Spring Surge at Whiskey Creek Regenerative Farming

Note: This post was written by a real person: me. There are no popups, paywalls, ads, or AI. All photos are by me unless otherwise noted.

The energy of life surges this month. I can feel it in the sun’s warmth, smell it in the flowers, see it in the growth of our pastures and trees, and hear it in the songs of every bird. There is a special feeling this month we don’t have a word for, but it’s a sense of renewal and an uplifted spirit.

Calving season ended this month, and we moved the cows and their babies onto fresh grass. They began eating immediately. Eighty cows eagerly munching down on lush green grass fills the sound spectrum.

In May we move the cows to fresh pasture.

In the evenings, we sit in the native perennial garden under the ancient Silver Maples, sip wine, watch a pair of Brown Thrashers frolic among the flowers, and listen to the concert presented by the Baltimore Orioles that nest overhead.

Barn Swallows

One of our barns was built before the Civil War. It has hand-hewn beams put together with wooden pegs. Jeanne calls it the Lower Barn. I call it the Barn Swallow Incubator. Decades ago, the owners raised the barn with an eight-foot-tall cinder block foundation including nine windows. The glass is long gone.

The Lower Barn at Whiskey Creek is a Barn Swallow incubator.

Barn Swallows take up summer residence there, building their mud-cup nests on the hand-hewn beams. They fly full speed through the pane-less windows. With all the swallows flying in and out, it’s like a busy airport. This year I counted 27 nests, and when I’m in the barn with the swallows flying, chirping, and swirling around, I often have to duck.

Barn Swallows build a mud-cup nest that adheres to the hand-hewn beams in our Lower Barn.

Grassland Birds

At least 33 species of birds depend on our grasslands for food and shelter. Four nest in the grass: Bobolinks, Eastern Meadowlarks, Grasshopper, and Savannah Sparrows. All except the Savannah Sparrow are declining in population because of the loss of grasslands to development. Eastern Meadowlarks have seen the steepest decline, at 75 percent since 1970.

A male Bobolink. Photo credit Marshall Faintich

A male Eastern Meadowlark. Photo credit Marshall Faintich

A Grasshopper Sparrow. Photo credit Marshall Faintich

A Savannah Sparrow. Photo credit Marshall Faintich

To help increase their numbers, we follow recommendations from the Virginia Grassland Bird Initiative. One of those recommendations is to delay mowing and grazing on selected fields to avoid disturbing nests and fledglings. Funding is available in certain counties in Virginia to help farmers transition to bird-friendly practices.

Riparian Buffers

Last year, we suffered a severe drought, but over 90 percent of the trees we planted in December 2021 survived. This month, we had sufficient rainfall to promote good growth. Seeing a White Oak seedling emerge from a five-foot tree shelter brings a lot of joy and a sigh of relief. We will continue maintenance operations in the buffers that includes invasive weed control, mowing after July 1, and tree and tree shelter upkeep.

A White Oak seedling emerging from a five-foot tree shelter at Whiskey Creek.

Maintenance is imperative for a successful riparian forest buffer. If it seems like too big a job, you can hire private companies to perform buffer maintenance. Two that I know of are Conservation Services, Inc. and Shenandoah Habitats.

Tree Blossoms

Many native trees blossom this month. My favorites include Black Cherry, Black Locust, Washington Hawthorn, and Catalpa. Stand near one when they blossom, and you will hear a highway of pollinators collecting nectar and pollen.

Catalpa blooms not only have a fragrance to attract pollinators but color as well to guide the pollinator into the flower’s sweet spot. The flower looks like an airport runway.

Catalpa blooms have a runway pattern to help guide pollinators to the treasure.

The month of May is when life’s energy surges. Here at Whiskey Creek Regenerative Farming, calving season ends, birds arrive to nest, pollinators visit the multitude of flowers, and I stand around and wonder a lot at all the wildlife. I hope you are enjoying this month as much as I do.

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