Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Springtime on the Prairie




Springtime on the prairie is also the beginning of mowing season. I like to mow, because I like to drive the tractor. We have a Kubota tractor outfitted with a front loader and a bush hog mower. It is a small tractor. Sometimes I wish we had one of those fancy tractors with the enclosed air conditioned cabs - I like to dream big.

Today I finished mowing our six acres. About the time I was finishing up, I spotted a Killdeer. Killdeer are cute little birds that frequently scurry along the ground before taking to the air. They also nest on the ground. This can be very unfortunate during mowing season. Fortunately today I was able to spot the nest after mom alerted me to it by performing her "broken wing act". This display is designed to distract predators from the nest and to focus their attention on the mom who feigns injury, and then conveniently flies away just out of reach of the predator. In this case it allowed me to locate the nest and mow around it. A happy ending for all involved!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

We Are Now Beekeepers

The Johnsons are now beekeepers. To view the photos and read the narrative, click on this link