The Brown Thrasher’s latin name is Toxostoma rufum. It can be found all over the United States and Canada. Their preferred habitat is shrubby vegetation, overgrown fields, and vast plains. The Brown Thrasher breeds from February to June. In the winter, they migrate up North. Their population status is of least concern. The Brown Thrasher…
The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher’s latin name is Polioptila caerulea. It lives in all parts of North America. Their preferred habitat is shrublands, mature forests, tropical forests, lakeside habitats, and forest edges. The Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher’s breeding season is all throughout summer. Both parents participate in the building of the Blue Grey Gnatcatcher nest, which is cone-shaped and built on…
Here’s a bit of Wild Turkey 101 for you. What do Wild Turkeys eat? They are considered omnivores so they eat both plants and animals, depending on what is available. Some of the staples of their diet include grass, fruits, corn, snails, worms and insects. Can Wild Turkeys fly? Yes…they are actually very good flyers…
What is a Whippoorwill? Officially, it’s an Eastern Whip-poor-will and its latin name is Antrostomus vociferus. It lives in North America. Their preferred habitat is leafy woodlands, moist forests, and deciduous woodlands. The Eastern Whip-poor-will (also referred to as a Whippoorwill bird) breeds through May and June. They winter in southern parts. Their population is…
The Yellow-Breasted Chat’s latin name is Icteria virens. It is found all throughout North America. The Yellow-Breasted Chat’s preferred habitat is dense shrubbery, farm fields, clearcuts, fencerows, forest openings, swamps, edges of ponds, and streams. They breed across the eastern United States and southern Canada, from New York to Iowa and south to Texas and…
When you cut a pasture for hay you not only get hay, but you end up with a beautifully maintained pasture. A well cut hay field looks like a suburban lawn after the grass is cut. Birds, and snakes, seem to really enjoy the freshly cut fields.
A silage wrapping machine is a useful piece of equipment to ensure that hay stays fresh. The machine is used to wrap the hay rolls in plastic. The wrapped roll can last up to three seasons prior to being eaten. We place the wrapped hay in different areas around the farm so as not to move it too far…
Most farmers no longer use hand held tools. A tractor is used with a large hay spear in order to pick up the roll and move it to the wrapping area. We have several different size tractors. They are each used for different functions. And there is usually a spare tractor because the hay cutting season is short and…
We can all help document biodiversity and we need to. The climate is changing. That’s a fact. Things are warmer than they were, some are wetter than before or drier. That means habitat changes, too. Some species are migrating, some are dying and others are “new” or new to us, anyway. Scientists have always collected…
A hay rolling machine is used to collect and bale the hay into a large roll. In Cumberland County, hay is mostly collected in large rolls. It is used primarily for cows. Horse hay is baled more often in small square bales.