First Full Day Of Spring Walkabout Surprising Visitors!

The sun rises into the first full day of Spring! At least officially here in New England.

A handsome Red Fox is checking out the vole holes . . . much to my delight! 

His mate must have been in the lower garden, while this fellow was near the barn studio . . . for a young guest reported eyeing a fox about the same time, while she was in the hammock and proceeded to fall right out upon her excitement! No worse for the fall . . . but a great story for all and the equally startled vixen ran off down into the forest and over the rock wall!

This one ran off towards the north. I wish I had gotten better photographs but his tail makes them worth while. I hope the entire family will return and dine on my voles and rabbits!

If the Red Fox paused and turned around he would have seen this vista. It is the one I had a few days ago while doing my garden walkabout. The view is expanding out toward the south and Mount Tom.

Here I look over my wasteland and promise myself not to let it win another year! Sumac, brambles and bittersweet rule this slope. If I could get all these rocks moved it would be easier to maintain. We are underneath the serpentine Native Black Cherry looking over towards the lower garden and the Apple trees. I hope this is a good year and they will be filled with blossoms and then later delicious apples.

Taking a few steps away from the Cherry and looking more east we can see the beginning of the Blueberries which extend down the hillside beneath the Apple tree gateway. All of the grassy area before the Blueberries looked very much like the foreground here many years ago. 

Down in the Blueberry field looking up . . . another area to keep suckers, saplings and vines at bay. 

As I walk back up the hill this Robin is showing it's bloomers . . . not much else akin to that name is making a statement just now.

Walking up and past the Magnolia stellata I can imagine it's lovely blooms . . . coming soon!

Reaching the top of the hill just beneath the house . . . nearly out of breath! The grasses will be cut down soon. Here we see another view of Mount Tom. 

Here we are standing right behind the house . . . also known as Flower Hill Farm B&B and Retreat. We have a great view of the one hundred year old Apple tree Nate and I were working on a few days ago . . .  along with the Mount Holyoke Range. Mount Tom is over further to the right out of sight. The view is larger . . .  but for some reason this lens makes it look much smaller and farther away. Now what is that blue in the lower right hand corner!!??

The famous sky tarp... other wise known as 'tarpitis'.

Drumroll please!! The unveiling of chocolate composted manure from my neighbor's dairy farm, for the Hellebores, Peonies, Lilacs, and countless other flowering plants and shrubs. Hopefully it will all get spread about before it rains or the tarp comes out again! Wishing all a Happy Spring and Happy Gardening! 

Early Morning Rises Vixen Visit

It is most certain that those black stocking feet made the tracks in the snow in a post below... before only the blue bird knew ... now we do too. A welcome visitor to these gardens and I nearly opened the door to capture the sunrise above when I froze upon eyeing this beautiful creature. My movements did catch the eye of the gray fox however and she or perhaps he walked away soon after.

Winter Wildlife

                                                                       

A lovely red fox wearing black stockings quickly walks in the field below the crabapple orchard, where often turkeys and other birds are feasting on apples. I am very thrilled to eye one of these beauties as they help keep rabbits, voles, mice and other rodents in check! More often I have witnessed gray fox in the gardens. It is a rare treat to get a glimpse of either of them. 

Birds in the crabapple orchards.

Pine Grosbeaks enjoying the tiny apples... unusual visitors here. The first sighting was winter 2007/2008. They do not seem to be around this year. The female has yellow ochre head and rump feathers, with mostly olive feathers over the rest of her body, as seen on the one in the crabapple tree above and just below. The male is more rose red on his head, breast and rump with grey blue along the sides of his breast... the pictures below show both tearing into the apples. They traveled in large flocks filling the orchard with color and song. One day when the wild turkeys showed up to claim their share of fruit the grosbeaks were spooked into a hurried flight so that at least one grosbeak flew into the window and was a bit dazed. I am careful to have objects dangling in the windows or placed in front of the windows to prevent bird fatalities. They were not afraid of me being very close to take their pictures.

Wild turkeys searching for  fallen crabapples. They leap up into the trees and are very comical teetering on the thin branches. I took these photos from inside looking out through a north facing window. Very shy creatures they are always on the watch for danger, often running and flying off into the tree tops along the forest edge, or simply departing single file leaving behind a long line of pointed arrow footprints.

On sunny days, when light touches the feathers of these birds their colors dazzle. They have beautiful hues, patterns and textures.