Flora and Fauna.

A walk on the windy wild side, Sunday afternoon.

A couple of years ago I helped Mum and Dad plant some native trees along a creek that has been fenced off to animals on PopPop's farm.

Today Mum noticed a flowering beauty in the tree lot. So we went to investigate!

The grass is very long, it is a bit of a jungle to get through.

BUT look what we discovered!

and more....this silver wattle is loaded with seed pods.

So is the lucerne tree. Perhaps I could collect seeds and grow more trees?

Not sure what this healthy one is, I shall have to check with Dad.

Dad tells me I need to wait for the seed pods to dry before I can collect them.

Planting trees on the farm is important because all the old trees will eventually die and we need young ones to replace them. Trees are important because they provide food and shelters for birds and animals. They also provide shade for our sheep and cattle.

They also help keep the soil healthy.

 There are lots of birds on the farm. 

I wake up to the sounds of birds every morning.

Remember the parrots....that nest in the hollows...

they also LOVE PopPop's OATS!

Hay IN, Rams OUT!

Busy times on the farm. 

Making hay while the sun shines.

We have been really lucky with the rain, it has stayed away.

The hay is baled.

Some of the hay is in big round bales.. 

and some is in little square bales.

The big round ones have to moved with the tractor. 

The little square ones can be moved by Dad and PopPop.

It is not every year that we make hay. The grass has to be very good to cut hay.

We put the hay in a big shed where it is protected from the rain and sun.

Sometimes on the farm it does not rain for a long time and there is not much grass for the animals to eat. We feed them hay from the shed and grain from the silos when this happens. It is very handy to have it. 

It is like having a pantry of food for the animals.

Time for the rams to go out with the ewes and make babies.

For every 100 ewes in the mob we put 1 ram. The rams have a big job ahead of them.

The ewes are a little shy at first.....

then they are a little bit curious.....

and then they are happy to meet them!

The rams will spend 5 weeks with the ewes then they will return home for a rest.

SHOW and TELL.

Thursday is my show and tell day and guess what I showed today....

"SCRATCH"

Mum was very kind and brought Scratch into school. 

The children in my class were very excited to meet Scratch.

 I told them all about how we found Scratch and how we are looking after him. 

Most of the children had never been so close to a galah.

So here are some facts about galahs you might like to know....

Their back and wings are grey and they have a pink face and chest and a crest of a very light pink. 

They often form flocks of a few hundred or more and they can be fairly noisy in large groups. They make a distinctive high-pitched screech.

They are strong fast fliers and are often seen indulging in aerial acrobatics in large flocks. They can sometimes act like a bit of a clown, this is probably why in Australia if someone is clowning around or acting the fool they can be called a bit of a Galah.

Breeding time varies according to their location but generally in the north it is February to July, and in the south it is July to December. They usually lay three to four eggs, which both parents incubate for about 30 days.Both parents care for the young. They mate for life unless something happens to one of them, in which case they will take another partner.

Now we all know a little bit more about "Scratch" and his family.

Scratch and Rake!

The wet weather came and went...we had rain...just enough for now.

The hay is still on the ground drying out. A little hard to see now...

but after raking...here it is

a little more drying and it will be raked into bigger rows ready for baling.

After the rain the clover has started to grow again, the lambs will get to enjoy this clover.

Another addition to the family on the farm....meet Scratch the baby galah.

We have been looking after him. Feeding him, keeping him warm at night.

Mum found him on the road all alone and brought him home. 

They are lots of creatures out in the paddocks at night that would gobble him up, like foxes and cats.

He sleeps in the laundry at night and during the day he wanders about in the garden.

Scratch can make alot of noise especially when he is hungry. 

So much noise that....something amazing has happened... his parents have found him. 

The only problem is that Scratch still cannot fly.

Each morning we let Scratch out of the cage and his Mum and Dad fly in and feed him. They fly in and out of the garden all day, visiting Scratch.

I love Scratch and I do wish I could keep him, 

BUT I think his Mum and Dad love him even more and it is important that they be a family.

Home for a Bird or ?

Our farm business is about growing food and fibre for people. 

BUT it also provides habitat for lots of creatures.

While Dad and I were mustering sheep the other day, we noticed some very old trees.

Some of them nestled amongst lots of young trees and some stand alone proudly.

They look very scraggly and tired.

Hidden deep inside the hollows are birds nesting and looking after their babies.

These trees are an important part to the farm. They provide shelter to birds.

We have lots of birds living on the farm. In these trees all sorts of parrots are nesting.

Galahs

Cockatoos

Crimson Rosellas

Corellas

These grand old trees are also home to other creatures, possums, bats and sugar gliders.

I think I would love a tree house. 

BUT I think I would have to grow wings to get in the door!

Fields of Clover.

The weather has really warmed up and the grass has started to turn from glorious green to burnt brown. 

It first changes around the trees and then the hills and finally the flats. 

It is a really tricky time with the weather...rain would be good and BAD now. 

Good to keep the green grass green but REALLY BAD for Dad's hay.

With no rain at all for some time Dad decided it was time to cut the clover in Wombat Paddock for hay. It looks beautiful.

Remember this is what it looked like before....

and after.

All done. 

Now we wait and wait and hope and hope. 

The clover has to dry out, the sun has to take all the moisture out of the clover. 

It then needs to be turned over with a rake so the clover underneath comes to the top.

Finally when it is dry enough Dad will put into bales.

And while we wait, the rain needs to stay away. 

If the clover gets wet the hay will be ruined.

Dad says, "it is the hands of mother nature now"...."out of our control".

It seems that this mother nature lady is very important when it comes to making hay.

I do hope she is kind to us!