Helping out the local hunters......

My job today was swathing hay.  I really enjoy this job, mostly because the unit has a cab, (unlike my tractor when I turn hay), it has air conditioning (that actually works), AND it has a radio (that actually picks up a station),  totally a plus.  So I just sat there all afternoon, going back and forth, rockin' out to the radio, enjoying the beautiful scenery in my comfy cab, cutting hay.   Besides making hay,  I decided today that I was also the animal food bank.  Explanation:  There are mice that live in the field.  With the hay so tall, the mice can easily run around,  hiding from their predators making the hunting a little more challenging.   Once the hay is cut into windrows, the mice have less area to hide.  This makes it a little more "easy pickings" for the "hunting".  There is always a hawk or two flying around ready to dive after that mouse that is scurrying around trying to find a new hiding spot after I swathed over him.  Then there's the fox that is sneaking around looking for his next meal.  And today I had a coyote following me.   I never seen him actually catching anything,  but he was definitely checking things out.  And he was totally not afraid of me.  Usually the foxes will hang around until you come close and then they will leave.  But this coyote was there the whole time I was cutting.  I would get close to him, then he would put a little more distance between us, (actually enough so I couldn't get a good picture) (which really is difficult to do when you are trying to drive straight) and then he would move back to where I just swathed.  It really was kind of odd but very entertaining to watch him.  If you look real hard, you can see him in the picture. 

And he didn't distract me too much.  My swathes weren't too crooked..........