Lots of Turtles

Baby Alligator turtle (snapper). 

I picked him up and took him across the street. 

I did NOT try to pick this guy up.  I did use something to move him to the verge... across the street were homes... there was really no where for him to go. 

I put him so he was in the field, so I am hoping he chose to go that way. 

I also did not try to move this guy.  He was a LOT bigger than the one above.  I basically took his picture and said a prayer.  He was in an area where he had a chance to cross the road. 

I don't need to be bitten by a snapper, I admit it. 

I did see one dead one at the top of a hill... the person coming over the crest would never have seen him. 

I stopped for two or three more tiny box turtles, it's a hard life for them. 

These are the field to the sides of the levee on County Road Five. 

And this is the culvert on the other side. 

This is what we ran into this morning on the way to the old house. 

We were able to cross it tonight, and here is what it looked like at 5 PM. 

The big ditch is FULL. 

I was kind of surprised that there weren't ducks in it.  Then something moved and caught my eye. 

There were two blue herons behind the ditch, believe me, the ground was wet. 

I did not even see the turkeys until I loaded the pictures into the computer, they were so far away. 

You can see the herons a little better here. 

This is THE bravest rooster I have ever seen, EVER, except maybe for Baby Rambo, our beautiful son of our beautiful Rambo. 

Today, Lilly fell. 

I called the cochins to me to put them back in the pen at the henspa, as I do late 

every afternoon.  They know when I call it's time.  Today, two hens had ventured as far as 

the flower bed.  I stupidly turned my back on one of them, while the other ran past me. 

I heard a squawk, and Lilly had a black hen down. 

This big boy, Rooster Cogburn, ran at her as fast as he could and hit her so hard, spurs out, that she dropped the hen in surprise, who got up and ran.  I did not punish Lilly, this is her nature, but I did have her follow me to the house, and I locked both dogs up until I got the birds in and safe. 

Tomorrow morning I'll take the dogs in the cool of the day, 

and tomorrow afternoon, I'll leave them at home.  They get worn out in the heat fast. 

This, in case some of you don't know, is the little red henhouse, which used to hold a bantam flock. 

That sad thing in front of it was a rabbit hutch, but the hens used it for laying for years. 

I left the door of the henhouse open, because the little black rooster is in that yard. 

He's going to have a lonely night, and I hope he realizes he can get under cover in there. 

Last night, he and a hen spent the night in the feed room of the big henhouse, and 

this morning, I was going to put them in the red henyard together. 

They got away from me. 

This yard has been invaded by nettles, and I chopped and chopped at them today.  Yesterday, they stung my legs up and down... and today, those legs were covered with jeans instead of shorts. 

Here are the new girls, and you see, they are pretty bare. 

They will all come out okay... don't worry. 

Those feathers will grow back in as they settle down and become more secure. 

I crept up to the gate today and watched them, and they were 

pecking around in the yard and doing fine.  It will all come out well with them. 

Right now, they are still scared out of their minds. 

On the way home, we came across a group of turkeys in a field.

The tom was all up periscope. 

His ladies responded. 

This morning I also saw a scissortail flycathcher, but I 

was not able to get a picture of it. 

I'll keep trying.