A little village of mushrooms on a stick I picked up to throw over the fence.
It Takes a Village…
Category Archives: Hollow News
Mist on the Kings River
Just took this photo from the county road on the ridge looking towards the Kings River and Berryville beyond.
Growing Wild
Wild squash or wild zucchini? I consulted an expert and it could be either.
Summer Morning Mist in the Ozarks
Because our county road runs along a high ridge top, there are several spots where you can see many miles eastward.
This morning, however, a heavy mist obstructed the view of the lower elevations.
This is not uncommon as just east of us is the valley through which the Kings River runs.
The river is a virtual fog machine.
My Nature Conservancy Membership
I’ve been an ardent supporter of The Nature Conservancy since about 1980 when my older brother, standing next to the bunk beds in our shared Northern Virginia bedroom told me about a group quietly buying up valuable real estate to protect wildlife. He rightly thought I’d be interested in such activities. You may honestly question my passion for habitat conservation though as I did not immediately apply for membership. The excuse that I was only eleven years old is feeble even to my embarrassed ears.
Fast forward to now and I’m a longtime member of The Nature Conservancy. When the annual renewal arrived, I jumped on the internet bandwagon and paid my dues online. Imagine my surprise when this envelope was left in the mailbox up on the county road. My legal name isn’t Deep Hollow and I’ve been a faithful member for 28 years. Obviously, wires have been crossed. I predict that this internet thing people are starting to talk about will ultimately fail.
Where’s the Respect? Where’s the Fear?
Just now in the dimming light, walking to the house with Shrek, I jumped sideways before it even registered in my brain that a copperhead was whipping his body frantically at my feet. I wasn’t the reason for the strange contortions, though. Walking just a bit in front of me and inches from my leg, yellow dog Shrek had rudely stepped on the snake’s head and then continued on his way. Copperheads are generally treated with respect, if not fear and this 2 foot fellow was obviously insulted by the breach of protocol.
Third Year in a Row
I was in a hurry this morning, but I glanced at the barn as I always do and noticed something out of the ordinary. Driving away I clicked a quick photo.
Enlarging the photograph, you can see the youngster in the window. It’s always amazing to see how fat, white and fluffy a Black Vulture baby is. I hope I see it again so I can attempt a better picture.
Shame
I went out on the porch awhile ago and was having a conversation with the dogs when a doe walked through the edge of the garden. His hackles on end, Shrek jumped down the steps putting on a display of proud ferocity. The doe stopped walking and stood looking at him with disinterest. Shrek halted short of the defiant deer, confidence waning. After a half minute of indecision, he looked back at me standing on the porch watching and started the heartbroken moaning that only he can do, the shame and embarrassment too much for him to endure. He stumbled back to the porch and climbed the steps his head hanging low. I fetched him a treat and gave him encouragement. I vigorously told him that he was a good boy but he was unconvinced.
Late last night, we had heard an animal sound up in the field. Ian said it sounded like a goat. I took that to mean a doe was talking to a newborn. And as is the case when they have a small fawn, the mothers stop playing the game of politely running a short distance when Shrek tries to impress me. The politics are interesting. A few years ago we had a doe who would actually chase the little dogs if they came too near. She was a hard core good mother.
Mother and Child
I was finally able to get a photograph of the two buzzards in the barn (after borrowing a quality camera from my sister).
Sometimes I can identify which is the mother black vulture and which is the offspring, but I can’t in this picture. If I could see them moving around or flying, the awkward one is obviously the baby.
Return of the Bat
For nearly twenty years bats flew up the hollow every evening (except when hibernating) around dusk. A couple years ago I realized that I was no longer seeing them and this left me concerned about the spreading bat disease I had been reading about. Late Saturday night, however, I was driving up and out of the hollow when I was happy to see a few bats dipping down into my yellow headlights and grabbing insects before flitting to the darkness above. My hope for them has returned.
Buzzards in the Barn
Just like a year ago, a black vulture nested in our barn and raised a young one. Last summer, she had two babies. I was just watching the chick, who has finally lost all of his fuzzy white feathers and looks like an authentic buzzard instead of a weird muppet creature. It was sitting in the barn window looking around and then would suddenly swoop down inside the barn with wings spread. It would fly a circle and then land back in the open window and strut back and forth and make a gravelly sound of pride. It was cute. I have yet to see it fly outside of the barn.
Porch Thieves
