We have seven calves on the conservation land this year, and while we have great affection for all of our cows, the young ones are particularly fun to watch. They explore, play tag, form cliques, and otherwise run circles around their mothers.

Calf 34 seems to be particularly curious about people, as it makes its way into every picture...


Like all kids, our calves love the pool...



Close-up shot of, yes, it's Calf 34!

Our cows eat just about anything. In fact, the belties regularly save taxpayers a few bucks by helping keep the conservation land cleared of bittersweet and other invasives that would otherwise need to be mowed and/or treated with chemicals.

We've noticed a lot of bluebirds on the land this year. Here's a distant (slightly grainy) shot of one hanging out with a goldfinch on the north side of the property.



And here's a more close-up shot from the trees on the hill above the parking lot.



Even if you're not a cow person, it's worth stopping by the Breakneck Hill Conservation land for a walk. You never know what you might run into.

...or on the pasture, actually. (They never leave town, but stay in a nearby barn over the winter.) The high spring grass must seem like a Sunday buffet after months of dry hay.



We've been quiet for a few months. Your webmaster has been busy preparing for impending fatherhood (apparently, we'll be needing a lot of diapers - who knew?), but this week's articles in the Metrowest Daily News and the Northborough/Southborough Villager reminded me that a summer kick-off post was way past due.

First, thanks to all of you who have already contributed to the cow fund both using the website and good old-fashioned checks in the mail. Our supporters make the whole community effort to keep the cows on the conservation land possible. These funds not only buy hay, they also pay veterinary bills and other costs related to the care and feeding of the herd, and even with the cows living off the land for the next few months we need to replenish the cash reserves in order to keep this worthwhile community project going.

We should extend a special thanks to some students who helped us get through the winter by lending a hand for hay unloadings and other volunteer efforts. They made the process of unloading truckloads of hay much easier than it has been in past winters (at least for us, if not the students), and we really appreciate their efforts. Here's a photo of a hay crew from early March:



As the land has rebounded from the restoration project last year, the wildlife has really started to come back. Some new additions to the conservation land include birdhouses scattered across the landscape.



We've also seen red-tailed hawks, a big old owl, and numerous turkeys in the neighborhood. One morning a gentleman stepped out of his car, reached into the back seat and threw something colorful into the air, which immediately sprouted wings and fluttered off. It turned out to be a spectacular pheasant. The man saw us watching him and explained that he had found an injured bird last fall, an apparent loser in a collision with a car. He took care of it all winter, nursed it back to health, and then when the time came released it into the conservation land, which he thought was a good place for it to start out a new life in the wild. We think so too, and hope to see it again.

In other bird news, some mallards are regular visitors (perhaps even residents) of one of the ponds:



Well, that's it for today -- good night from Breakneck Hill Road, and stop by to say hi to the cows soon.

While web updates have been few and far between this winter, the cows are still at their winter home at a farm on Breakneck Hill Road, being fed by volunteers and generally biding their time until the grass is green again.



At the farm where they spend their winters, the cows have company...