Going Buggy

Oh, there could be so much read into this!  I go buggy, riding in a buggy, but this time it is buggy as in bugs.   The topic for this week's Sunday Stills.

Here are a couple of my buggy photos.

ant on a tiger lily

 

ant on Purple Coneflower
 

Oh, not just ants?  Okay here's a lady bug on a log

linking to Sunday Stills

Nature Walk

My little photo group on Facebook , Fotos by Friends, had a theme of spiderwebs this week so it was time to go for a walk. (Heaven forbid I take photos of the webs in the house!!)

I found a couple of spiderwebs:

This is in the corner of a grain bin that two of my guys were emptying out,

so it had a bit of grain dust on it to help it show up nicely.

But while looking for other things to "shoot", I noticed some wild sunflowers.  As I got closer I noticed a honey bee on it.  The bonus:  a lacewing!

The bee about has it's Pollen Buckets full.

There are so many titles one could use for this one, but I will let you use your imagination! 

(Perhaps in the Comment section)

Linking to:  Farm Photo Friday

Rural North Dakota sights

Lately I have been doing lots of driving around.  I am the "go-fer" for our farm.  I go for parts. I go for Anhydrous Ammonia.  You get the idea.  So, I have started to take my camera along.  If I have a little extra time I will stop to take photos.  They are usually taken of water birds in sloughs along the roads that I travel.

I thought I would share a few of the birds I have seen.

American Coot preening

Canada Goose family

Red Heads

Northern Shovelers

Top:  American Coot

2 on left:  Wilson's Phalarope

pair on right:  Blue-winged Teals

I have seen a few other water birds such as Mallards, Grebes, SeaGulls and more.  If I get more photographed I might even share them with you!

We have 2-3 days left of planting so I will have many more miles to drive!!  Always a breakdown, meal to haul or someone getting stuck so we will see what it all brings.

Be sure to share a comment so I know someone actually stops by to see what is going on at NoDak Herefords.

The case of the missing calf ... OR ... How to be dumber than a cow/calf pair

Yesterday was somewhat stressful.  We knew that Paige's cow had calved but could not find the little black (or black white face) calf.  You see, Momma (aka 63W) has been enjoying getting out of her pasture and grazing around the feedlot.  So, it was my job to try to find the calf.  Here is a bit of a pictoral story about my afternoon...

This is 63W.  She is out standing in the field (no pun intended).  So I rode 4 wheeler around that area a bit looking for the calf.  No luck...

The steers in the feedlot sure wondered what I was doing!

Nature's Carpet

I needed to walk through the tree grove to see if this cow had tucked her baby into a hiding place.  While walking I saw moss on trees (it looked like Nature's carpet!).  But no calf...

Lady bug on a branch

I found a lady bug crawling on a branch.  She didn't mind having her photo taken.  (This photo is supposed to "lay down" but it automatically "stood up" when I imported it. *shrug*)  Still no baby 63W.  I had better keep looking....

Here is another escape artist - and friend of 63W.  She does not have a calf yet.  She was in the trees by the feedlot which is not the pasture either.  No calf with her, so I kept looking....

Grass carpet

The grass is greening up.  This is a bit of a problem as the cows are tempted when they see green grass!  No wonder they want out.  They don't have to share with the whole herd if they break out!  Lucky for me, the grass is short.  The calf can't hide in short grass.  Well, I give up.  I can't find this calf.  So, I guess I was out-smarted by a cow/calf pair!!  I will have to look again later.

On my way home, I found this newborn calf (in the pasture where it belonged).  It was just trying to figure out how to stand.  Those legs are quite wobbly. It doesn't help that mom keeps trying to clean (lick off the after-birth) the calf.  When she licks the calf, the calf stumbles.  But, after only a few trys, the calf stablized and made it to his destination - food!!  It is thanks to doing this blog that I took the time to watch and learn this.  I have lived on a farm/ranch all of my life and had never taken the time to watch these first few minutes of life.   Usually when I found a new calf, I would just make sure the cow "mothered" (cleaning & loving) the calf and then I would leave.  I looked at the pair today and they are doing just fine.

Today on my home from town I found the 63W pair together.  YAHH!!  Plus, there were two more cows with them (including the one that is pictured above).  When Brett helped me get them in he snapped a photo of the pair so you can see that all is well.  From this location, we just had to put them through the gate so they could join all of their friends in the pasture (in the background).  I hope they all stay in now!

Linking up to:  Farmgirl Friday & Friday Fences