It’s always enjoyable to look out our back door to a big bird feeder my dad made for us. Since I use cracked corn and oiled sunflower (to eliminate the thistle seeds from germinating) we attract a host of birds. Our favorites are the blue jays and cardinals, but we do have a flicker that’s a regular with the usual assortment of sparrows and juncos. Then there’s the Cooper’s hawk.
You can always tell when he’s around. Oftentimes it’s a wayward feather floating by from some airborne meal he’s snatched, but most often, it’s the complete absence of birds around the feeder. Yesterday was one of those days, and unlike his usual perch from a neighbor’s oak tree, he decided to be more brazen. He perched on the fence and sat there for a good half hour until I attempted to get close enough for a picture. Even the harsh reality of life and death at the backyard feeder doesn’t dim the beauty of the participants.
In case some of you didn’t get a personal invitation, this Saturday, state Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee is hosting the Quality Deer Management Class on Deer Management at the Exhibition hall at the State Fairgrounds. The class will start promptly at 9 a.m. and end at 1 p.m. The intent of this class is to foster relationships between farmers, land owners, land leasers, and hunters.
This has always been one of those quiet issues few want to address. Whitetail deer can and often are extremely destructive to agricultural crops, but sometimes the farmers and land owners don’t see much different in the trade off of allowing hunters trespass rights.
QDMA speakers will be Joe Hamilton, QDMA founder, and Kip Adams, professional biologist and QDMA Outreach director. They will be joined by Dr. Mark Conner of Chesapeake Farms and E.W. Grimes of the Maryland QDMA. Pat Emory, the director of DNREC Fish and Wildlife will be the anchor speaker addressing specific and particular Delaware issues. The class is free and open to the public with no prior registration. If you come, think about bringing a young hunter along as the program is always lively and interesting.
Along that same line, the Delaware branch of the Quality Deer Management Association is hosting its annual dinner and auction at the Felton Fire Hall Feb. 20. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner, as always, will be served promptly at 6:30 p.m. If you don’t have an advance ticket application, you can do it at “deer school” or contact your local QDMA representatives. Seating is limited and folks who love those fried oysters and chicken and dumplings already have reservations.
