Spring Happenings at the Farm

Spring is bursting with life in a ways that have gone unnoticed in previous years. I’m spending more time at the farm so maybe my attention has been captured in fresh ways. I sense a renewal of birdsong that sounds different and an arrival of birds more diverse. I’ve seen purple martins, red winged black birds, tanagers’, barn swallows, ravens, barred owls, osprey, bald eagles, and all the other precious and beautiful backyard songbirds too numerous to count. They have all been my companions this Spring and I am grateful for their accompaniment.

For the last month, my particular companions have been a pair of killdeer, who chose my chrysanthemum row to build their nest. Thankfully, it is a bed requiring little tending at this time of year, but the stress my presence brings to these expectant parents gives me pause to how I move my feet and carry my body. I’ve spent time learning about these birds who were once unfamiliar and I wanted to share, in case you come across a pair in your overgrown lawn!

That’s the thing, Killdeers (part of the plover family) are common to neighborhood lawns, golf courses, parking lots, and open farm fields. They often nest in open spaces and are hardly recognizable, as their dusty brown colors blend well with the soil. The most quirky characteristic of these beautiful birds is the entire nesting and brooding process. According to the Cornell Lab, the male and female of a mated pair pick out a nesting site through a ritual known as a ‘scrape ceremony.’ The male lowers his breast to the ground and scrapes a shallow depression with his feet. The female then approaches, head lowered, and takes his place. The male then stands with body tilted slightly forward, tail raised and spread, calling rapidly, with mating often to follow. As the mother killdeer later sits on her eggs, the mate will often perform a broken-wing act leading predators (or farmers like me!) away from the nest. It is quite the frantic site and I now daily reassure this anxious companion that I want nothing more than to see a a bundle of fledglings scurrying across the farm! Literally, I speak to the mate. After almost 3 weeks, I’m hoping he is a bit accustomed to my presence. I keep hoping the chicks will soon emerge from their protective shell and we can carry on side by side. Maybe I’ll get to be a witness to such a miracle.

Donate a Flower Subscription to Hospice Care

Returning to flower news and my primary reason for writing (though who doesn’t want to know more about bird life?). Many out of town supporters of the farm have asked how they can support from a distance. Since we are not in the market of mailing fresh flowers, this is a challenging request so we got creative and thought about what might be meaningful to the farm and the local community. Little Sparrow is piloting a small project with Transitions Life Care, a Hospice organization here in the Triangle. During the summer months, we will be making weekly deliveries to hospice patients and their loved ones. The world of a hospice patient becomes a small room; their bed, hopefully a window, and a few personal belongings. A vase of flowers adds significance to that world and can awaken memories and conversations, even amongst family members and hospice staff. They add a brightness, invoke meaning, and can be a balm to a tired body and spirit. Our hope is to invoke a ray of light through this small gesture and we welcome your support. This is a pilot project as we consider how to make this sustainable.

Spring Subscriptions

Snapdragons and Stock are beginning to blossom out in the fields, which means we are closer to the start of our subscription season for the Spring! Just a few more weeks. There are still summer subscriptions left if you know someone who might want to participate. Details below:

subscriptions will continue to be available for pickup at the farm and the Corner House, on Thursday’s:

  • Little Sparrow Farm on Thursday’s, 4:00pm-6:00pm (3120 Mt. Sinai Road, Durham)

    • Flowers will be on the back porch in buckets with water.

    • Please bring a vessel of some kind for pick up (Ball Jar, vase, or bucket of your own). There will be a jug with a spout for you to fill your vessel with water so that you may take them home with care.

    • Flower bouquets will not be labelled so please only take the number that you ordered.

    • Enjoy!

  • The Corner House on Thursday’s, 4:30pm-6:30pm (301 W Geer St. in downtown Durham in the North Street Neighborhood)

    • Please knock on the front door and you will be greeted with your flower bouquets.

    • Please bring a vessel of some kind for pick up (Ball Jar, vase, or bucket of your own with water)

    • Please come within the designated time frame, or let us know that you will be late, or unable to pick up.

Katy Phillips