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.

 

[Stressless]

Well crap..

Thinking of making a meme..

3 of those sumbitch"in cute bastards.

 

["J"]

Say good by to your fish….

 

[Stressless]

Sometimes it works...

Put down oats and crimson clover the 17th with rain forecast- not a drop.

Put down the rye yesterday in front of a forecast- bingo...

If your wondering why Im excited- the wx station at the farm.

0.3" rainfall the month of Aug.

Legume plots look decent for drought but the cereal grains will save the day.

 

[Stressless]

Well ...

Another rain fizzle. 700# of rye out for the birds and coons. My guess is 1/3 - 1/2 will germinate in the thatch and little bit of growth I have in some of the ultra dry dirt. Forecasts aint real but you gotta place your bets this time if year.

 

[Stressless]

Well

700# of rye across the plots in front of rhe forecast that fuzziled to .03" not nearly enough. From my experience the last four years 1/3 to 1/2 will germinate with the thatch and lil bit of growth on the very dry dirt. The bare or nearly bare spots will see the seed eaten or washed away with a gully washer before itll germinate and get roots in. In the cages still got a bit of growth before the moisture ran out.

Watered both micro orchards with pond water 10 days ago and watered yesterday. So far 4 known KIA trees, one was dead outa thr box. The other 3 poped leaves but died in the spring. No losses of fruit trees in the drought so far.

The high and exposed plots like Spoil are stunted and thus over browsed.
The plots with some shade are doing much better.

This is part of Dam Plot, hit one swipe where Japanese Stiltgrass was growing across the entire plot.

It killed and prevented the stiltgrass seeds from either germination or growing.

The invasive Jap Stiltgrass is apparently worse than Knotweed and multiflora Rosa combined... I hate battleing invasives!

The waterhole spring hasn't dried up in this drought, so deer, coons, mosquitofish and frogs are liking it.