Posted by Joe Barnes on March 12th, 2010 in General, Nature/Environment
CHIPPING SPARROW – Spizella passrina
The chipping sparrows are arriving back, singing their cheerful songs. They breed in most of the states, except Florida, and in Canada and eastern Alaska. These sparrows winter in Florida and to the north along the coast to Maryland and in Mexico. So spring must be coming!!
Chipping sparrows are among the [...]
Posted by Joe Barnes on March 10th, 2010 in Agriculture, Nature/Environment
With the Spring on its way. We are starting to experience the arrival of new calves around the farm. The other day I noticed at least 9 newly born calves dotting the pastures. Here’s a bit of video of them moving around.
I love watching the young calves romp around. They remind me of large puppies, [...]
Posted by Leif Riddervold on March 10th, 2010 in Nature/Environment
The last few mornings when I arrived at work,
The last few mornings when I arrived at work at the Baldwin Center, I have been greeted by eighteen visitors. For some reason they never make an appointment! This morning they were actually scratching up against the foundation.
Leif Riddervold – Natural Resources Manager
Posted by Joe Barnes on February 26th, 2010 in Agriculture, Bundoran Farm Events and Occasions, General, Nature/Environment
With this season’s record snowfalls, Bundoran Farm has become a winter wonderland. The verdant pastures and majestic forests are covered with a broad and deep white coat making it quite easy to understand and appreciate the land’s features and resulting life experiences of this distinctive place and time.
By means of a short poll, we came [...]
Posted by Joe Barnes on February 9th, 2010 in Education and Inspiration, Nature/Environment
The Common Flicker, Ants, and the Web of Life
Observing bird life at Bundoran Farm this winter has been hampered by the weather, but flickers have made themselves known by their calls. They are active, one bird covering a territory of 150 acres or more and this time of year you are likely to hear their [...]
Posted by Joe Barnes on January 22nd, 2010 in Agriculture, Baldwin Center for Preservation, Education and Inspiration, General, Nature/Environment, Project Updates
Below is the unabbreviated copy of the article written by Edward H. Carter that appeared in Piedmont Virginian magazine.
Where do we go with this? Posited the fleece clad Bob Baldwin as he stood next to a blank whiteboard facing the fifty or so participants in the inaugural conference of the Baldwin Center for Preservation Development. [...]
Posted by David Hamilton on January 15th, 2010 in Agriculture, Architecture and Design, Education and Inspiration, General, Nature/Environment
The Piedmont Virginian is a lovely magazine focusing on history, culture and preservation of Virginia’s rural heritage. It’s always a good read, especially when they do the occaisional feature on Bundoran Farm or someone we know in the Charlottesville area. This winter, Thomas Randolph has begun a fascinating new feature callled Deep Background. In each [...]
Posted by David Hamilton on December 15th, 2009 in Bundoran Farm Events and Occasions, Education and Inspiration, Nature/Environment
…are the laurels you can now garner on the Field Notes blog.
In order to see who’s actually reading our blog, and with what urgency, I offer the following challenge to readers:
The first person to correctly identify this fairly common Virginia native wildflower wins a brand-spanking new Brunton compass, a reliable guide on even the longest of Bundoran [...]
Posted by Joe Barnes on December 6th, 2009 in Education and Inspiration, Nature/Environment
White Breasted Nuthatches
Sunday morning, December 6, was spectacular at Bundoran Farm with the trees on the hillsides frosted and snow on the ground. Woodpeckers were active and vocal as were some white breasted nuthatches. These little birds are year round residents with a territory of 25-45 acres. You often see them going headfirst down trees [...]
Posted by David Hamilton on December 3rd, 2009 in Education and Inspiration, General, Nature/Environment
One modest cost of living in the bucolic splendor of Albemarle County is dealing with deer. For folks coming to Virginia from parts of the country less blessed with white-tails, it’s a treat, of course: turning a corner in the early morning to see a fawn bolting across mist-draped pastures. But this state of balance [...]