Wildlife On The Move

The warmer weather has brought changes not only in the landscape, as it turns greener each day with new grass, but changes in the wildlife patterns as well.  For the time being it would seem that the elk have moved on, having been replaced with mule deer and a small population of whitetail deer.  Thanks to them we have been finding shed antlers everywhere.  The antelope have returned and can often be seen hanging out near the horses, halfway up Running Bear road.     Our daffodils are in full bloom and the bees have emerged from their hives, buzzing around to search for the first signs of nectar. This will be the week we start feeding our hives to give them a good start until more flowers emerge.

The ponds are now completely unfrozen, and Stephan managed to land a beautiful 24 in. fish behind the cookhouse on Sunday with his fly rod, quite a catch for the first of the fish right after winter.  In honor of St. Patrick’s day Deanne made wonderful lunch in the cookhouse for ranch staff and guests consisting of an Irish stew, soda bread, and even chocolate cupcakes made with Guinness.  A big project for this week has been staining and sealing the cookhouse deck furniture, the results of which look very good.  By the end of spring all of the teak outdoor furniture for the cookhouse and the cabins should be looking better than new.