Turkeys

The temperature dropped to 13°F overnight and as I headed out to run some errands this morning the turkeys were out warming up.

This flock of turkeys, mainly gobblers, was in the field behind our barn.

I found these domesticated turkeys wandering through Rome Borough.

Rodents and Electrical Wires

The "Check Engine" light on my truck came on last week and since this new truck had less than 3,000 miles I took it to the dealer to get the problem corrected. The engine code was P2418, defined as a Evaporative Emission System Switching Valve Control Circuit/Open. I assumed this repair would be covered by the vehicle warranty, it wasn't because it was rodent damage and not a part failure. The cost of this repair was $662.04. $61.82 for a new connector, $563.50 for labor and $37.52 for taxes. Luckily this was covered by my auto comprehensive, minus the deductible.

View of the damaged wires located above the fuel tank.

Damage to the connector.

The repair bill for rodent damage.

Wood Duck House

Last summer I started planning on putting a Wood Duck nesting box in a swampy area of our property. After studying the swamp for placement of the nest box, I found a spot in the water surrounded by Tussock Sedge mounds. The big problem with this location was accessing it to drive in a support post. My plan was to wait until the swamp freezes in the winter, drill a hole in the ice and then drive the support post in. The only problem was lack of ice this winter. Today's temperature was 59F and the Wood Ducks will soon be here looking for nesting sites. I put on my chest waders and trudged through the swamp muck to install the nesting box today.

Honey Bee Tree

We've had some high winds here and the top of this large pine tree came down.

The pine tree had snapped off about 15 feet above the ground.

While inspecting the fallen tree I could see some honey comb inside the hollow tree.

After taking some measurements inside the hollow of the tree, I cut off 4 feet of the tree to expose a packed layer of leaves and rotting wood just below the honey comb.

I was then able to remove the plug of leaves and rotting wood and view the honey comb. The impact of the tree hitting the ground had dislodged at least one of the honey combs from the tree cavity.

I didn't see any honey bees, dead or alive, and removed the fallen honey comb, which contained a small amount of delicious honey.

As I prepared to remove more honey comb I found live honey bees that had been hiding under the fallen honey comb.

The overnight temperature had dropped to 18F and the bees had huddled together to keep warm.

Over the years I've located and monitored other wild honey bee trees on our property. We've had a decline in wild honey bees in this area and I decided I needed the honey bees more than their delicious honey. I closed off the open end of the tree and placed a protective weather cover over the entrance hole. Hopefully this will keep the bees warm and safe from bears, raccoons and other animals.

I'll continue to monitor these wild honey bees. If this bee colony survives maybe I'll be able to remove the plywood end covers and remove small amounts of honey.

Deer Enjoying The Warm Weather

The local deer are enjoying the current warm weather and lack of snow. I found these deer out early feeding while I was on my evening wildlife drive.

Sunny Day

Today was the first sunny day in over a week and a half. I was out driving around our property this afternoon and found this doe and her fawn from last spring enjoying the sunshine.