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.

...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...

The cows have returned to their winter home at a farmhouse on Breakneck Hill Road. There will be plenty of opportunities for volunteers to help us get through the winter by unloading hay and performing other cow-related tasks, and any donations you can make will help buy hay and provide for other needs. The Paypal link or mailed in donations (see the Donate button on the left) offer easy ways to contribute.

Here's a late fall shot from a very eventful and successful 2006 summer season...

Zeus has returned to his home farm. We've enjoyed having the big fellow around over the past few months. Hopefully, his progeny will grace the field for many years to come.

Here's a nice shot of the cows grazing along Breakneck Hill Road.

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you -- this is a brown beltie. Specificallly, a brown beltie bull named Zeus, who is doing his part to make sure that the herd has new calves next summer. Special thanks to Steve Nelson of Douglas for donating the bull.

With the Breakneck Hill Conservation Land still closed due to the recent effort to knock down some of the invasive species with a herbicide application, we thought you might need a reminder of what is so special about this place and its bovine residents.

Remember that February 5 post that showed how barren the land was after the initial removal of the invasives? Here is how it looked a few weeks ago -- given an opening, nature does a pretty good job of regenerating itself.



These next two pictures are from a recent walk.







We hope these photos will tide you over until the land reopens in a week or so...

The Breakneck Hill Cow Fund had a highly successful work day on Sunday, October 16. As a result, another section of brush will be opened to the cows for grazing.

Just as we were getting started, we noticed a cow in labor up on the hill. This photo shows the mother and what is probably the youngest cow you will ever see on this web site. (Estimated age: 2 minutes).




Predictably, our camera died before we could get too many shots. Suffice it to say that the new mother patiently nudged and licked until the calf got to its feet for the first time. Since they were on a hill, the calf overshot his first lunch and had to circle mother several times, but eventually found his way. We were able to get a cell phone shot of some of those first wobbly steps.



We now have five calves on the Breakneck Hill Land, none more than a couple of weeks old.

The first calf of the season has just joined the herd! Check out his stylish white socks...







A second calf was noticed on October 1. Pictures will be posted as soon as we get a good look...

Due to the presence of a highly motivated bull last winter, the Breakneck Hill herd should be joined by new calves any day now. Watch this space for a birth announcement. (E.g., "the baby was black and white and weighed 85 pounds...").