Prairie

Sheep, Grasshoppers and Birds

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Our wee Spring moisture did not last nor did any rains follow it. The summer landscape is a blend of dying yellow grasses mixed with the darker greens of the clover, vetch and alfalfa. I saw the first grasshoppers back in early June. That hatch is now adults. When the kelpies and I walk the prairie waves of grasshoppers lift and leap around us. The click of their wings and the purr of their collective movement is a notable noise as we travel. The wee garden I managed to sow this year has already been significantly damaged by grasshoppers.

My latest fascination when visiting the ewes on pasture is the numerous small birds that have joined the flock and ride on the back of the sheep. The small birds are here in strong numbers again this year, perhaps on account of the incredible grasshopper population.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3205″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]When I arrive in the vicinity of the flock numerous birds fly up from the grass where they were feeding right among the ewes. Several will fly off into the distance with the swooping grace only a collection of birds can pull off, while several individuals will land on the back of nearby ewes. I have my camera at hand and ready and still it is hard to capture these feathered characters. While I am sure the ewes are aware of the birds on their back they do not show any sign of being bothered by them. Occasionally a cagey bird will land on a ewes head and then the ewe will toss her head in annoyance.

The dry land, the hoppers, the birds, they are an elementary sequence of events playing out among a myriad of natural occurrences we are far less aware of. I strive to be in cohesion with Mother Nature and yet when I pause to watch the birds and the sheep, and when a crowd of grasshoppers swarms the hood of the side by side with every trip back and forth, I can’t help but wonder if we have it all backwards. Humans tend to think we control the nature around us but I am less and less sure of that with the more time I spend on this interminable prairie land.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3204″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Simple Flock Moves

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]I moved the flock from the winter pasture to the pasture showing the most promise of available grass. The dry years combined with a modest grazing rotation have wreaked havoc on certain areas of the farm while other areas continue to hold on and grow grass. I no longer carry any burden of expectation that there will ever be enough fencing in place for regenerative agriculture to happen here. There just isn’t enough man power for that amount of labour. Plus I’m now at an age where I don’t want to see more fences go up, in fact, I’d prefer that some come down. I’d prefer to see this place be wide open prairie land once more. I think that the land deserves that destiny once again.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”3150″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]It is a simple matter to move sheep to places they want to go to and right now the ewes want to go anywhere there is grass. Nonetheless less there is always sincere enjoyment in the work of the Kelpies. My crew of Kelpies are well aged now and the eldest fellow has recently passed. I feel a deeper commitment to not taking simple flock moves for granted but appreciating them for the milestone they are.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”3147″ img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Winter Walking

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The first arrival of cold weather coupled with the necessity of donning winter clothing always causes me to reconsider the habit of taking a walk every day. Surely I could take a break from it, except that the Kelpies would have something to say about that, and I would miss the intimate visit with the prairie landscape that only a walk can present. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”3002″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][vc_custom_heading text=”Three of my kelpies are of advanced age. When I head out for a walk, the very eldest dog, who is deaf and sleeps very soundly is likely to miss that anything is happening at all. The eldest female will join us at the door, half excited for the trek about to happen, yet every time the door swings open and the other dogs pour out of it, she holds back, sniffs and gets a feel for just how cold it is. Nine times out of ten she retreats and makes her way to the office window where she watches as we walk out of the yard. The third elder still acts like an athlete and holds his own, running at the lead of the pack every morning and again in the evening. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_custom_heading text=”I have been taking walks amidst the prairie land since my youth. Even though I occasionally berate the idea of having to go for a walk in the cold, upon every return from said venture, cold weather or warm, I feel spiritually and physically satisfied that I went, as do the Kelpies. There will come a day when I do not have a dog at my side to walk with or I do not take walks anymore and perhaps because of my own advancing age I wonder more often and more often now how that will be. ” font_container=”tag:p|font_size:18|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes”][vc_single_image image=”3001″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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