Don't strain your eyes too hard, but that little black dot against the cloud is a Turkey Vulture soaring over our fields (as usual).
This last Saturday, I had the opportunity to run errands in town solo while Casey stayed at the farm with the kids. Soon into my trip, I received a call from home — rarely a good sign. I picked up to hear a frantic-sounding Casey. “There’s a raptor! In the chicken fence! And, it’s feet look all mangled!” “What?” I said, not sure if I heard correctly. His agitation made me immediately worried about our animals.
After some more conversation, I figured out that everyone on the farm was fine — at least, our children and domestic animals. But, yes, there was a hawk of some kind that got tangled somehow in our electric fencing. And, yes, it was an exciting moment on the farm, worthy of agitation.
Casey called the state police, which turned out to not be necessary in the end. We still don’t know the details of any part of this hawk’s story (including how it may have hurt its feet), but it got itself untangled, and after a confused looking rest in the clover, apparently took off again on its own.
Raptors are a daily part of our experience here on the farm. Even our very first visit, back in early 2006, was marked by these large majestic birds of prey. Casey and I both remember first visiting Grand Island after a drenching January downpour that left the rest of the county soggy, muddy and depressing — and yet as we drove across that bridge, the clouds parted, letting the brilliant winter sun shine through. We pulled up next to the land we were looking at (our farm, it turned out) and watched as red tail hawks and turkey vultures danced in circles on the air currents above the field. It was magic.
It still is magic, even though we now know that such a sight is just part of living here. Depending on the season, we regularly see hawks, bald eagles, harriers, kestrels, blue herons, and osprey. Sometimes it is the sound of the birds that is more striking than the sight — such as the “Hoo hoo — hoo hoo” of great horned owls heard in the still winter darkness.
Last year, we had a bird biologist working on the farm for a spell, and he helped us see things we’d never noticed before, such as short-eared owls. But, even the now very familiar types of birds continue to delight us with new kinds of experiences. Seeing a downed hawk up close and personal was definitely a new one (that I, sadly, missed out on).
Yet the simple daily sightings are lovely too. Our farm is visited by many other birds too — we are blessed to watch the dances of Barn Swallows and hear the tinkling of Swainson’s Thrush in the spring. But, we perhaps identify most of all with the large predatory birds. These birds seem to bring stories to our farm — stories of rivalries (hawks fighting in the sky) and work and play. I can’t help but share in the pleasure of these large birds as they coast through the air on the currents or dive down to successfully capture rodent prey in our fields.
They also remind us of how wild this place still remains — both our farm and the island as a whole. These birds couldn’t thrive here if everyone farmed “hedgerow to hedgerow” without leaving strips, swaths or whole forests of wild vegetation and trees. Casey and I first fell in love with nature via wilderness — craggy mountains and scree fields and marmots whistling and all that. So, for us, seeing an eagle perched on a snag or hearing the call of a hawk is a continuation of that love, since transformed into something much more complex than it started — a deep appreciation for all living things and their interconnectedness in all places. Certainly we are blessed to live where these connections are so beautiful and explicit, but these are truths even in the cities, where clean air is just as important to human creatures as to these birds in the country.
Going now into fall, we look forward to more moments of bird watching from our morning breakfast table. Soon we will have more opportunities to linger with those early cups of coffee. And, then breakfast will be in the dark, and we will listen for those owls again as we go about our early or late business outside. One of my favorite memories of Rusty from last year was listening to the owls just outside his bedroom window (which opens onto a massive walnut tree) and having him say, “Those owls are so loud.” Yes, indeed.
These are just some of the creatures that will fill our children’s early lives with wonder and magic. That same magic that lured us here and that continues to inspire our daily work. What blessings, to live a life co-mingled with the stories of other lives, other creatures.
Enjoy this week’s vegetables!
Your farmers, Katie & Casey Kulla
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Meet this week’s vegetables:
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Kale
- Basil
- Carrots
- Beets
- Summer squash & zucchini
- Sweet onions
