Stressless Farm Blog - Wildlife Habitat Improvements

[Stressless]

Really wanted to get the plots blown off between end of active Bowhunting for me, 1st week of Nov, long enough for it to grow some prior to gun season. Dint happen for many reasons this fall. So the Mrs and I got after it and other chores last week.

4+ acres of plots blown off for frost seeding and spring growth.

Two mini orchards cleared, dug, planted, mulched, fenced and staked. Both enhance the expected Line Of Movement in the areas of the farm they were planted.

This one is off the edge of FrontPad.

Fences keep the furry bastards from eating the newly planted buds!

Frost seeded +4 acres of plots.

Minerals placed and dug into the 6 sites around the farm.

 

[Stressless]

... And sprayed three sections of young switchgrass. Sprayer fell at some point and broke a part coming off the tank - spares on-hand saved the day. As well as neighbor Cliff lending me his ATV as Pepe my ATV starter failed.

 

[switchhitter]

You sure put in the work!
Looking good turkey season is almost here

 

[Stressless]

Repost from the projects thread:

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I've seen bluebirds at the farm and at home, Mrs mentioned she liked seeing them. 37 years of wedded bliss.. i.e., living with me, I'm always looking for something to help her smile.

Found these and yes you could build them but for $17/per you can't hardly by the board ft let alone the time $ invested.

Link for houses, https://a.co/d/7lV047t

Wanted them to last so used linseed oil on the end grain and exterior sides.

Bought 7' T posts to mount then on, to make a predator guard 1 1/2" schd 40 PVC. For a 7' T posts 4.5' of PVC works good.

You smart guys prolly have a better method to mount the house to the T-post.

Used 2 1/4" x 2' SS bolts. Drilled two 7/16" holes and hit the raw steel with some rustoleum I had.

Had some 2x2's laying around so used that as dead wood to mount the post and birdhouse to the 2x2.

Put four up in OH last week, had bluebirds in two before I left Sat. Put 4 up in b4 I left two weeks ago Sunday, lol birds were on a wait list it seems as Bluebirds in one, no eggs yet and Chickadee in one, 5 wee tiny eggs. I think each egg is about half the size of a dime.

..and the first bluebird egg dropped today.

Momma dropped another off.

LoL I think pops was outside while she was laying that egg, he's worked up.

She's on the nest with four. Update in a couple weeks when they're hatched and feeding.

 

[Stressless]

[Edit] Tree Swallow nesting in one, one bluebird and 2 wrens in the 4 at the farm in OH. Both the bluebirds and King birds nests are along the pond. Flying bugs are in peril

 

[Stressless]

Needed a good trail, to cross above a big white oak stand. Cut it one third of the lenght but old.logging road.ruts stopped me, like 8 or 9 years ago kept it cut yearly but knew it could more if extended and access via Ebike to the back 60 acres improved dramatically... finally got fed up and had Caleb from MilRay Excavation into do this and a couple other long festering ToDo's that will all be done by Monday.

Cut cleared bucked the tress and marked the path in May. Got after it this week, mid hillside there was a seep we knew we had to deal with.

At the seep we talked, there was a great clay seal below it so moved some.around.

We dugit out and it was funning abo I t 1/2gal min... slow and steady.

Made a clay walled spring fed waterhole just uphill NW of the white oak grove for great thermals.

They were in it within 24 hrs, before it even filled up.

It filled.and started flowing thru the overflow this AM.

A little landlocked strip pit has mosquitofish in it, set the trap to stock the ~400 gal pool.

There's a beautiful oak 26 yrds uphill to the left and with a big branch about 20' up.

I'm calling the spot "Passthru".

 

[Stressless]

Eastern Mosquitofish.

Caught and added 8 or 9 this AM. Will put about 25 in the waterhole.