I arrived at Mule Springs last night well past 9 p.m., and as I opened the gate, I was greeted to a prairie alive with singing frogs. If the gate had been open, I would have driven in and missed a symphony –missed the sparkling stars dotting a black sky.
During the day this prairie, which spreads out like an open fan from the proposed house site, supports meadowlark. Often I see the black and yellow robin-sized state bird sitting on big rocks and topping fence posts with its mouth agape and pouring forth a gorgeous melody.
This year the prairie ground is furrowed and bare dirt is more prevalent than plant covering, because we killed much of the cheatgrass and medusa head weeds last year. And weeds are pretty much all we had growing on the upper prairie due to the mules’ long term heavy grazing. Last month Bruce rented Wasco County’s range drill, and he and some helpers disked native grass seed into thirty acres of our land. Plus they planted 500 shrubs into five draws. Our weed consultant said, “Just leave for a year, because if you look at the land [before then], you will be disappointed.” It takes two years before the native grasses will rise, flourish and out-compete the weeds. If Bruce’s vision is realized, the prairie will eventually support many more birds than meadowlark and western bluebirds. He hopes for quail and gray partridge too.








thanks for sharing this. it would’ve been a great story for Oregon Field Guide.
i hope this kind of thing catches on. God bless you guys.
Hello and thank you Gigi- I am not familiar with Oregon Field Guide. I guess I need to check it out. We are so fortunate we have another farmer / orchardist very close by who plants for pollinators and wildlife–he is an entomologist, and he has been helping Bruce with plans.
What an ambitious project, Sher! I am in awe of you and Bruce. I’ve always wondered what those machines do – now I know how they work, thanks to you!
Reggie
Are you in an area that has land cultivation such as this? Do you have farms nearby? Sher
Yes, the wheatfields of Malmesbury and the Overberg are only an hour or two away from Cape Town, and even closer we have all those wine farms of the Constantia Valley and Stellenbosch. Sadly, I know very little about agriculture; I hope I shall learn!
My wish for you is that the indigenous wildlife shall return soon.
Yes, the wheatfields of Malmesbury and the Overberg are only an hour or two away from Cape Town, and even closer we have all those wine farms of the Constantia Valley and Stellenbosch.
Thank you Reggie– it is exciting to see we have a great horned owl nesting next to the barn! Stay tuned for more native wildlife reports. :0 Sher
What a great idea to attract more wildlife. I’m so happy for you .
What a great idea to attract more wildlife. I’m so happy for you . Thank you! It is interesting to live in an area where one can have a positive impact (we hope) on the land and wildlife habitat.
Very cool, Sher! I need to see if we have anything like the Rangemaster program up here, but I think not or the weed-woman would have mentioned it.
Very cool, Sher! I need to see if we have anything like the Rangemaster program up here, but I think not or the weed-woman would have mentioned it.
Valerie- I am amazed at how many free services are available to us now that we live in the Pacific Northwest. Your extension agent or the soil conservation district will know. I bet it depends on what type of land use practices you have in your area as to what is available. Sher
Bruce, looks like farming agrees with you..great job guys…What type of shrubs did you plant? My favorite birds are the mourning dove and the meadow lark. Their songs sing to my soul.. I have heard the mourning dove up where we are now, but it is still just a little early for the lark..and so we shall see..love and kisses
Bruce, looks like farming agrees with you..great job guys…What type of shrubs did you plant? …
Hello- We planted service berry, snow berry, and also mock orange. Native roses and some elderberry. Those are the shrubs I remember. I hope to get a few pictures once they begin growing.
The Bullock’s Oriole is here until July, and it has an amazing song. Just fantastic. I went birding early this morning– the books say go west, but in the end, I found most of the birds were around my barn! lol. 😉 Sher