Buckhorn Bees, Birds and Chicks!

Honey Bees at Buckhorn!
Honey bees now peacefully share the Buckhorn flowers thanks to our new residents, Stu and Aiyana. Stu set up their bee houses above the Toft house. On sunny days you can see the bees in the garden searching for food.



Last week, Stu mentioned that the bees would be swarming any day. Swarming is the natural reproduction of bee colonies. A new bee colony is formed when the queen bee leaves the colony with about 60% of the original worker bees.



They gather on a branch, only a few meters from the hive while scout bees are sent out to look for a new nest location. When bees swarm, they are usually not aggressive, this is due to their lack of a hive to defend and their interest in finding a new nesting location.



Lucky for bee keepers, this is the time to collect the docile bees and relocate them to a new nest. Dan, a resident WWOOF-ER, noticed the Buckhorn bees swarming just in time for Stu to throw on his bee suit and transfer the new colony (see above).

Springs Birds:
The leaves still haven’t popped out at Buckhorn, but the birds are still very active. Leslie has already spotted many including: Great Blue Herons, Western Tanager, Evening Grosbeaks, Black Headed Grosbeak, Chickadees, House Wrens and Robins.


Above, Scarlet Tanager.


More Chicks!
Almost two years ago, Russell Sargent got us all set up with 18 little chicks. They quickly grew into high producing, happy chickens. With a few hawk and fox attacks, our chicken number went down to 15.

We are excited to welcome our next round of 18 little chicks. They are doubling in size every day, but still living in our house!





Ask us about our honey and fresh eggs next time you visit!

Lauren

Roots and Wings: Shasta Yoga Retreat

Buckhorn welcomes our first yoga retreat of the year on May 20th-23rd. Amy Cooper, Kristin Laak, and Selene Seltzer from the Shasta Yoga Center will be teaching: Roots & Wings: Yoga, Self Inquiry & Meditation; an Immersion Retreat for Experienced Practitioners.


The Dodecagon provides a perfect space for practicing yoga. Bruce Sargent put the final touches on the 12 sided circular structure in 2006 after he designed the building, felled and milled the wood from the Buckhorn property, and built the sacred building. The radiant floor heating system and on demand hot water provides a very comfortable space.


"Upon entering, one can't help experiencing the calming feeling that, among other things, comes from the circular simplicity of the design, the sound of the creek, and the views of the adjacent field" - Bruce Sargent



"In stillness and movement we can relax into the direct experience of our true nature. This retreat will be held in the spirit of Pratyahara, Yoga's 5th limb, integrating Asana & Pranayama practice, a day of guided, silent sitting and movement meditation, the application of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as well as opportunities for group sharing." - Amy Cooper

Please feel free to contact Amy Cooper if you have any questions about the yoga retreat at (503) 926-0221 or follow this link to contact via email.

Stay tuned for next week's blogs about our new bee hives and chickens!




Lauren

Buckhorn Greenhouse

The Sargent family is excited to welcome new residents, Stuart and Aiyana to Buckhorn. They have come with invigorating new energy and ideas for the future. Aiyana's first objective upon arrival was to construct a greenhouse and expand the garden to its original dimensions. With her persistence, everyone became involved in making the greenhouse a reality.



Bruce carved out the area behind the Toft House and the upper barn.



Stu and Aiyana leveled out the area, dug the framing for the posts, made the rock wall, and planted a cover crop to prepare the soil.



With Bruce's direction and Stu and Aiyana's dedication, the framing went up smoothly.



Finally the green house is finished!

We eagerly await the arrival of delicious veggies. The garden has reverted back to its full circle dimensions with fruit trees, raspberries and asparagus already happily growing. More starts from Fry Family Farm are being planted daily as the garden expands. Hope more of you can make it out soon to help us enjoy the fresh Buckhorn vegetables!

Enjoy the spring sunshine!

Lauren