She actually did it, even with all that up an down and last Monday's two or three hour dereliction (somebody needed a dust bath). We lifted her to peek last night and all the brown eggs had hatched, 5 or6 little brown peepers. She's being a good mom so far.
I wonder if the green eggs were fertile? I'm planning to wait until she's up and about then clean the nest, which is full of hatching detritus and poop. Very stinky, but as I understand it, that's one way a baby chick picks up it's mom's immunities--symbiotic bacteria in poop. Peeked in on her this morning and she warned me off, but a couple little fluffy heads popped up to see what was going on. Cute! At any rate, the eggs hatched right on time, Saturday August 14th, 21 days.
Had a very distressing few moments when I got up to let the birds out this morning. We were so distracted by baby chicks last night that we failed to close the three mini-roos' cage, and there were black feathers everywhere, with two of the mini's standing nearby. Oh noes! It's no tragedy for the Sanctuary--we're presently seriously rooster heavy--but I do like those adorable little guys. (I don't know if I ever mentioned it but last week, the one we always thought was a hen began to crow: three mini roos.) Fortunately--the third emerged from somewhere when I started strewing the morning food.
We visited Dadant yesterday and picked up two veils and a smb trap. I've made a frame for the trap to rest in so it can sit in the top bars and do its job. The frame is long enough to hold two traps, although we only bought one. We're going back on the 21st for a Alachua County Beekeepers party, and I'll get another one. For now I'll just cover the open side. Sources say to fill it with apple cider vinegar or mineral oil, although I don't know why you couldn't use vegetable or olive oil. I thought I'd start with vinegar.
I've bought myself a new bonsai, a little juniper, from the Tony the crazy orchid guy. It's a pretty little tree and so far I've been following his incredibly fervent and explicit care instructions: "Never leave your tree alone! When you travel you give your tree to your mother or a friend!" "Two cups water per day!" "Always have tray, very good, never dry out, never die!" "You mist, like this...!" "Take outside at night, inside everyday!" "You like that fisherman? I make that myself."
There's a bridge and a fisherman in the pot with the little tree, which is a windswept shape with several well grown branches. Tony set a little pool made of blue glass stones--at least one of which is heart shaped--under the bridge. I have a couple ideas about how to proceed, but the great thing about bonsai is that they benefit from long contemplation. No need to rush their process. Just daily attention, daily care, and slow decisions.
The little tree is getting some mold on the dirt around her roots, which I don't see as a great sign, but she looks well enough. I set her out in the rain yesterday afternoon, and just brought her back in now as I write. I'd kind of like to re-pot, maybe easing a piece of limerock under her more exposed roots, maybe replace some of the pea gravel (which Binky declared "tasty food, ladies, come and get it!" when he came across it...) with some pads of moss. But I won't rush that. She's not all that stable in the pot, which suggests a rather recent transfer before she came to me, so I won't move her her again for at least several months.
I'm also imagining a bonsai pot--more of a pan, maybe, made out of that concrete tufa material my mom showed us how to make. Like a rock ledge. I can anchor some copper wire inside to help anchor the tree.
Time to dress for yoga class.
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