GypsyGems Farm

Crazy late January winter here in Central Florida... 81 degrees and milkweed with caterpillars.

A few of the horses grazing around the paddocks the other day...

Bat talk here at the rescued animal shelter

And, if you love bats, here is some more footage of one of our farm's three bat houses as they finalize their return home. They have quite the conversations, as you can hear! A group of bats is sometimes called a cauldron. Bat groups are also called a colony when in a large cave or a cloud when a large group is in flight.

An new guest on the fence

A new guest at Gypsy Gems Farm in Central Florida...

8-week old chick ventures out

*~ Good morning from GypsyGems Farm! Baby's first day out with mom.

Bats coming home to roost at Gypsy Gems Farm.

Here is a 3 minute video of some of hundreds of Brazilian Free-Tailed bats (we have three bat houses here on the farm) coming home to roost at sunrise after a long night of catching mosquitoes. Brazilian free-tailed bats primarily eat insects, including moths, beetles, and flies. They hunt their prey using echolocation and typically catch their prey in flight. The Brazilian free-tailed bat occurs statewide and is one of the most abundant native mammals living in Florida’s urban areas. The bats form colonies (from as few as 50 to many thousands) in man-made structures like buildings and under bridges. Free-tails are a medium-sized bat (7-14 grams) with brownish-gray fur, and have a distinctively musky odor. It is often possible to smell a colony of free-tails downwind from half a block away. Free-tailed bats are strong fliers with narrow wings, and can fly independently at more than 25 mph. The bats forage as far as 25 to 30 miles from their home at night and return each morning before dawn. Free-tails have been found at altitudes up to 9,000 feet, traveling at speeds up to 60 mph in strong tail winds. Free-tails mate from mid-February through late March. After an 11-12 week gestation period, the female gives birth to a single pup in late May or early June, depending on Spring temperatures. The pups stay in the roost, huddling together for warmth, while their mothers go out to feed. The young start flying at about 5 weeks of age, and fly with their mothers for several weeks before venturing out on their own. https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/bats/about/

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July celebration!

Baby's first day out

Baby's first day out!

Sadly, we lost one of our oldest rescued dogs, Gracie (aka: Boo, Gracie-Boo, and Boo-Hound) today. We believe this wonderful senior American Fox Hound was 16 years old (since she was rescued by us about 15 years ago). Gracie was the friendliest dog I had ever met. She would always greet other dogs and people, and would jump very tall fences just to see other folks. She had no enemies and loved everyone. She had become very slow in her advanced age lately, but still enjoyed laying outside sunbathing. She suddenly stopped wanting to eat four days ago and declined rapidly. The vet concurred as Gracie was having sudden neurological issues (likely strokes) and couldn't move on her own. Today she passed away and it was very, very upsetting. Heaven will indeed be reclaiming the little angel who we were tremendously lucky to have known and loved. She won our hearts and souls...and now we just wait to see her again in spirit. I'm sorry, I'm just in a world of heartache now; I'm sure you can understand.

We Have a New Baby Gypsy Chick

*~ Good morning from Gypsy Gems Farm. We have a surprise new addition!

The noisy creatures at night at GGF

Just walking outside at bedtime and looked up at one of the oak trees here at GGF...thinking it would be quiet...ummm...guess again!!

Crows Chasing Away the Hawks at GGF

People ask why are crows so important to be your friends on your farm. Well, as you'll see in this video, they chase away the hawks who try to get our free-ranging chickens. We have over 100 granddaddy oaks here at GGF and the crows keep an eye on the trees to chase away the hawks. Thus, keeping the egg-layers safe as they look for bugs.

My Crow Posse!

My new Crow Posse and my diabolical plans ... #gypsygemsfarm #rescue #farmlife

Mca has arrived for her meet 'n greet and her photo session.

We've arrived!

The Fun Journey with Mica, Part 1

*~ Good morning from Gypsy Gems Farm! Mica and I will be going on a field trip today as she is going to be in lots of pictures with members and guests for a fundraising event this afternoon. She's the star, I'm just the chauffeur and clean up crew. ~ Beth

Hard Work at Gypsy Gems Farm

I'm not crazy about spiders, but find the spiny backs kinda cute. This one is working hard on his web. Not crazy about his choice of location, either...remember not to walk face-first in to it! ~ Beth

He's a 2010 Model!

We have another birthday to celebrate! Our Reilly (Sean Reilly, actually) is a whopping 12 years old! I remember walking out of the house one morning back in 2010 to check on pregnant mama only to see this little guy standing there! Reilly is the only horse born on our farm.