No Snow is Good Snow

....too.....much........reading.............must.......sleep

I went out this morning to check on things and to water the flock, and found this fellow sitting on the fence on the hill that overlooks my western pasture. I checked my photo logs and I have a picture of him from December 4 as well as March 22, which means he may migrate for 3 months. If he doesn't it means he winters here in minus 35 degree weather, which seems unlikely. I know they nest in the valley, and I see the juveniles playing above the wood on my place -- I've already seen 3 young eagles this spring.

My farm is high on a hill, its north fence is atop the southern side of the Battle River Valley. I will take a photo some day of the valley from my northeast pasture and show you -- it's a wonderful view.

I watched him for a while, then I decided to put out some chicken eggs. I routinely clean out the coop of eggs that some of the hens lay on the ground. From time to time they lay too prolifically to keep the nests empty and decide to lay some eggs on the ground or in the food silo. Those eggs I walk out away from the coop to the pasture behind, and put out for the raptors and foxes and other carnivorous parties. One foggy day I saw this eagle sitting on my henhouse, waiting for eggs. At first I didn't know what it was, I thought, "why is there a dog sitting on my henhouse?" Then I realized that he had spied the discard pile and was helping himself to some easy food along with crows, magpies and foxes and coyotes. A different kind of bird feeder! You can't have that in the city!

After cleaning the coop, I went over to the back corral that overlooks the eagle's pasture, and hung out with the boys for a while. As you can see, we have no snow left, and today it was a balmy 6 degrees.
These fellows will be in for a shearing this year. These are just the boys (there are about 12 boys, and about 18 girls in total). I say about because I haven't counted the two geldings.

I got into llamas originally because two geldings, Dally & Cotton, who used to be golf caddies, came with this farm when I bought it.

Yes all my llamas have names.

Anyway, once word spread that I accept orphan llamas, people just gave them to me -- sometimes six at a time. They are no longer considered "profitable" and so end up as sausages or dog food frequently -- I rescue the few I can, and they retire comfortably to this farm. Llamas are a bit like cats in their personality. They are inquisitive, and do not flock well, so the cow people out here do not understand them. You cannot herd llamas by horseback, just as you cannot herd cats that way. Llamas run (fast) all over the place and will outmaneuver a horse and rider. Cowboys don't like llamas much.

The best way to deal with llamas is to cajole them, and offer them food. With the corral setup I have here I can move them around pretty easily on my own. They are quite amenable to bribery and sweet talk. Once they trust you, they will let you commune with them quite happily. Mine are very sweet to me. And they keep strangers off my property!

Cotton, who reminds me of Walter Matthau, often helps me handle the unruly young males. One of the studs was hassling a girl I was leading, and I said to Cotton -- "can you help me get him away?" and Cotton ran up to the boy and ran interference for me the whole way through the pasture. I'm not saying he understands English, but he definitely picks up communication, because he's helped me many many times by guarding gates when I'm wrangling.

He's done a good job, you can see the smile on his face.