Branston started to open one of the barn doors about the same time as Bliss started getting out of the field, to join the older Horses. The door bolt was designed in a way that you would think would be impossible to be opened by an animal. I should think that the previous farmer at Denbury, had his dairy cows knocking the bolt open, or sliding the bolt with their tongue. The bolt has been designed so that you need to pull it out before you are able to slide it across, and Branston has managed to do just that. At first we blamed each other for leaving the door open. I was only when we were making the feed up one day, and Branston started to open the door in front of us, did we realise that he was opening the door. For Branston it serves two purposes when he open the door. One he is able to get to the feed, the second he is able to walk through the barn, to an opening that let him out to get to the other Horses. He is pretty slick at opening it. It is only four or five steps from the door to where we make the feed up. Before we can get back to doing the feed after he has opened it, he manages to open it again. We now have to tie the barn doors to stop him.
There are only two Duckling left on the lake. Some of you probably saw them sitting on the sacks with their mother. They have survived for two weeks. That is longer than any from the previous clutch. I know that a lot of the Rats have gone. I moved the cage with the poison in, over a week ago back to the lake. The poison is still being taken, but not as much as when I first moved it. The weather has been dreadful for the Duckling. The first day that I saw them was on the morning of the flood. I should think that some of them have died for other reason than being taken by predators.
The last Swallows nest that we put a camera on, is up at the top of the apex of the roof in one of the barns. The roof is a corrugated metal roof. Yesterday was very warm for a change. The tin roof would have got very hot and it would have been very hot at the apex. The chicks did look as if they were gasping because of the heat. It is very high where the nest has been built. The nestlings are looking over the side of the nest as if they know it, and they don’t look particularly happy.
Yes Jill, the Telescope is all ready other that setting it up with the stars for alignment, with the Skyscout that was sent to me from the US. Unfortunately the weather other than yesterday has been to bad to have it going. Although it is in an observatory, I cant take the chance that it may get wet. I have a very good Solar telescope attached to the main telescope. I would put that on in the day if it was going to stay dry. But I need to set the main telescope up first so that the telescope tracks the Sun as it is moving. With the Solar telescope you can sometimes see flares and sunspots, that I gather are very interesting to Astronomers. As soon as it is possible I will put the telescope on. What we have done with broadcasting of the Solar System over the web has never done before. When we have had it going it has been very good.