Friday, April 25, 2008

Farm on Fisher Ridge

I was working on location at a farm this morning.


"Are you going to give me another fig newton or not? I don't have all day."


The donkey likes his nose scratched.




Are these wild turkeys or domesticated?? I thought that wild turkeys were supposed to be famously reclusive?



Why in the world are goat's eyes so weird looking? Do any other animals have slot pupils?


"Who cares what you think about my eyes?"


Holy crap, that thing actually interferes with his walking.


Come in out of the rain little puppy. We won't bite.

14 comments:

Anna said...

Some wonderful captures here...I love the one in the barn with the man walking toward you...good stuff Rick!

mrs whatsit said...

Yes, b13's right. They are guinea hens. They live on farms so they're not exactly wild, but try and catch one. When they're not sleeping, they can outrun pretty much anybody. They might be distantly related to turkeys, but they always remind me more of a Victorian maiden aunt with a topknot, hiking her skirts up around her skinny ankles and scolding while she chases a misbehaving nephew.

Our guinea hens, long gone now, used to spend entire days chasing each other around and around and around and around the house, squawking. When it came time to roost for the night, they'd cluster below a low-hanging branch and gabble at the top of their lungs for 20 minutes in order to make sure every fox and coyote for miles around knew exactly where to find them. Then they'd hop up onto the branch and fall instantly into a sleep so deep you (or the foxes, if you didn't get there and move them to the henhouse in time) could pluck them off it like an apple.

In addition to providing cheap entertainment to farmers and eating ticks, they are pretty good guard dogs. They will flap and holler at the top of their lungs to try to scare off any vehicle that comes up the driveway. In fact, if you aren't careful, they will go down the driveway and stand in the middle of the road, flapping and gabbling, to scare off oncoming traffic. Not such a good plan. Ours are all gone now.

Rick Lee said...

I had no idea that guinea fowl were that large! They're huge.

SleekPelt said...

Hi, Rick. I recently stumbled on to your blog and am really enjoying your work. I look forward to seeing more.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Rick: Great set of pictures. I enjoyed your visit to the farm.

Carletta said...

Rick - wonderful set of photos.
I've been coming here for sometime now and am always amazed at your work; but these series of photos are marvelous!
The portrait of the man is a favorite if I HAD to pick one:)

Rick Lee said...

"Sleekpelt"... great to hear from you! I looked at your "Picture West Virginia" site... that looks like a worthy project!

P_J said...

Great photos and great comments. It's fun to read a few of your thoughts on what you shoot.

Roberta said...

That little beagle breaks my heart!

Charleston Catholic / Clay Center Project said...

Awesome shots! I love the silhouette of the farmer inside the barn.

Anonymous said...

cuttlefish have weird eyes shaped like 'W's

Macchiato said...

Hey! about the goat's eye... the answer is - yes, other animal also have rectangular pupil--- octopus!! ;D

Rick Lee said...

Octopus?? I had no idea.

Macchiato said...

Yeah, i got some crazy e-mail with 'did you know' facts... some of them are:
mosquitoes have 47 teeth, a rat can live without water longer than a camel, goats and octopus have rectangular pupils, carrot contains 0% fat, sharks are immune on ALL kinds of diseases, bats are always turning left when flying out of the cave, a lightning strikes men 7 times more often than women, snails can sleep for whole 3 years....
Should i continue..?? :-)