Invasive Plant Elimination (Blog 436)

Wednesday after teaching school, I walked the seeded logging road behind our 38-acre parcel in Botetourt County, Virginia. I was looking for invasive plants that were just starting to bud. With loppers in hand and a spray bottle of herbicide, I was ready to do battle.

It was disappointing to find so many plants to target.  There were a few of Russian olive, but the most common one that I encountered was multi-flora rose, which seemed to be growing just about everywhere.

I spent about an hour on this task, which, frankly, has just begun. I've got a lot more work to do, but at least it was a start.

Virginia Toms Gobbling Every Morning (Blog 435)

Almost every morning year round I walk three miles in the dark before going to teach school or begin my summer day. This month is my favorite to walk in the dark because a morning ritual is to see how many gobblers I hear on my pre-dawn rambles.

Two mornings ago, I yelped with my mouth which sent one tom into a frenzied gobbling sequence. Several hens also responded to my yelps. This morning, the longbeard was gobbling on his own as I walked past his roost in the dark.

I conclude my walks on our 38-acre parcel in Botetourt County, Virginia. We have at least two toms gobbling behind our house, but they do not do so every morning. I don't think they have settled into a roosting pattern yet.

Soon, Elaine and I will head to Tennessee for me to turkey hunt, then, of course, come the Virginia and West Virginia seasons. I can hardly wait.

Don and Friday Crowing in Tandem (Blog 434)

One of the most interesting things about raising chickens is observing their behavior. As noted in last week's blog, Friday, our five-month-old cockerel finally began crowing. Our previous cockerels all have started earlier than Friday.

But what is so interesting is that though Friday began late, when he finally did start greeting the dawn it was in a voice similar to that of a mature rooster. In fact, Friday's cock-a-doodle-do is very similar to that of Don, our four-year-old rooster and the biological father of Friday.  Is the way a rooster crows inherited? I have no answer to that, but already I am having difficulty discerning between the crowings of Don and Friday.

Gobblers Gobbling, Cockerel Crowing, Veeries Passing Through (Blog 433)

One of the many great things about late winter/early spring is all the changes going on. The turkey gobblers are in full throat, sounding off every morning that doesn't bring rains or high winds. Cold temperatures are irrelevant to them now, the toms have to gobble.

Two days ago, our young heritage Rhode Island Red cockerel, who Elaine and I named Friday because that was the day of the week he hatched, finally started crowing. Friday also has become caught up in the spirit of the spring.

And several days ago, one of the many gifted singers of the thrush family - a veery - broke into song at dawn one morning. I was walking past a woodlot one and I heard the melodic tune of a veery. Great sounds to hark to here in rural Virginia.

Wood Cutting Season in Virginia (Blog 432)

Here in Virginia, small game seasons are over now, and spring gobbler season is more than a month away. But now it is wood cutting season here on our Botetourt County land. Last week, Elaine and I hired logger Jeff Britt to cut down a number of dead or dying ashes that were near our house and chicken runs. He also cut down some massive scarlet and red oaks that were too big for me to handle.

The next three weekends will be devoted to cutting up this wood so that it will fit into our stove next winter. With our solar panels on the roof and with the wood stove, our electric bill is less than $50.00 a month, sometimes much less.