Harry Takes in the Rain

Here's is one of Art Farm's alpacas, Harry Potter, after the rains yesterday afternoon. Beneath all the hair, Harry is dry and warm. He has a shelter, but he doesn't mind getting wet. Beneath all the fur, Harry is less than 100 pounds. Come May, he and his buddy, Mr. Weasley, will be due for their annual sheering.

Harry is a very friendly alpaca, curious about people. If you stand still and bow down to his level, he will sniff very delicately all about your face. It tickles!

Alpacas are very hardy and easy to care for, but they can live up to 25-years so it is not a pet one should acquire without thinking about the long-term care requirements. Also, they need a companion animal of their own kind to stay healthy and happy. As for diet, they eat orchard hay supplemented with llama pellets (a nutritionally balanced feed), and as a treat some Alfamo, which is shredded alfalfa soaked in molasses.

Harry, like our other farm animals, earn his keep as models for student art work.

American Kestral Visits Art Farm

Perhaps the most colorful raptor in the world, the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the most common falcon in North America. It is found from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, and in towns as well as wild lands. The Kestrel pictured here during a recent visit to Art Farm was visiting from Sky Hunters Raptor Education & Rehabilitation in Alpine, CA. Sky Hunters is a non-profit that rehabilitates injured and orphaned raptors of all kinds.

The male Kestrel's wings are blue-gray with black spots. The tail is reddish-brown (or rufous-colored) on the back with a broad black subterminal band and a white or rufous tip. The tail is white underneath with a few incomplete black bars. The back and rump is an orange to rufous, with a variable amount of black barring. Underparts are pale buff to orange, with variable amount of black spotting, especially along the sides. The crown (top of the head) is blue-gray with some orange. Buffy spots with dark centers are on either side of nape (back of head), making "eyespots" visible from behind. The female Kestrel's wings are rufous barred with black. The tail is rufous with black bands and the underparts are creamy to buff, heavily streaked with brown. The back is rufous with heavy dark barring. The crown is gray and the legs yellow.

Based on these descriptions, can you identify the gender of this Kestrel?

Art Farm Now Enrolling for Summer Camp 2010

Carlsbad Art Farm is now enrolling students for Summer Camp 2010. Enrollment is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

New this year, we are now offering two sessions daily to accommodate more students while keeping our class sizes small. All information, schedules, and registration materials are available for download on our website.

Also new are Saturday morning classes at Art Farm for students currently enrolled in grades 2 through 8. Information about all programs are listed under our website "Programs" tab.

For an invitation to our upcoming BBQ open-house you must be on our e-mail sign-up list, also available on our website. Don't get left standing in the barn: sign-up now.

We are looking very forward to another busy camp season this summer thanks to the overwhelmingly positive response from families to our program during the previous several summers. If you have never heard of Art Farm, that's because we mostly advertise word-of-mouth. If you have an art and animal-loving nature enthusiast in your home, it's hard to beat Art Farm for a unique summer camp experience.