Star nosed Mole

I had set out this syrup season with one goal in mind; I must double last years supply and become self sufficient in maple syrup!.
Little did I know what I would find along the way...

Wolf print

I'm not sure what type of canine it was, but it was a big one, thats for sure. 

Wolf print Ontario

I came across this single track of prints at the back, it could be from the lone black wolf I saw a few years back.

Wolf print Ontario

Trudging back to the house to get more syrup supplies, then off I go! back to the woods for more tapping, when all of a sudden I came across this little guy, a star nosed mole, barely moving and just laying on top of the snow. I took these shots with my phone at the time I found him, and good thing at that as when I came back from getting my good camera, the barn cat had called it lunch.

Star nosed Mole

It has an almost alien like mouth/nose and never in my life have I seen anything like it. The hands on it are also something to give pause. Im still not sure what happened to it, why it was just laying there with no trauma or wound to it. But I am very thankful for being able to see it and get a picture. 

Star Nosed Mole

 An old deer antler that I found was converted into a door handle

Deer antler door handle

The night time shots gave it a real scary movie like look

Antler door handle

Cow bone door handle

Cow bone door handle

Bone door handle

Bone door handle

Indian runners on our Canadian farm. 🦆🦆🦆🦆 They've all grown up!

We started last year with our first batch of Indian Runners and we couldn't be happier!. They came from a breeder with a flock of top notch genetics and from the looks of their adult shape they seem to have the right character features, at least to me that is.

Due to the time of the year we kept them inside till the weather warmed up and they got a little bigger. We have all sorts of birds of pray so better safe than sorry I thought, it was certainly something to listen to the chirping indoors for that few weeks tho.

Indian Runners

Here they are at the "teen" stage. While they were still young and small, we let them forage all day long by themselves, there was only a few times I had to scare off some turkey vultures/hawks/eagles.

Indian Runner Ducks

At this point they were trained to know that when the back door opens, its treat time!. So in this case, early bird gets the oatmeal.

Indian Runner duck pets

Runner Ducks

Indian Runner ducks Canada

Now they are all grown up and forage around our 100 acre farm. They are essential to farming in my mind, especially to a strawberry farmer. With all the bugs that can ruin a strawberry patch it only makes sense to have a patrol of ducks that love to eat those very pests!. At the end of the year we cut as much grass as possible and send them out over the next few weeks into the strawberry/raspberry  patch and let them go to town on the bug population. Our plan is to up the flock to about 200 as well as bring in the black Indian runners and start a little breeding program. Here goes!

Indian Runner ducks full grown