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. 

Rain Redux

Our oldest granddaughter, Madison, graduated from high school on 

Thursday evening. 

We are so proud of her! 

She is working at a day care, and will start cosmetology training 

this fall.  She's a beautiful young woman! 

Here's a cute overload the dogs and I saw the same day. 

Look at that little face! 

I am trying to go by regularly, because, one day soon, that nest will be empty. 

Would anyone care to hazard a guess as to what this bird is? 

It is not a female goldfinch, as I thought.

Here is the side view, along with the female hairy woodpecker. 

My bird book says we have orchard orioles in Kansas in the summer... I wonder if this is a female orchard oriole... because... 

This beautiful male bird was there the day before (with the male hairy woodpecker)... and I thought it was a Baltimore oriole... but then realized it had too much white on it.  

The Baltimore only has a white swoop on the wing. 

I think this could be an orchard oriole. 

I put orange flavored suet out yesterday in a new suet cage...

but when I got to the old place this morning, the cage was on the ground and empty. 

RACCOONS.  

I need to get my game camera fixed so I can see them in the act OR... take the suet in at night. 

I spent six hours yesterday at the Ag Hall... and here's Vivian, our schoolteacher, getting a class ready to come in for lessons. 

Girls line up on one side, and boys on the other, and that's how they sit inside, too. 

She is strict, as the old teachers were... and someone usually has to stand in the corner.  

It's fun, for two hours.

  

Within two minutes of taking this picture, the heavens opened up, and Judy, the secretary, and I jumped into a golf cart and careened for cover in the maintenance shop so my camera would not get drenched (and neither would we!). 

Keith is going to get some period clothing and become a historical interpreter this summer. 

He would be so good at that, he loves history and he loves to talk to folks. 

He is bound by doing home dialysis every four to five hours... but... we are close enough that he could spend 2 1/2 hours or 3 hours over at the Ag Hall, and then come home and dialyze. 

I can't remember if I showed you... but I finally have a few hummers. 

I put two feeders on the back porch rail, where we can see them from the dining room through the sliding doors.  

I have another hanging in the yard, away from the other bird feeders. 

Today, one zoomed by my head as I went down the back steps to get the feeder out in the yard.  I saw that there was a bird using it, so waited for a while.  That's the first time I've seen two at once. 

Our little goose family was still all there this morning, and I was glad to see that all five goslings have survived.  They were having a leisurely preen with mom and dad. 

And all their friends at the pond! 

Twins?  Or is mom just baby-sitting the second calf? 

This morning, a kind friend met me at the old place, and 

gave me 9 one year old Rhode Island Red hens and a bantam cochin rooster, 

who promptly fought with the MUCH bigger cochin, Blooey. 

No pictures... I did take some, but they were all a blue. 

The birds had had to be kept in a too small pen, so some of the hens are almost bare. 

I finally separated them into the two yards, the three big cochins in the little red henhouse yard, and 

the bigger group in the old henhouse yard.  I put a barrier up in the doorway. 

The cochin hens will be confused, as they are used to laying in the old duck house on this side. 

I DID put the ramp up and opened the door of the little red henhouse, and I think for tonight, I'll run these guys back over to that side, and they can sleep in that house for the time being until the roosters settle down. 

As you see, the rooster's tail is plucked, too.  These feathers will all grow back in, and they will 

lay as soon as they settle down and get used to the yard. 

I stopped three times for turtles this morning, but did not have to help this guy. 

He trotted right along and got out of the road on his own. 

He was really a most beautiful color, as well. 

I took a quick picture with my phone, and I hope you can make it 

a little bigger and see what a pretty color he was. 

Off he went! 

We are told that we are going to have severe storms tonight, but 

the last few predictions have been a non-event.  I hope 

that holds true tonight as well... but... I can't say I am sad we 

have had all the rain this week. 

I'll share some more pictures tomorrow. 

AND, Last but definitely not least...

It's Armed Services Day! 

Honor our men and woman who are serving our country and putting their lives on the line.  My husband did it for 24 years, and we have a friend whose son is a Marine even as I type this.

Thanks for your service!