Routine maintenance?

This is the field south of Busy Solitude Farm.  There is an agricultural drain (formerly a creek) that runs through it, draining the field to make it tillable.  The shores of the drain grow huge trees and brush that serve as habitat for birds and animals, shading the water in the creek to keep it cool and discourage plants and algae from growing in the drain.

Until a couple of days ago when the bulldozers came.  Water management is a huge issue in this area.  Why?  Because pre-settlement most of this area was wetlands.  Natural cranberry bogs.  Not someplace you would want to start a farm. 

But farmers came and by establishing a wide-reaching network of drains, they were able to reduce the moisture in the fields to the point that the ever-present corn and beans now blanket the fields.  Still, though, these are the last fields to be planted every spring because they hold the water so long.

I don't entirely understand why they clear-cut the green growth along the drains.  All I know is that they believe that they will improve drainage by clearing them out.  Maybe they're going to dredge the creek once they clear the shrubby growth?

What I do know is that this morning I watched a Great Blue Heron flying low over the creek, circling around to get a better look.  The heron fishes in this creek.  But now its protective cover is gone from this section.  I expect it will move further down for the summer.  It made me sad.

I took this photo of the rainbow over the field a few days ago.  This is what that tree line looks like now.