For several weeks we have been filling the bird feeder every day—sometimes twice daily. The farm had become an avian pitstop on the flyway to points north. Some mornings it was a traffic jam at the feeder. But today, hardly a seed was eaten. Migration season is winding down. Some ornithologists caution about feeding the birds all summer. I suppose that could be an issue, although the birds seem to be well aware that there’s now plenty of food elsewhere in the orchards and around the farm. Within a week or so we’ll stop filling the feeder for the summer.

Planting season is also winding down. Time to get the last plants into the ground. The threat of frost is over (knock, knock). I did plant two small apple trees at the neighbors today. That’s a risk. They were leafed out. I’ll hope they rally and thrive.