Immediate Habitat Improvement
One of our major goals for the back woods is to restore it to a more native form and provide better wildlife habitat. This morning, we looked out the window to see a male Pileated Woodpecker feeding at one of the rotting stumps that had previously been covered with ivy (and surely filled with rats). We'd seen Pileateds in the yard on a fairly regular basis, but usually up high, or flying over. We've never had one feeding right at the edge of the lawn. Before long, he was joined by a female and they spent several minutes plucking away at the bark looking for beetles and other insects. Hopefully they found some and will be back. We'll be watching all the stumps for woodpecker activity.
One of our major goals for the back woods is to restore it to a more native form and provide better wildlife habitat. This morning, we looked out the window to see a male Pileated Woodpecker feeding at one of the rotting stumps that had previously been covered with ivy (and surely filled with rats). We'd seen Pileateds in the yard on a fairly regular basis, but usually up high, or flying over. We've never had one feeding right at the edge of the lawn. Before long, he was joined by a female and they spent several minutes plucking away at the bark looking for beetles and other insects. Hopefully they found some and will be back. We'll be watching all the stumps for woodpecker activity. 
3 comments:
nice to see here-to-fore hidden habitat features unearthed from the ivy & blackberry and attracting the native denizens!
Thanks for posting this blog on rental goats. I'm considering hiring The Goat Lady's goats and wonder how much property your 8 rental goats cleared in two weeks. Did you use fencing or keep them only on tethers?
We kept them on tethers, which worked fine. They did pull the tethers up occasionally, but they are herding animals, so they stick together. The area cleared was probably between 1/8-1/4 acre, but it was very densely vegetated hillside. The goat lady can give you the best estimate if she can come out for a site visit - they were right on with their estimate of how long it would take the goats to finish the job.
Post a Comment