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   I provide food for the wildlife to help them flourish and reproduce, but also so I can enjoy watching them. Some of my efforts work better than others.

   Several years ago, I thought it would be a good idea to make a food plot for the geese to enjoy on their migratory trip south. I knew geese enjoy rice, so I decided to plant a rice paddy. As usual, knowing nothing about growing rice did not stop me from forging ahead with the plan. I do not remember for certain where I obtained the seed, but it was probably from John at Crop Services in Drakesville. He is accustomed to my unusual requests. Most of the time, he is polite enough to not tell me I am crazy. The one side of the lake has a somewhat marshy area. I knew this would make a great rice paddy. In the early summer, the paddy area was drier than usual. I was able to convince my neighbor, who had a small four-wheel drive tractor and tiller, to till my swamp. He only got stuck a few times. With enough chains and tow ropes, I was able to extract him with my tractor. I was not able to convince him to drive back through the marsh with the seeder, so I seeded it by hand. It turned out to be quite a project.

   Much to my surprise, the rice grew and flourished. By fall, I was all ready for a few geese to stop by for a snack. The rice was almost mature when one afternoon, a large flock of geese stopped by and ate everything in my rice paddy clear to the ground. I complained to my son about all the time and effort that went into the project, and it being wiped o ut in a few hours. His response was, “you did plant it for the geese, right?”  I had to admit he was right. It was their field to enjoy any way they wanted.

   Last year, I planted a clover food plot to attract bees and provide some high-quality feed for the deer. It was just starting to grow when the deer discovered it. As new shoots of clover pop out of the ground, deer will stop by and graze them off. I am surprised they have not killed off the clover since it never gets over an inch tall before it is eaten off again. It has never gotten tall enough to bloom, so the bees are out of luck. The clover food plot more closely resembles a large putting green than a clover field. I remember the words of wisdom from my son and just enjoy watching as each morning and evening the deer check for any clover that may have grown since their last visit.

   My wife and I enjoy watching Baltimore orioles. If when a person first spots one of the brightly colored orange and black birds in the spring and puts grape jelly out for them to eat, they will hang around all summer and nest. One spring, I wrote a column about doing this. I discovered more people read my column than I thought. In less than a week, the supply of grape jelly in area stores was almost entirely wiped out.  The only grape jelly I could find the next time I needed some for the birds was the gourmet kind for eight dollars for four ounces. I am too cheap to buy that for myself. I am not about to spend that kind of money feeding a bunch of birds. I remember how appreciative a flock of geese were for a summer’s worth of my efforts. That is when I discovered orioles will also eat apple jelly.

   When creating opportunities for wildlife watching, sometimes I need to be reminded, it is about the animals. My enjoyment is just a side benefit.

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