We have mini-lakes in all our fields...great habitat for seagulls.
We are hoping the trumpeter swans stay on the neighbour's fields this year! They are beautiful large birds, but once they take up residence they totally destroy the crop...and there is no way to encourage them to move along! Last year they enjoyed our winter wheat...we weren't really thrilled, since it wasn't meant for their enjoyment. They aren't a friend to farmers, but they are a regal looking bird.
They spend the winter in this area...weigh over 20 pounds and have a 9 foot wingspan.
It looks like they have befriended a few crows!
And starlings are another bird which we would love to export! They travel in large flocks, and do a lot of damage on the farm.
I was hoping to catch the eagles behind our barn...but they are elusive whenever I get the camera out. We recently spotted nine of them out there at one time! Maybe next time!So what exactly does one do on such a wet & dreary day? I discovered that you take a drive out to Abbotsford for parts for the farm machinery...
and since you are in the area, you stop by Rempel Meats for some of their trademark farmer sausage.
And since the afternoon is shot anyhow, you drop by Linens and Things, Home Outfitters and Home Sense! I'm thrilled with my big purchase of the afternoon...a non-stick oven liner that fits into the bottom of all ovens, to catch all spills and mess! It is black...and wipes off easily, or can be washed in the dishwasher. So I came home and ran the self-clean cycle on my oven. This morning I have 6 racks to clean (there is a drawback to having a double convection oven!)...then I shall put in my new liners, and I will maintain a clean oven in 2008! (We'll see about that.) But I would just like to thank Lovella for passing along the tip about the oven liners...we can learn a lot from our blogger friends! Oh yes...and did I mention a pit stop at Tim Horton's?
That is how one spends a very wet day in the Fraser Valley. So put on your webbed feet, and get out there and enjoy the day!
Editing note: Thanks to a blog reader who knows much more about birds than I do, I no longer have 'snow geese' on my post...they are now 'trumpeter swans'! If I want to see what snow geese look like, I need to go visit the Reifel Bird Sanctuary in Ladner...and take my grandkids! Apparently we can feed the chickadees sunflowers right out of our hand. Now that sounds like a fun idea...thanks, Pat!
Thanks for sharing the pics, Judy. There is always some beauty in any kind of weather.
ReplyDeleteIt is snowing lightly here.
What a good mennonite wife you are. Running errands for your man, stopping to pick up farmer sausage and doing some shopping to make your already spic and span home more so.
ReplyDeleteMy mom in law gave me one warning about the oven liners just recently. She said that she heard they shouldn't be used in ovens where the elements are concealed. I hope you can see your elements.
A double convection oven. Oh how wonderful.
We feel the same way about the birds here. Birds equal avian flu. Shudder.
That's an interesting day. I wonder if those are the very same starlings who come down our way once a year?
ReplyDeleteWe see lots of seagulls too, of course, being on the coast, but no geese or eagles. A hawk or two perhaps. Lots of crows, pigeons and little birds like sparrows. Now and then a very noisy flock of some sort of green parrot. I think someone's pets escaped long ago and they've increased their numbers!
Gray days on both sides of the continent, I guess. Your swans are ever so much more lovely than my turkey vultures!
ReplyDeleteAnd you said the eagles!! There's been times this week I asked about a telephoto lens just to take pictures of the eagles on our pond...
ReplyDeleteI learned quickly that they cost way to much!!
I think those eagles are feasting on some kind of remmants.
Sounds like we had a similiar day yesterday, only we had to go to United Agri for parts.
Next time we could coordinate a field trip from Chilliwack.
Nice photos Judy, and we could sure use some more rain...our 18 inch deficit is killing us...you have such a busy life I don't know how you find the time to blog!
ReplyDeleteSandi
Where were the trumpeter swans, snow geese and eagles when we were growing up? It doesn't seem like such a long time ago but even the types of birds have changed. Which birds are gone now?
ReplyDelete