Month: April 2007

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As I was looking for the Geese on camera this…

As I was looking for the Geese on camera this afternoon, a Heron flew onto the lake, I hope some of you saw it. You properly saw it fly off a quick as it arrived, as I always chase them off of the lake when I see them. I run to lake as fast as my legs will carry me, clapping my hand with my arms waving in the air, making daft noises, If any one sees me they must think that I need locking up. Sometimes they fly right away, at other time they fly onto the top of a tree, or into a field in the farm next door, and wait for hours to get back onto the lake to have their dinner. I reckon they are tormenting me on purpose. Don’t get me wrong, I would not hurt them, and I like the look of them, but I sure don’t like them taking the fish from the lake. I should think that any of you that have ponds will know what I am talking about. Unfortunately it s not just a case of them taking the odd small fish that they can eat, they will try to take any fish in the lake, what ever size. The main way they fish is to stab the fish with their long bill. If they stab a large fish they are unable to eat it, and it may die or be scarred. More than one Heron visits the lake, properly every day, so you can imagine how many fish they will take over the course of a year.

Our farm drive runs down the side of the lake. One day, when returning home along the drive, I saw three Herons and a Little Egret, all on the lake at the same time. I could not believe my eyes. It looked like one was teaching a young Heron to fish. I don’t know a lot about Herons, so I don’t know if I am right that they are taught by their parents, or not. It was good to see the Little Egret, it was the only time that I have ever seen one, a very attractive, all white bird, I suppose a little more than half the size of a Grey Heron. Attractive as it was, no way was it going to fish the lake. I have heard people say that you don’t get more than one Heron on a pond or lake at a time. That is why some people put dummy Herons by the side of their ponds. An old wives tale, that one.

Back to the Geese, after all the bickering and fighting that the two pairs did yesterday, they were all gone when I went to look this morning. We heard one pair leave and I thought that the other pair were still on the lake. Maybe the two pairs decided that they had lost the territory argument. None had flown back in, this evening, but I should think that at least one pair will return within a day or two.

Woody has not had any recurrence of her illness. Every time we see her laid out flat in the field we have to go check her out, just in case.

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The Barn Owl Trust camera will not be working for…

The Barn Owl Trust camera will not be working for two day, whilst alterations are being made to the barn.

You may have seen Woody on camera today, you would never have guessed that two days ago she looked at deaths door. There was no point in having the Veterinary look at her as she was today, he would not have found anything wrong with her.

I have been trying to get the ducklings on camera today, there are still ten swimming about. The excitement on the lake today has been with the Canada Geese. There are still two pair trying to gain the territory and the island. One pair had taken residence on the island, the other pair will not accept it, and have been trying to chase them off. The Goose who is trying to take over, challenges the other Goose by swimming close to the island and even chasing it off across the island. and is seen off. Neither will give up trying. I should think that is why the duckling are not about, they must be keeping out of harms way. I hope you have seen it on camera. Every now and then when it is warm, you can see the fish in the lake. there are some weighing 12lb and maybe more.

We have seen a Pied Wagtail and one of the Tit family, start nesting, both in awkward places around the holiday cottages. The Pied Wagtail has chosen the cooker hood extractor fan hole to nest, the fan will not be able to be used until the fledglings have fully fledged, or they will find it a little drafty. The Tit is nesting in a hole in a timber lintel, that a few years back we found a wasp nest in. I will try to show them on camera.

When we converted a barn some years back, we had a Swallows nesting in the kitchen ceiling timbers, before we had plaster boarded and plastered it. Holiday guests were due, it did not look as though the fledglings were going to leave the nest before they arrived. There was no way they would have accepted sharing the cottage with the Swallows, especially as the cottage door would have to be left open. Luckily they fledged the day before, we quickly finished the cottage by boarding the ceiling and painting the board, we did not have time for the plastering. The guests never noticed, or at least didn’t say they had.

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I have been asked on the forum what signs should…

I have been asked on the forum, what signs should you look for as Lady is going to foal.
Unfortunately there are not any set out signs. If she is constantly looking behind herself, can sometimes be a sign, that tends to be more with first time foaling mares, although it can be a sign with all mares, however many foals they have had. Being very restless, constantly getting up and down, are other sign. It could be that the first sign is the the actual birth, with the head and legs showing through the bag. I look at the nipples on the udder, very often they have a waxy substance on them. I thought I saw that a week ago, but I was mistaken. If I see any signs, and I get the time I will post it on the forum.

Woody, well I just don’t know. Most of the day she has been eating the hay that we put in the paddock, and has looked fine. About an hour before we bring the horses in for the night, she started to look uncomfortable, laid down flat out. When I go to get the horses in, Arnie and Breeze are normally first at the gate, then Woody and lady. As I go to get them in, I always shout to the, come on then, and they are there waiting. Today Woody was still flat out not stirring, as if she was really poorly. As soon as I opened the gate, up she got and trotted out of the gate to her stable, ate her feed and started on her hay, as if she had not been unwell at all. Get a Veterinary out as she is would be a waste of time for him, and a waste of money for his visit.

What does worry us is that she is a month away from foaling, although she has scanned in foal, she does not look very big. This could be the problem, the foal may be lying in the wrong position, and may be causing her pain. She may even have lost the foal, but I cant think how we would have missed it. The stables are mucked out every day, so we would have seen signs there. If she had lost the foal in the fields we would have seen blood or discharge on her. I will have to talk it through with the Veterinary tomorrow.

Just before I posted this entry, Woody had her head over Lady’s stable, being horrible to her. She cant be feeling to ill tonight.

The Ewe who’s lamb died yesterday has settled down, she must now realise that it is not in the flock, she is not now running from lamb to lamb thinking that one may be hers, and that it is not about at all. Portlands unlike most sheep are able to get into lamb twice a year, hopefully for her, she will lamb again later in the year.