2020-03-28 14:19
Sunup at Schoharie CrossingNobody here but us and the birdsThey say it equals staying alive. We have to go to the stores and mail out bill payments and all....eating is still popular here… Read More
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Dairy blog, dairy farm
2020-03-26 16:07
Tree Swallow from a couple of years backJust a little relief from the virus fears and worries...performed when I see the first individual of a species for the first time this year. It's shor… Read More
2020-03-25 00:08
Ring-billed GullI try.I really do. I understand just how fortunate I am.....to be in reasonable if not great health, to be ambulatory, able to see adequately, to hear quite well, and to be s… Read More
2020-03-24 17:13
2020-03-22 16:57
Hertrude, there's something wrong with the water!I can't swim, can you?I dunno, Greathcliff, it looks alright, but it's not very wet.I know!The carp are social distancing! Read More
2020-03-22 16:26
Is not abnormal for us. We mostly only see family and the people we meet while shopping for food and other necessities. Birding is largely solitary, but never boring, as you can see from the… Read More
2020-03-21 11:28
Regardless.....And at least so far the powers that be say we are still allowed to get out and experience it. I hope that extends so far as to let us drive down to the Crossing and hit the bi… Read More
2020-03-21 08:00
30 years ago today.Happy Birthday, Alan, hope you have a great day. Can't thank you enough for all the crazy fun we have had. Love you,Mom Read More
2020-03-20 12:06
Pick up the phone.Make that keyboard sing.Call your mother.Chat with a friend on Facebook.Video conference with friends and loved ones.It helps.A lot.A short virtual visit with a dear friend… Read More
2020-03-19 14:54
I read this pretty much every day and prop myself up with it quite often. Not my usual, but it is what it is.“I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all t… Read More
2020-03-17 11:53
Nope. Not.Just too gloomy and doomy today to bother.I am one of those silly SAD people and it is snowy (!) and grey and unpleasant and the plague has me staying home providing child care ins… Read More
2020-03-16 18:49
In the birding world I am pretty much an outlier; always been interested, always excited about them, haven't gone anywhere without binoculars since I have been an adult.Which, as… Read More
2020-03-16 10:46
This photo is uneditedTweaked this one a tiny bit, but this is pretty much what we saw at the CrossingThese photos don't do the morning sky yesterday justice. The little temporary pool at Sc… Read More
2020-03-14 13:22
Birding tends keep me tilted toward the sane side at the best of times. These are certainly not them. Is it any wonder that this is one of my favorite spots to visit when needing a dose of t… Read More
2020-03-14 11:48
How are you all doing? Okay so far? Have what you need? Hanging in there?We are, at the moment, all right, although it is impossible not to worry.Of necessity we shop every Friday for m… Read More
2020-03-09 12:00
Dawn Chorus this morning.After a quick airing of the Jerk Russell Terrier (not my phrase, but so very fitting, second walkies of the morning) I walked outside to photograph the setting of th… Read More
2020-03-09 10:00
Or maybe not. Have you noticed how few interviews with survivors of the disease du jour are available? I did a search as I was curious what it felt like. They are pretty scarce....Or that mo… Read More
2020-03-08 22:33
For the first time in a long while. I've tried, but the lane where the boss unloads hay has been clogged with ice and snow. It is steep and kinda dangerous at the best of times, so even gett… Read More
2020-03-08 16:33
The MoonAnd its shadowLast dregs of the sunAnd down in the barn.....Somebody wants dinner Read More
2020-03-07 16:42
Normal Black-capped Chickadee opening a seedEarly in the winter a Black-capped Chickadee showed up at the feeders that just didn't look right. It was always fluffed and ball-shaped and just… Read More
2020-03-06 12:52
Miss Peggy Ann Marie is six.Happy Birthday, Peggy! Read More
2020-03-04 00:17
Gonna be an endangered species now.Went into effect a couple of days ago, but today was our first experience with it.It went exactly as expected. It was hard to know how many bags to ta… Read More
2020-03-01 20:48
A lot like February. Cold, windy, uninviting.Take a closer look....However, migration has started, albeit a little sluggishly.The sun is out...today at least....GadwallMakes you want to get… Read More
2020-02-27 13:01
Y'all know how I got fired....and they didn't even bother to tell me, just stopped publishing columns that I took the time to write and send....Well, it appears that even though the Gazette… Read More
2020-02-24 19:29
Tundra SwansIt's not much fun to get old.Doing tax bookkeeping is also not on my list of delights.However, interspersed among the miserable chores and the inevitable consequences of life the… Read More
2020-02-23 18:48
We were out on our usual Sunday morning bird quest...take Liz over to work, then drive around our favorite haunts until she is done....then bring her back home...We stopped at Lyker's Pond t… Read More
2020-02-20 18:51
Most of my life I have hated the season of cold and snow. To be fair, from the time I was in 3rd grade I have usually lived in cold houses. Most of them were heated with inadequate wood… Read More
2020-02-19 12:00
Brandy and the ChevyHe was a rescue in the truest sense of the word, about to be put down the very day I persuaded my boss to let me have him. I guess he rescued me as well. Every colle… Read More
2020-02-17 17:29
Widely divergentWhen I was a yearling a president was elected who said, "Farming looks mighty easy when your plow is a pencil and you're a thousand miles from the corn field."At that period… Read More
2020-02-15 12:54
Cold, clear, and sunny this morning. Managed to trip over the dog, no harm to her, no improvements to me....but I will be okay. Just a few bumps and bruises. Concrete is not forgiving.Meanwh… Read More
2020-02-14 09:30
While enjoying the first rhubarb crisp of the season I pondered an age old question. Is rhubarb a vegetable or a fruit? Because if it is either, then maybe this amazing concoction of sugar… Read More
2020-02-13 19:08
Peggy and her lamb, Fire, who is a very nice lamb indeed Read More
2020-02-13 13:23
Another old Farm Side....Moose QuestDid someone mention Maine? If you’re a farmer, you probably thought of potatoes, Katahdin sheep, or maybe lobsters, which although not exactly farm… Read More
2020-02-13 11:53
For nearly 22 years I was paid....modestly...but paid....to write editorial content on agriculture. I scanned news from all over the world for trends, items of interest, differing viewpoints… Read More
2020-02-12 20:56
Horned LarksFrom out of the far, far, North, the little kee kee birds come down, crying, kee, kee.....no, I had better not share the rest of this joke of the boss's.Snow BuntningsBut yes, ri… Read More
2020-02-12 13:07
With the wild proliferation of solar arrays across valuable farm land, scrub land, and pretty near everywhere else, and with solar companies approaching and pressuring farmers to lease or se… Read More
2020-02-12 11:43
Becky crocheted me this amazing lap blanket in three days! Used almost three skeins of I wanna make a blankie yarn.It is warm and amazing and I love it.Thanks Beck! Read More
2020-02-11 13:16
We started our blogs the same year and "met" on a blog promotion site where people looked at your blog if you looked at theirs. The Poodle (and dog) blog, kept cropping up on the list I was… Read More
2020-02-10 11:42
Didn't turn the yard light on for dog walking this morning. Snow gathers all the light and brings a glow to all it covers. You can see just fine out there. There is no dark.Walking out… Read More
2020-02-06 19:30
A bald Eagle is almost always a "good" birdThe boss spotted this one along Riverside Drive the other dayand he posed obligingly. Not "bad" exactly, but we weren't thrilled to find one i… Read More
2020-02-05 00:21
Take me to your leaderPolar ice cap landing zoneThe shipA tiny alien toupee A wee alien den high in a treeOr maybe it's Treebeard Read More
2020-02-04 16:51
Light Morph individualLiz and I have been birding together a couple of times a week lately. We have a great time hitting the river and the back roads to see what we can see.I have many photo… Read More
2020-02-02 20:52
Alas, we can't seem to find any owls at all this year, superb or otherwise Read More
2020-01-31 08:03
One of our offspring was sometimes called "bezoar" as a child, although I mentally spelled it "bezore".I once used that moniker in the doctor's office, and our pediatrician asked… Read More
2020-01-30 20:58
That I stumbled upon while reading emails from my late best friend...been missing her something awful lately even though it has been three years now. This column ran in 2011. We still have l… Read More
2020-01-28 11:57
We did see this one......in March of 2018!We were returning from a little birding excursion yesterday, having successfully found and photographed Glaucous and Iceland Gulls, which made me pr… Read More
2020-01-26 11:50
Northern CardinalElksquatchThat deer in the headlights lookBlood on the snow?No, the remains of some sumac berriesThe aqueduct at Schoharie CrossingOwl fail? Tracks led to and from this prin… Read More
2020-01-24 12:05
Telling it like it is A commenter recently suggested that it might be a good idea to share some of the sources mentioned in the other day's post about the demise of the Farm Side.Seems… Read More
2020-01-23 21:44
A dear friend of ours restores carousel horses with astonishing skill and passion. She somehow finds their hearts and brings them back to life. When finished they are alive and full of perso… Read More
2020-01-22 21:57
Here is my fellow columnist's take on what happened. I thank him for doing such a fine job of saying what has been on minds here at Northview Farm. He is very eloquent.I can honestly say I a… Read More
2020-01-21 12:16
The sun is sliding slowly nearer, floating up from below the horizon and slicing the sky like an orange......or maybe a really cold, frozen, peach. These very cold days are events of gr… Read More
2020-01-19 16:03
Blue JayMourning DoveWhite-throated SparrowDowny WoodpeckerSeen out and around the yard this morning. Read More
2020-01-18 14:17
Not taken today, alasTrain horns mellow as old cheese resonate across the valley in the cold morning light.Jays sound strident as a squawkboard with sharp fingernails applied.Urgent hustle i… Read More
2020-01-15 15:03
123 (Fox no doubt)...All over our place? Here are some tracks found on my most recent walk up behind the barn, except for the great big one, which is from Yankee Hill Lock. I actually know t… Read More
2020-01-15 14:44
8-mule hitch up in FordsbushDrying cornFor this week's Farm Side....I keep thinking each week that this one will be the last one, but so far I have not heard one way or the other from the ne… Read More
2020-01-10 14:29
I was out with Jill, dog number 3, yesterday morning when a sharp crack came from the Northwest. A meteor slashed through the sky and vanished over the Adirondacks.That'll wake you up in a h… Read More
2020-01-05 13:03
I'm writing the Farm Side on Sunday, as we have a busy week ahead and no idea if there will be time on the usual days.Normally I would share several links to news and informational stories f… Read More
2020-01-01 13:02
Laughing Gulls on the Outer BanksSometime in the middle of last night, eBird statistics reset. All those amazing birds we found over the past 365 days were relegated to last year's old news… Read More
2020-01-01 11:32
2019-12-31 12:35
MattIs a wise guy....Some of our very favorite hay customers stopped by the other day. We always love to see them....at least in part because the crew includes my baby brother, Matthew, his… Read More
2019-12-30 13:09
Big headlines lately about tariff cuts by China, particularly for US pork....But is US pork really US pork?Or is it Chinese pork produced in the US by American farmers?Will tariff cuts and d… Read More
2019-12-29 11:38
Many of my adventures occur while walking dogs in the early morning darkness. Although we live right on the edge of town, our wild acres are home to many creatures, as can be ascertained by… Read More
2019-12-27 20:45
My all time favorite Black-capped Chickadee picture taken today while shopping at Runnings in GloversvilleCanada Geese and a couple of Mallards from Schoharie CrossingThese Wild Turkeys and… Read More
2019-12-25 10:44
2019-12-24 18:46
Check out the video below. The Snow Buntings were taking snow baths in the bright sunshine...or maybe making SnowBunting angels Read More
2019-12-23 12:23
Yesterday was the annual Johnstown NY Christmas Bird Count. Our family has participated almost since its beginning in 1982, and myself for 26 years. It was not the most scintillating ye… Read More
2019-12-19 12:45
At least twenty years ago, probably more, the man who started the Farm Side column and later turned it over to me when he got too busy farming to write it, brought us a bunch of Black Walnut… Read More
2019-12-18 11:41
Flutter above the snowWhite tails bobbing, off they goI'm glad they do thisDon't cha knowCuz if the doggies see themDown I go.Morning dog walking can be fraught with peril, although it's wor… Read More
2019-12-17 20:42
Bad photo/good birdThe boss was hit by a falling hay bale a couple of weeks ago and it really trashed his knee. It would probably heal pretty good except for the constant supply of ice to sl… Read More
2019-12-15 14:50
Can anybody get this awful song out of my head? Please...It's the version of White Christmas from Home Alone. It first got snagged there while birding the pedestrian bridge in Amster-by… Read More
2019-12-08 16:45
Cardinal perched in a frost lit tree, sun shining everything even though it has yet to pass the horizon. Like a Christmas postcard only........Cold.Liz says below zero. I forgot to check bef… Read More
2019-12-04 13:57
When you live with someone who is five, there are things around, pretty much all the time. They tend to land wherever they are dropped....All kinds of things from Barbies and toy horses to s… Read More
2019-11-26 19:50
Friendly little Snow Bunting Read More
2019-11-22 23:05
We were in class when the teacher rushed out of the room and vanished.It was a lady teacher, but I don't remember her name.She did not return and I suppose at first we were all a little rowd… Read More
2019-11-22 11:35
Wish him an amazing and memorable birthday.He is such a wonderful dad, a great brother, a sweet, kind, and generous person, and all around good man....We love you, Scott. Happy Birthday! Read More
2019-11-19 22:21
Song Sparrow in the snowMallardsRock PigeonsCommon MergansersMerlinLong-tailed DuckThe continued resurrection of computer and photo archive.Alan, you got your wish Read More
2019-11-17 10:49
I hope the day is kind, with your boys so far away and only me close enough to notice....Love you Read More
2019-11-16 12:12
Last night a Windows 10 update completely and utterly crashed my computer. Becky worked for hours to get a reinstall that saved at least some of my settings.Alas, all my photos were gone. My… Read More
2019-11-13 13:25
Other than the arrow, which indicates where the bird below was located,this photo of a grey, cold, gloomy afternoon isuneditedI've been fortunate to own several amazing cameras over my lifet… Read More
2019-11-12 14:24
Shhh.....artists at workCheck out this week's Farm Side research. I'll bet a lot of you could participate in this contest if you wanted to.The contestA story about the contest.The rules of t… Read More
2019-11-11 11:27
Family, friends, neighbors and strangers....we honor you all.Here is a short history of the day we celebrate Read More
2019-11-05 19:34
River mud before the stormThe wind and rain of last week did staggering damage. Towns were wrecked and roads destroyed. People lost their houses and things. One person was killed.The day aft… Read More
2019-11-01 13:33
No, we don't live in Tennessee, but there has been some discussion....or North Carolina....I like NC a lot.However, we do live on top of a large hill with an even bigger one rising to the so… Read More
2019-10-31 11:22
From the scary Zombie Prom Queen.And all of us at Northview Farm Read More
2019-10-30 11:37
I'm not much of a fan of government meddling in agriculture, but these two stories deserve notice.The Real MEAT ActText of the BillInvestigate! Read More
2019-10-24 01:07
...is illegal....Unless of course it's just the corn. Read More
2019-10-23 16:53
Since we saw that unidentifiable swan out at a place we call Lykers Pond because it is a pond and it is near Lykers, we have been going out there often.It is, I know, a futile hope that we w… Read More
2019-10-22 11:36
I am so sorry Read More
2019-10-21 10:38
All those wonderful research links....or maybe not, but I do like to share them. This week's Farm Side is about farmers in several countries, including our own, getting irritated, and those… Read More
2019-10-15 17:50
We have had an unprecedented run of fine weather so far this month. However, it looks as if tomorrow will bring the beginning of the gloomy fall weather we expect at this time of year.The wi… Read More
2019-10-11 15:53
This is a Winesap apple, but I don't think they meant it that wayBumbling wasps stagger over fallen apples, drunk on the cold of the mornings and fermented apple juice.But are they happy dru… Read More
2019-10-10 10:37
Deer vs catWe were out looking for birds yesterday morning and we had just passed a Great Blue Heron perched atop a power pole, which was odd enoughThen I burst out laughing and shook m… Read More
2019-10-02 17:38
Been hearing about this for years, been victims of it in fact, but this is the most clear and concise rendition of the situation in the milk market I have read yet.You would think farme… Read More
2019-10-01 16:53
Nobody can be dignified ALL the time.Then you must BE the umbrella. Between torrential downpours and clamoring cloudbursts today, we found this Bald Eagle perched on a fence post at the hors… Read More
2019-09-29 10:21
The vine or the sign? Read More
2019-09-28 10:42
These photos and video are a sort of accompaniment for next Friday's Farm Side, the inspiration if you will for my weekly thousand words. We live in a truly beautiful county, with agric… Read More
2019-09-27 21:14
1000 days ago I set a goal to submit a bird list to eBird every single day for a year. And we were off.....(our rockers mebbe)We birded in fog. We chased in snowstorms. Early morning. After… Read More
2019-09-23 11:02
A relatively uncrowded bit of wireWorking on the Farm Side for this week, on the recent report on the massive decline in bird populations since I graduated from high school.It's pretty awful… Read More
2019-09-21 00:39
My first ever Olive-sided FlycatcherHe does pretty much every day, nice guy that he is.Of course we don't exactly spend our time in the traditional fashion. Instead we stop by the roadside a… Read More
2019-09-18 14:15
Sometimes a not-so-foggy morningAnd, at the boat launch, a requiem for a woodchuck, complete with paperplate gravestone. I think by the looks of the chewed up fur he met a dogthat took… Read More
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