On Sunday July 25, local farmer Dan Tipke harvested his crop of winter rye from the field at the base of Rattlesnake Bluff. In recent years, Dan has planted winter rye as a fall cover crop and alternates every other year with soybeans. He has found that with the light sandy soil in this area, it is much more productive to do this crop rotation instead of trying to plant corn.
The very next day, the early morning silence was broken well before sunrise with several small flocks of Canada geese arriving to glean the field of available nourishment. As of today, August 11th, 250 or more geese can be seen at one time or another throughout the day.
Two days after the arrival of the Canada Geese, we were treated to loud, resonant rolling bugles of Sandhill Cranes. Once you hear this prehistoric call, it is hard to forget. So far, the highest count on the cranes has been five. No doubt four adults and one immature. As the season progresses, I am sure the number of cranes feeding in the field will grow.