Building Unity Farm - The Sounds of Unity Farm

Since moving to the farm in April of 2012, I've posted many pictures of our efforts to create a working farm in Sherborn, Massachusetts.   Although it's winter, the farm still bustles with activity.   To give you a sense of what I experience every morning as I walk through the barnyard tending to the creatures, I carried an Olympus USB audio recorder with me on a recent morning.

On the front of the farmhouse we have a rain chain in lieu of gutters that drains into a cistern to capture water.    It was raining during my recording you'll hear my walk from farm house, past the rain chain, to feed the guinea hens and ducks.

After feeding the ducks and guineas I sat with the chickens for a few minutes and fed them scratch grains.   Our two roosters decided to compare their voices.

The duck pond was thawing as the temperatures warmed and I spent a moment clearing the ice so that the birds could enjoy open flowing water.

I brought fresh lettuce from the hoop house to the birds  and placed it in a large rubber bowl so all the animals could enjoy a taste of summer during the winter.   The guineas squawked with joy as they crunched the leaves.

The northern border of Unity Farm is mixed forest and wetlands.   The western border is the Dowse apple orchard.  The southern border is another farm.   The eastern border is the CSX rail line (map below) for slow moving freight trains that travel between Framingham and Foxboro.   At 7am, 12:30pm, and 2:30pm and 11:30pm, we hear the gentle rumble of a freight train in the distance, 10 acres away through our forest.   Here's what the morning train sounds like from the barn.

Every season brings new sights and sounds on the farm.  This spring many migratory birds will return and nest at Unity Farm.   This summer, we'll experience the birth of several baby alpaca.   The Fall brings the rustle of falling leaves.   More sound posts to come!