Storm lifting and snow mostly melted. White-crowns plaintive call welcomes the calm and overcast morning-like hearing them in the fog on the coast.
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White. Yes, snow and more wet-on places the soil is saturated. We left cows in SG4 until storm abates. Lost one calf we know about from the storm. Flycatchers are back including Eastern and Western Kingbirds and western wood peewee. Three Lazuli Buntings working the feeder at dusk.
Partly cloudy and cooler with light rain at dusk. I am still trying to get all the pairs into SG4 and out of SG5. Last split opened in SG4. Quite a bit of feed remains with a fair amount of re-sprouted Japanese brome. Though this paddock is scheduled for main calving season in 2020, I may linger to put more pressure on the annual brome. With deep moisture in the ground, recovery may be good despite the mid-May grazing.
Back from Connecticut. For the period we were gone, weather started cool with rain on the 11th, temperatures warmed into the 80’s by the 12th and continued into today, with afternoon thunderstorms brewing. Five splits in SG4 over the period, yet new young pairs have been mostly scattered throughout SG5 and even SG3. Most pairs were hazed slowly into SG4 this morning. This lingering has slowed our grazing moves, which seems to occur every year, possibly requiring some adjustment to the calving paddocks planned for next year. Bobolink was seen/heard singing this afternoon at the “headquarters pond”. Barn swallows and orioles returned while gone. Second flower phase beginning with star lilies, Missouri milk vetch, and yellow pea now in bloom.
Clear sky and light frost. Cows move into SG4 for first split. Flushed short-eared owl at nest with three 2 or 3 day fledglings (see photo). Dana and I head to Connecticut for graduations.
Days starts and end cloudy with light showers. Cows move into last and 6th split in SG5. Working hard to build 6 splits ahead, as I will be gone for 5 days in Connecticut.
Cloudy and cool all day. We hold cows for one day as we finish last minute work on a new tank. Sprague Pipits singing in NG4, and Upland sandpipers not far from pipits.
Good rain last night with some continuing snow and rain until afternoon. Cows move into next split in SG5. The last week has been cool with multiple frosts slowing grass growth with high and low temps adding up to not greater than 80 (100 supports good growth). Sweet clover will be huge this year with benefits good and bad-great early season forage, turning later to competition for grass we will need later in the season, and also serious fire danger after maturing.
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Bill Milton
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