Snake in the barn.

Spring gets all the animals, domesticated or not, moving on our farm. The birds are nesting, our new baby goats are skipping in the pasture and the snakes are out and about too. It just so happens that today one snake decided that the goat stall would be a great place to camp out. I wasn't aware that he was there at first as I went about my evening routine of feeding animals and bedding them down for the night. But once he got my attention I knew that I couldn't leave two baby goats and their mother in the barn stall all night with a snake!

I couldn't determine if he was poisonous or not and decided that if I could just get him to leave that would be good enough for me. Armed with a rake and tall boots I spent several minutes convincing him that he wanted to take a walk outside and far away from the barn. I guess he was lucky. I gave him the benefit of the doubt and let him live. The good snakes are such a great assest to a farm. They keep down the mice and rats and eat bad snakes too. Plus they make great food for hawks and other birds.

Spring is in the air.

Well, the vultures are gone and thankfully there does not seem to be anything under the porch they would be coming back for. Good Riddance! I know everyone has to eat - but vultures hanging out on the front porch is more than a little creepy.
I was thrilled this morning when I saw hawks in a pine tree by the barn. Last year they nested in one of our old pine trees and I was hoping they would come back this year. I was startled by them this morning as I came out of the barn holding two flakes of hay to feed the goats. They were mating in a pine branch just a few feet from my head! I froze, not wanting to disturb them, and a little embarrassed to watch. I will be looking for downy chick heads peaking out from their nest in a month - give or take a few days.

Vulture on the Front Porch

So what could it mean to see a vulture on the railing of your front porch?
It made me stop in my tracks this afternoon as I walked past the front door with a pile of dirty laundry and casually looked out. Staring back at me was a full grown turkey vulture. I don't recall ever seeing one this close before so I pressed my face to the glass to get a better look. He was accompanied by a small swarm of pesky flies and his beak kept opening and closing as if he was still chewing - or was he smelling something? Has something run under the front porch and died?
Note to self: Find time today to stand on the front porch and smell for something dead.
I fed all the farm animals this morning and everyone was accounted for and fine so I can only hope that the vulture was just sitting a spell and not staying for dinner.