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Patti Muzny, newsletter editor

Patti's Chirpings
by Patti Muzny

I think summer is sneaking up on me.  In fact, I’m quite certain that is the case.  I tend to hibernate, not migrate, when the heat and the bugs are locked in combat to see which one will send me scurrying for air conditioning. 

This past weekend (June 8-9) we loaded up our eight year-old granddaughter, Sydney, and went to spend some time at our Byars Backyard.  The air was thick enough to cut with a knife and it was warm!  Sydney was in a “go” mode and Granny was hoping for “slow.”  Oh, well.

Ma Nature blessed us with a thunderstorm Saturday evening that cooled us off about 15 degrees and gave us another .5 inches of rain.  No longer did I view my environment through heat shimmers. 

Sydney wanted to visit the neighbor’s pasture to see if she could find some more cow bones.  Our prairie habitat hadn’t been mowed and it was indeed “Tallgrass Prairie!”  Since the ticks and chiggers were obviously salivating at our arrival, and the pasture was well past waist high on Sydney, we took the old four-wheeler up the hill to the neighbor’s gate.

We parked the machine and crossed the fence to the “bone pile” and discovered a herd of about 30 cows had discovered us.  Sydney is mostly a city child and she’s not too comfortable with cattle.  When you weigh less than 50 pounds and these snorting, tail-switching creatures are staring you down, you might be a little uncomfortable! 

I stood my ground as she peeked from around me.  She was frightened, but also curious as to what was going to happen as the herd trotted to within about 15 feet of us and stood and stared.  The angus bull at the top of the hill was too lazy to come and see what was going on with his girls, so we didn’t have to try to anticipate his moves.

We stared at each other a few minutes while I explained that these animals were only curious.  Sydney said she wanted to go back over the fence and that the grass was too high to find bones, anyway!  We walked back and into our pasture, while dodging the byproduct of grazing animals and Sydney keeping a wary eye on the cows.  Suddenly the herd decided to trot over to our fence and continue staring and tail-switching. 

Sydney was much more confident now that a 5-strand fence was between her and the cattle.  She stood and watched them a while and a few cautiously approached.  Suddenly Sydney (our impulsive one) morphed into what she called her “monkey dance” mode and began flapping her arms.  She didn’t say a word, just gyrated at them from her side of the fence.  The cattle were startled, and ran and jumped away and stopped about 50 yards from her!  I’m not sure which species was more surprised, but I think it might have been Sydney!  I was laughing so hard, I could barely stand.

We had a respectable bird list for that weekend, in spite of mowing and 4-wheeling and an active child in the mix.

From our bed on the screen porch, I heard the first Screech Owl I’d heard in a long time, plus the Barred Owls and a Great Horned Owl.  A Pileated Woodpecker drummed on the utility pole near the cabin, while the Phoebe called near her “Phoebe shelf” nest on the end of the cabin.  Eastern Bluebirds were calling and flitting in front of the cabin.  It looked like a family group.

We heard the Wood Pewee and enjoyed the singing buntings and Blue Grosbeak.

While picking blackberries on Sunday morning I heard Field Sparrows singing, and could hear the White-eyed Vireos singing along the creek.  My helper didn’t last very long in the thorny, hot, buggy blackberry patch, but she picked enough to give her daddy some blackberries.  Mine are earmarked for a pie!

All-in-all, it was a super weekend.  If one can pick berries, chase grasshoppers for fish bait, walk through pastures in search of bones, hike the creek, and come back to civilization with only one chigger bite, that’s success!  Deep Woods OFF is my summer best friend.