterday it was a hummingbird on what I’ve dubbed “the bear cam” since the bear raided our feeder earlier this spring. Today it’s the bear that made an appearance. He/she looks like a small one – the base of the squirrel guard is about...
by Susan | May 11, 2021 | On the Farm
I find myself leaving my office to visit the kitchen entirely too often to sneak a peek at these little guys out the window. It’s been four days since they’ve returned. It might be more productive for me to put a hummer feeder outside my office window. I...
by Susan | Apr 17, 2021 | On the Farm
I knew it was snowing last night because the outside security camera kept going off. I thought it was the return of the bear, but the snow was the culprit. Snow is pretty common in early April – like the 8-10 inches of snow we got in 2014. And then, last year,...
by Susan | Apr 10, 2021 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
I finally got around to removing the remnants of my destroyed bird feeders pole. I’m hopeful that Paul can repair my fancy feeder pole. My lovely red feeder is toast – the central part of it squashed like an accordion. Enjoying the weather, I spent the...
by Susan | Apr 1, 2021 | On the Farm
It was a long night. I woke around 2:30 am and never got back to sleep. In the wee hours of the morning, I heard a sound outside but was too tired to investigate. When I finally dragged my weary behind out of bed to let Gidget out, I spied something odd at the chicken...
by Susan | Mar 28, 2021 | On the Farm
The video camera was slow to pick up this black bear lumbering passed my bird feeders early this morning. Of course I didn’t discover the video until after I’d filled the feeder with new suet cakes....
by Susan | Jan 14, 2021 | On the Farm
We’ve had a rough year with our farm animals. One night a few months ago, I forgot to lock the duckies in the house at dusk. The next morning I found feathers and our drake missing. Knowing that I was responsible has been hard to accept. I set a ducky alarm on...
by Susan | Dec 28, 2020 | On the Farm
Hannah alerted me the other day that some of the young deer had been nibbling from the leftover duck food. This morning, I spotted a trio of deer in the yard, a baby searching for food. When I stepped outside, they bounded off to the woods. When they paused to look...
by Susan | Nov 11, 2020 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Only once have I spotted a Tufted Titmouse here at Downeast Thunder Farm. That made today’s activity at the feeder incredibly exciting. A Tufted Titmouse pair. I love those big eyes that seem to look in your soul. They were very skittish. Their view into the...
by Susan | Nov 6, 2020 | On the Farm
Last night, it was quite late when I put the ducks away. I had to chase them out of the pond, which is never fun. As I closed their door, I spotted a large bird sitting on the roof of the “lean-to” where we keep the duck food. It startled the wits out of...
by Susan | Nov 3, 2020 | On the Farm
This isn’t the earliest it’s snowed here in Coastal Maine. We’ve had some white stuff in October too. It’s been less than six months since our last snow. I love all of the seasons and the first snow of the season feels magical. We got about...
by Susan | Oct 17, 2020 | Backyard Birds, On the Farm
Grackles are beautiful with their inky iridescent feathers. I enjoy them when they are not bullies at the feeder. This guy showed off his color – and good behavior today. They always seem to visit in the fall – or at least that’s when I notice them....
by Susan | Oct 17, 2020 | On the Farm
These are not my best photos. It was pouring this morning. Outside the living room window I saw this odd movement and thought it was a skunk. Upon closer inspection it was not – but I’ve never before seen this. Now I know what that tail is really for.
by Susan | Oct 12, 2020 | On the Farm
Paul built this great Monarch Nursery for me this year, but it didn’t get much use. With Hannah returning to college earlier than usual, we didn’t get into caterpillar search mode the way we have in past years. Yet, at the end of August, I found some...
