The Buzzard knows that it has a good chance of a meal by the Bird feeders. The Birds when feeding on the feeders always drop some of the seeds onto the ground. There always seems to be a Pheasant in the area and they mop up some of the seed. But it is also a good food source for the Rats. That is why I have a problem about using Rat poison to get rid of them. There is always the chance that a poisoned Rat, that the poison has not worked fully on, will be eaten by an Owl or a Buzzard.
The Buzzard although protected, is still liable to be shot by people who rear Pheasants for game shooting. They believe that the Buzzard will kill Pheasants. They may rarely kill the odd one. The main food source for the Buzzard are Mice, Rats and Rabbits. I wish they would work a little harder on the Rats.
The Rats problem has got to be sorted out on the lower Badger feeding area, and around the lake where the Goslings were taken. I am not to worried that any other animals or birds will be poisoned by eating a poisoned Rats around the lake area. I have already started to make sure that the Rats will eat what I put out. I put out a cage last night with bread in it. This morning all the bread had gone. The cage will stop the birds from getting to the poison, but I need to know that it was Rats that ate the bread last night, and what I have put out tonight. Tomorrow I am going to put up a powerful IR lamp, it will allow me to see what is eating the bread. If it is Rats as I suspect, I can then put the poison in a container that the Rats can get to, so as they do not spill the poison where the Birds will eat it.
I purchased some years back a couple of Rat traps, but they were not to successful. I found one of them today. I will try that in the Badger area, for I know that I will kill the field mice and voles that also use the area, if I poison to kill the Rats. The Badger sett is quite close to the farm house. If I am not careful we could get Rats in the house.
Elsie asked what I pondering about around the lake this morning. I was seeing if the bread had been eaten, that I had left in the cage to poison the Rats, when I saw the Fish chasing to fertilize the eggs. I was watching them.
Angela I have not seen the person who is to shear the sheep. He was to phone me in the week. The sheep have been in the Horse field for the past two days. I bet they disappear when he comes.
I have never seen a Barn Owl on the farm.
The Stud told me that Lady is coming into season, She may have gone to the Stallion today. If she did, I would think that she will be back on the farm by the middle of next week.