Go (with a) Pro

Look, a scope!

There was a bird walk in Amsterdam this morning, over the Gateway Bridge with a birding pro. It was lead by area environmental educator, George Steele, who is a terrific birder. He leads walks on Saturday mornings in this area, but this is the first one we have made since last year....such a busy summer. 

Belted Kingfisher

It was fun. We saw 41 species of birds, some as common as European Starlings, one a pretty special bird, a Peregrine Falcon.

This is what 39 Common Mergansers look like hurrying to get outta town

There were 39 Common Mergansers in one flock, Great Blue and Green Herons, a sprinkling of warblers and other woodland birds, and some city birds as well.

Darth Cormorant

Well, really a Double-crested Cormorant

Thanks George for teaching me something new every time, and thanks to the boss for getting up early to drive me down and then sitting patiently while birds were pursued.

Common Merganser

If you would like to experience this sort of birding there is another walk tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM at Yankee Hill Lock, which is one of my all-time favorite places to bird. The river is often graced with interesting waterfowl, and the woods surrounding the tow path and bike path are always good for some excitement.

Gettin outta Dodge

There are Times

When you get all grumpy and frustrated.

That is when you should take a good healthy dose of:

This

This

This one

Or maybe this

It works for me.

Farm Side Links

This week's research links:

The rural opioid crisis

NYCAMH John May Farm Safety Fund 
MOS

NYSERDA farm energy audit program

History of Empire Farm Days

Cover Crops at King Agriseeds

Dessert

Ring-billed Gull

Immature Bald Eagle

Rainy Caspian Tern

Double-crested Cormorant

Wood Duck

Northern Mockingbird

Sandhill Crane

Mallard

Or...the carrot on the stick....It began to rain, literally the moment we pulled into the visitor center parking lot, rendering me grumpy indeed after all that walking in the heat and humidity.

However, we still somehow managed to see some nice birds, although the resulting photos were pretty awful. Best birds were the Caspian Terns, a Pectoral Sandpiper, the Sandhill Cranes, and a Peregrine Falcon that gave us a wonderful flyby at Knox-Marcellus Marsh. We also met a pleasant park volunteer, who was surveying birds at the marsh. She gave us tips on Tundra vs. Trumpeter Swans, for which I thank her plentifully.

No Matter which way You Look

Empire Farm Days is quite a show. There are big machines to keep boys of all ages happy.

And oldies but goodies as well.

Happy Birthday, Jade

The Original Milk Mustache

Empire Farm Days

Sunrise yesterday...today we will be seeing it in the rear view mirror....

Because we are off to Empire Farm Days, perhaps the biggest farm show in NYS.....gonna to be a hot one but she's tough....she's a harbor chick.

As long as there is a wildlife refuge for dessert....

Meanwhile, here's an old Farm Side, if you need some reading material for the day.

Dessert....so to speak....

Fair Work

Dr. Lucas

It wouldn't be late summer without a visit from our trusted farm veterinarian,here to do the health work so the animals can go to the fair.

So far this year assorted poultry have already traveled to the fairgrounds to get their pullorum tests. Liz's show flock is tested under NPIP. I used to show chickens....back in the day...but the state vet came to the farm to test back then.

The steer

Today the little steer got his certification for the show. He received some vaccines and tests and a general looking-over to get him ready. 

This was Dr. Lucas DiFiores' first visit to the farm, but Midvale Veterinary Clinic has been taking care of our animals since before the boss and I even knew each other. I could tell you many stories of animal health care here on the farm and probably already have.

In fact, here are a couple from days gone by: If you are thirsty for more, just type the word "vet" in the search box at the top of the page and go.

Fair work

A Real Emergency

Herd Health

Another Herd Health

An old story about a now-retired Midvale Vet we loved to tease for years and years and a cow I came to really care for. Cows like "Dead", as she was called, were part of what made farming a lot of fun. If you read any of these, read this one first.

Another emergency

As you can see from these stories, we have had a long and positive history with Midvale, It's good to see the kids continuing the tradition. The doctors who work there have always shown compassion for both our animals and the people who own them, while offering competent, up-to-the-minute medical care and preventative planning as well. There are many aspects of dairy farming that I really miss, and our great doctor/client relationship is one of those. It was nice to say hi to Dr. Lucas and take a couple of photos down in the old heifer barn.

Checking out the sheep

Chance Encounter

We met some dogs down by the river today and had a great time visiting with them. We liked watching them enjoy themselves, all the while behaving perfectly and paying attention to their folks.

They were lovely pups with elegant manners, eager to please and simply delightful to encounter. 

Their people were friendly and pleasant too. We were tickled to run into them while they were giving the pups a little river time this morning. One nice doggie, Willow, I believe, sat down every time she saw me point the camera....at a Great Blue Heron...because she is trained to sit for photos.

The ladies asked the boss to take a group photo for them, but he was not comfortable using the technology of a strange phone, so they waited for me to return from chasing birds up the aqueduct. They gave me permission to share my own pics of them too.....so....we drove away grinning from ear to ear.

Good dogs, nice folks

For Scott

Good Morning

Meow

Carolina Wrens

Look....Probably a youngster. Thanks again, Jonna, for the wonderful feeder

They're back! We stopped seeing or hearing them in late winter after seeing them almost every day all last year. They returned in mid-summer with a brood of three youngsters, hung around the feeders for a couple of days and were gone again.

Yesterday I was awakened by the strident cheering of one of my favorite birds.

Today he was singing on both of the front porches, while what appear to be a second set of young birds eat peanuts on the feeders.

Yay!

Listen....

The Carrot and the Stick

First the stick....the boss wants me to go to Empire Farm Days with him. It's a brutal drive and once you get there you have to walk down miles of aisles of shiny farm machinery....miles....

I used to love to go, couldn't wait and all. It was fun to gather up the stud catalogs so we could choose the bulls we would use to breed the cows, always hoping for something really special next year. I loved the breed association booths, and seeing salesmen who had become friends, and the excitement of seeing it all. However, I am no longer 20, nor 30, not 40, nor 50. Not even 60.....walking all day in the hot sun in a muddy hay field has little appeal.

Still he is good to me and takes me birding almost every day. Since the beginning of the year we have counted 156 species of birds. That's the best ever for me and better than the whole year last year.

And then there's the carrot....if I suffer through the monumental horror trek up the terrifying length of the Thruway and walk through the mud to all those tractors and balers and all, he will take me around the Montezuma wildlife drive on the way home.

I looked at some recent checklists from there....we'll almost certainly see Pied Billed Grebes, Purple Martins, possibly Blue-winged Teal, Redheads, and who knows what else that I am missing for my state list this year....someone even spotted a Black-crowned Night Heron yesterday! I's sure like to see that.....And I could surely get a Farm Side column out of it....

So....do I go...or do I stay home and man the decks here? Hmm.......

Amazing

Linda, this is a watermelon from the seed you sent me. I love it!

"Hey Mom, what's for supper?"

"French Toast."

"Guess I'm gonna be enjoying that then."

....say what!?!??

But yeah, our boy, whom we don't see so very often, was sent to run a job in Albany for a day by his company, so he spent the night here.

Yippee!

He didn't eat any French toast not being in the mood for it, but we sure had a nice visit.

Meanwhile, we are pretty sure we found the wood thief...not that we can really prove it, but.... We spent some time re-marking the wood with even brighter paint anyhow.

Also finally found blueberries. The folks we buy them from normally have either been sold out or just haven't had any so we...or at least I...have been bereft.

Then my mama shared a post from an orchard up near Johnstown, so we went and bought four quarts. Just finished freezing some. You evidently shouldn't wash them before freezing, but rather later when thawed, so that went quickly. I did make sure to pick out all the slightly squashed, smushed, odd-colored, and various "bad" berries for immediate consumption.

They all tasted just fine. Now it is raining with flash flooding watched and warned. Not much good for birding, or getting the beans picked and frozen, but it is what it is.

And the Four O'clocks!! Such Heavenly colors!
Thank you so much!