here's a new one

10 years ago

Guys, this year has been one for the records. I thought last year was bad, but this year outshines them all. Because it stayed wet and cold so long, we didn't get any spring crops in. When we were finally able to focus on the summer plantings, we had 3 major downpours, ranging from 4 to 7 inches, every single day after I planted. That's in addition to the half inch rains we seemed to get daily. In short, we have lost all crops. Our fruit, however, has been ok. We lost the early peaches to brown rot but were optimistic about the midseason ones. Just about the time they were ready to pick, I noticed a lot of activity near them. The trees were covered in woodpeckers. They destroyed half the crop in record time. I have had issues with birds in all my berries and cherries, but I've never seen such a frenzy w/peaches. I now fear for my apples and pears. The sad thing is I've been feeding them suet in our park for years now.

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Comments (3)

myfamilysfarm
10 years ago
Maybe they were after those new wasps? I'm sorry to hear about your losses. We haven't seen any peaches from south of you yet either.

Should you put a 'map' up directing the woodpeckers back to the suet?
henhousefarms
10 years ago
I think somewhere I have a recipe for stuffed woodpecker - I hear they taste like chicken.

Speaking of birds - it seems to me that there are a lot more birds around this year. I have seen a whole mess of cardinals sitting on top of my bee boxes this summer helping themselves. I really do not think they are making a dint in the overall bee populations but they had to go when they were sitting on my breeding nuks. What I have not seen this year are bats. Apparently we now have White Nose here in Illinois and the population is way down. I like the bats - why could it not have been snakes.

Tom
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brookw_gw
Original Author
10 years ago
The only stuffing those peckers will get is with lead. The problem is they're my wife's favorites. I feel like a chump encouraging all these birds, but we do enjoy them. I've had a couple bat houses up now for a few years and can't get them to occupy them. I do see them regularly though.

What we do have an abundance of this year is annoying insects. I've never seen such a year for gnats, mosquitoes, ticks, and flies. Those dang buffalo gnats even had a second hatch. On the other hand, I've never seen so many amphibians. The ground just moves with tiny toads and other frogs, and our ponds are still full of tadpoles. I don't ever recall tadpoles this late in July. They are bullfrog tadpoles too.