According to my late father-in-law, Purple Martins are supposed to arrive on Valentine’s Day (February 14th) and depart on the 4th of July. This year our Purple Martins arrived at the end of February. We thought a late arrival meant a late departure.
We left the farm on the 3rd of July after taking the pictures below. When we returned on the 5th, we found only 4 Purple Martins left at the farm. It appears these birds still had young birds and had stayed behind with their young to give them a few more days to grow. Purple Martins amass in great flocks on the coast before they depart for South America. By July 10th, all of our Purple Martins were gone.
Below: I have heard about Black Widow spiders, but this is the first time I encountered one outside of a museum or Insectarium. This female was in a chair on the porch. Black Widows are venomous and contact with them is best avoided.
Below: For the past year, this Great Blue Heron has visited the farm and then flown to a large pine tree in the distance. However, over the last week, this bird has decided to stay around. It stays camped out in the goat yard most of the time, but occasionally takes a stroll down the driveway. This bird does not interact with the goats, but doesn’t seem to be bothered by their presence either. It has allowed Bruce to walk up within a few feet before it flies away. Bruce was standing by the fish feeder the other day when the feeder went off. The bird actually walked over to Bruce and watched the fish feeding. I am pretty sure that the fish, not Bruce, were the main attraction. If this Great Blue Heron continues to hang around, I guess we will have to give it a name. Any suggestions for a name?
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4th of July with the extended family
