Field and Farm Work

During the last week, I was able to spend a lot of time in rural Washington County, which nowadays feels like the greenest place on Earth.

I spent two mornings at Killin Wetlands, prepping for bird surveys.


The place was alive with breeding birds and I found two marsh wren nests, including the one above which is the dark spot near the grass in the center. Both nests were large spheres with small entrances in the side and were still under construction.


On saturday, I joined a tomato planting party at Dos Sequoias Farm.

We planted tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in a recently tilled and limed field. We then strung drip-irrigation tubes along each row.

We covered the peppers and eggplants, which are sensitive to nighttime temperatures, with white sheeting.

While we were planting, many interesting birds flew over, including an osprey and a pair of Bullock's orioles. We will pick up our first share of greens from the farm this week, but I can hardly wait for tomato harvest season.