Gobblers in Virginia Begin Anew (Blog 385)

A blast of cold air and two snowfalls shut down all gobbling here in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, that is, all gobbling except for one lone tom. In the midst of a driving wind and precipitation, that old boy was gobbling.

That is the type of bird that I would like to hunt on opening day - one gobbling in the wind and snow. That kind of tom will invariably come charging in.

Still, he was the only one to sound off for the entire week until the warm front came through this morning. Predictably, a gobbler on the eastern side of our property greeted the dawn and was so boisterous that both my son-in-law David and I both heard him. Opening day is just two weeks distant.

Chickens in the Snow (Blog 384)

At 2:45 this morning, I woke up, looked out the window and saw snow falling, and knew what I had to do. Earlier this month, we had a wet, slushy snow, and the netting covering our two chicken runs collapsed, leaving our heritage Rhode Island Reds vulnerable to an owl or hawk attack.

Elaine and I spent an hour or so repairing the damage then. I figured it was better to arise in the wee hours than wait until dawn and try to repair the net. When I arrived inside the two runs, the netting was already badly sagging, so I as delicately as possible tapped the bottom of the netting with a broom to cause snow to cascade through the openings.

I'll go outside at dawn to do the broom tapping gambit again. I expect more such visits will be required during what appears will be a long, snow-filled day.

Gobbling Intensity Increasing in Southwest Virginia (Blog 383)

What a difference a week makes here in Southwest Virginia in terms of gobbling intensity. Two weeks ago, a lone gobble every few mornings was the norm. Now, the "normal" progression of spring morning sounds is evident.

For example, this morning, the crows, as is typical in spring, were the first birds to really announce the dawn in a boisterous way. This seemed to wake up two gobblers behind my house, and they began gobbling every 45 or so seconds. I also noted that the two toms were on opposite side of our 38 acres in Botetourt County, perhaps because they have already endured several skirmishes with each other.

What I expect to happen next - perhaps in just a few days - is an outbreak of non-stop gobbling as one longbeard becomes consumed with the prospects of mating, which, in turn, sets several other gobblers off.

Woodcock Mating Season in Full Throttle in Southwest Virginia (Blog 382)

This morning at 5:45, I left our Botetourt County, Virginia house to walk and almost immediately heard the sounds of a male woodcock doing his mating aerial dance.  Soon afterwards, I heard another woodcock while I was walking up the driveway.  And about 100 yards into my walk, a third one was heard.

Next to hearing the sounds of gobblers in early spring, I love to hear the whistling and peents of woodcocks. Adding to the morning aura was snow flakes falling.  In the distance, it seemed like the surrounding mountains were enveloped in snow as well. The forecast is for snow at dawn on Monday.  I wonder if the woodcocks will persist in their mating rituals if snow falls?

First Gobbling, First Woodcock (Blog 381)

Yesterday, February 28, brought the first gobble of the morning, here in Southwest Virginia. I was out walking when I heard a distant jake sound off.  Not quite believing my ears, I paused for several minutes, then yelped with my mouth. 

Nothing answered, so I resumed my walk feeling that I had misinterpreted what I thought I had heard. However, three minutes later, the jake gobbled again, and this time there was no mistaking the sound. I again yelped and again no response. Several minutes later, the young tom belted out one more gobble.

This morning brought a cool rain and 50 degree temperatures in Botetourt County. While I was tending to our chickens, I heard the distant sounds of a woodcock doing his aerial mating dance. Two sure signs of onrushing spring are gobbling toms and the return of woodcocks.