Winter is progressing right along, although it has been pretty boring so far. As you can see we had a "blizzard" and it snowed almost an inch. You may recall that rainfall here averages 4.5 inches a year. Thankfully being retired I could stay inside with the exception of the "critter chores", and getting more firewood.
With the advent of the snow I can see just how many rabbits we actually have here this year. Perhaps 3 or 4 are still alive and coming around the house. Pretty big let down for me. We had about 60 using the place this spring and most of the summer. Then in August they just disappeared. We also had several coveys of Quail and now we have perhaps 20 or so. They are coming in to the place to help the Pigeons and Chickens with their feed.
The weather so far has been pretty good. The coldest mornings have been still above zero. A couple of mornings it got down to 4 degrees when I hunted Coyotes. Not much joy on that front either. It seems that the Coyotes have crashed in this sector as well as the Rabbits.
Most of the winters that we have spent here, it has stayed pretty good until the middle of Dec. and is pretty cold all through Jan. It seems to be right on schedule this year. The temperature this morning was -13 Degrees.
The biggest problem with minus temps is water for our critters, and during these minus temps, I end up carrying water. It is a blessing that I don't have to go outside unless I want to. It is compensation for being so old.
I have been a bit concerned about Jasper however. If you remember he is the little Kestrel that Tammi flew in 2011. He has chosen to stay here again this winter. Last year the wild male that lives over at the ranch next door, managed to freeze himself to a metal rafter in their barn.
I primarily worry about him finding enough food when the temps get below zero. It takes a surprising amount of calories to keep such a little guy alive. About the only vermin that I ever see around here is a few Mice and Kangaroo Rats. The Rats are nocturnal, so a few Mice and whatever birds he can catch are about the only options.
Mice are a piece of cake for a Kestrel. Birds however are a different matter. Most can out fly a Kestrel, and most Kestrels do not ever try, unless they are desperate. Jasper hunts them regularly. He just needs to wait until they are distracted, and when things get tough, Jasper gets tougher.
When we were hunting him, it was here on the place, and mostly we hunted the Chicken pen for the Sparrows that were helping the Chickens with the food that I gave them. Last year I supplemented his food with an occasional Starling out of Jessie's food supply. I could tell when he needed some help, because he would sit on the power pole by the house. I fed him fairly often last year during the coldest part of the year.
He stayed here at the house until the Spring when he moved over to the ranch and courted a female that came by and stayed with him. I do not know for sure all that happened, but I think that the female that he paired with died when the young were just beginning to fledge. We found her when two young Kestrels of the year were found on the ground by one of the houses.
Young raptors have about a two week period where they are pretty helpless after they fly from the nest. We put a nest platform in the trees where they were found so that the parents could feed them. It never happened, so Tammi became a foster mother to them. Right about that time Jasper showed up at the house again.
All the rest of this year Jasper kept his distance, but stayed here at the place. I would see him most days sitting on the wind sock or his house that I put up for him last year.
When we were hunting him, I was in charge of the bagged game, so he was used to me whistling and waving a bird at him. He has shown no interest in me at all since last winter. When he has been hunting the pens, he would fly to the power lines when I approached.
This morning with the minus temps, I was concerned for him. I admit, I stayed in the house a bit longer until the minus temps came up above zero. Not much use in pouring water in tubs that would freeze before the Chickens and Pigeons would get a chance to drink. When I did finally go out, he was on the Chicken pens hoping to find a stupid Sparrow. He flew however up to the power pole while I was out there. I decided to see if he remembered and was hungry. I went into the house and picked up a half of a Starling and went back outside. I whistled the call that I used and waved the half Starling. He began bobbing his tail, so I knew he wanted it. I tossed it in the ranch yard, and as soon as it was in the air, he was off and on his way. He swooped down picking it up and flew off to a convenient perch to eat his meal. I don't mind feeding him occasionally, he has earned it.
One of the compensations of the winters here are the sunsets. Here is one as it developed. With the exception of sharpening the pictures, they have not been "photo shopped".
