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Starting from number five there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number five there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

TREE ON THE MOORS IN DERBYSHIRE. LYNNE.

SAME TREE AT SUNSET. LYNNE.

CAN YOU SPOT WHATS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PHOTO HIDING BEHIND THE LEAVES!! LYNNE.

MY TAME ROBIN TAKING MEAL WORMS FROM MY HAND. LYNNE

I don’t mind sarcastic remarks on the Forum as long as they are signed. Who ever it was please let me know who you are and I will approve your entry. It is remarks like you made that make me wonder why I bother to continue with the website. I spend to much time, effort and money keeping this website running, to have to worry about what people think of any decisions I may make. It could well be a disappointed owner, a little sore that the sale didnt happen.

I had not checked when the Goslings were going to hatch. By the way that the Goose was looking around this morning I thought that there was a fair chance that the eggs had hatched. We have done as much as we can to protect the Goslings and our Fish. I will check every night that the electric fence is working, and hope that all that has been done will stop any predators.

As I was going to feed the Badger last night I saw four Red Deer cross from the Stream into the direction of the Wood on the left hand side. When I got back to the Farm House I turned my private view on, but they were just disappearing into the Wood. To late to put them on to the webcam. Twice over the evening there were two single Roe Deer eating by the side of the Stream. There seems to be more Deer visiting the Valley. It could only have been the Cows and the Electric fencing that stopped them from visiting last year as much as they normally did. I will put the Valley Camera on after the Badgers have eaten all of their food on webcamn 2.

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Starting from number one there are four new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are four new photographs on the Photo Page.

If we had not received Tom and Roses photographs there would not have been any for tonight. There are none for tomorrow.

Remember to click.

My daughters recent visit to Zambia, these are from Victoria Falls area. Tom and Rose.

We had two female kune kune piglets to look at today. They were quite close to the Farm and on the way to Cricket St Thomas. I needed to go to the Wildlife Park as Hannibal the Ostrich that we have given them a eight years ago had died after being kicked by a Zebra. I have managed to find a replacement for Hannibal and went to discuss it with them.

Like most Zoos and Wildlife Parks there is very little buying and selling of Animals. They tend to exchange or give. I have always done the same and I knew that I would finish up doing it this time.

Hannibal was a Blue type Ostrich, standing an imposing nearly 9 foot tall. He was one of my favorites and I was pleased that we found the Wildlife Park as his home. He was about fifteen years old, having a good fifty years of his life left if it had not been for the accident. I thought that finding a replacement would be difficult but within a couple of phone calls I managed to find a breeder in Essex who was selling all of his Birds. The breeders main type of Ostrich is Black, the smallest type of Ostrich, but he did have one Red Type Ostrich that are the largest of the breed. As long as it is OK that is what Cricket will be having. I am waiting for a photograph to be sent. When I get it I will show you it on the Photo Page. We are getting a pair of Wallaby’s in exchange. Not sure what they will be yet. Could be a couple of Joeys when they are ready to leave the pouch. If I can twist an arm it maybe a Male and Female and a joey in the pouch. As soon as I know you will be the first to know.

The visit to the Wildlife Park turned out to be very good. We have been given three Black Swans. This time they wont fly away. And we have been promised a few Rhea Eggs if they start laying.

On the way back from the Wildlife Park we went to see the Kune Kune Piglets. I must admit part of the visit was to see if the Pig that we went to get last Sunday was a good example of the size. The breed is described as small, but the adult we went to buy was not far short of the size of a domestic Pig. The Mother of the Piglets we saw today was in fact even a little bigger. After seeing them it didn’t take me long to decide that we were not going to be the owner of any Kune Kune. The idea as they are a very friendly breed of Pig, would have been for them to be free range. Unfortunately although they graze we have seen signs that like all Pigs, and these are no different, they root. Rooting free range Pigs and lawns don’t mix. I also believe that younger Children would find them with their looks and size a little menacing.

The Hatching webcam page can now be accessed from the Home Page. The Hatcher was delivered today. Our first eggs to hatch will be going in next week.

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Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

These are the last photographs that I have.

These are all photos taken in my garden.

Fox – Merrilyn

My dog Mick – I have had him about 9 years – He was a rescued dog – Merrilyn

Goldcrest – Merrilyn

Goldfinch – Merrilyn

Mr and Mrs Bullfinch – Merrilyn

After the run around that we had on Sunday to collect the Kune Kune, I am not to sure that I would want the bother of going all that way back this weekend. There never seems to be enough time in a day as it is. So for sure I don’t want to waste this Sunday. There is another alternative that I will let you know if I decide against going back.

What we did see when we went to collect the Kune Kune was the Chew Valley water complex that some of the Ospreys on there way to Africa drop off at. It would have been good to have had a look around if we had the time.

I finished fencing around the Lake today. There are now six strands of electric fencing wire up to as height of about 32 inches, the bottom five being about 4 inches apart, the top six inches from the last. This will stop the Otters from making a meal of our Fish and should stop the Fox from taking the Geese and Goslings. So that our Holiday Guests are able to get to the Lake we have put in two gates at opposite ends. There is a big red switch to turn the fencer on and off. It cant be missed so hopefully we have done enough to protect the Fish and the Geese.

All is on course for the Egg Hatching webcam. The Hatcher we hope to have this week and the page that will access the new webcam should be on the home page in a day or so.

SWT told me that they have sorted out the problem with the new Peregrine Falcon webcam. It is hoped that it will be working next Tuesday.

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Starting from number osix there are ONLY THREE new photographs…

Starting from number osix there are ONLY THREE new photographs on the Photo Page.

There are ONLY FIVE more photographs left for tomorrows Photo Page.

Gannets perched on Bempton Cliffs,near Flamborough Head, North Yorkshire. Lindsay.

Male and female Gadwall.Lindsay.

As its name suggests it flicks the pebbles on the beach,hence the name Turnstone.They are remarkably tame.Lindsay.

The drive to collect the Kune Kune was about 50 miles. We must have pasted within minute from where Julia and Chris live. If we had her address we may have popped in for a cup of tea. I don’t think they would have enjoyed that visit much, with the way I was ranting.

The Pigs are kept in a large Garden, not what we had expected. Two Gilts one having a litter of Piglets from which our male was coming from and the Female that we were having.

After doing the Ministry paperwork we went to get our Female. She was not what I had imagined, she was a lot bigger than I had thought that she was going to be. She would have been the size of a domestic Pig, larger than the Wild Boar that we had once kept. The size really didn’t matter that much, it was the temperament of the animal that we were interested in, and she was very kind and interested in people.

It was easy to get her to walk to our trailer, but once there it was obvious that we were going to be a problem to load her on to it unless she was prepared to get on to the trailer herself as she was far to heavy to pick up. For sure she wasn’t going to load herself. If I had of known that she was going to be as big as she was I would have taken our Horse Trailer that the Pig could have walked on to by her self. The back is very close to the ground and it has a ramp, so loading her would have been easy.

The trailer we had taken was a box trailer that is about 18″ from the ground. With the bribe of an apple the Pig got her front feet on the trailer, but was down again before we had a chance to lift her back end on. The next attempt was to lift the trailer so that the back was on the ground. Again with a bribe of the apple she managed to get half way on. The idea was then to push the front of the trailer down whilst giving the pig a push. That didn’t work for she slipped off as we pushed the trailer down. The final attempt was up a ramp with her favorite food, a coleslaw sandwich. She ate the sandwich but wouldn’t get on the trailer. So home we came minus a Pig.

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Drove 100 miles stupid Pig wouldn t load on to…

Drove 100 miles, stupid Pig wouldn’t load on to the trailer. Tired, got the hump. To late for a roast dinner, so its fish and chips. Fish and chips on a Sunday that like having bread and jam for christmas dinner. Definitely not in the mood to do a Diary or Photo page tonight. Sorry.

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Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

There are no more photographs for tomorrows Photo Page.

Think its some sort of Gannet – Merrilyn

Apes on Gibralter – Merrilyn

Squirrel – Merrilyn

We are off in the morning to collect the two Kune Kune Pigs. It is not that far away about 50 miles. Mind you I cant stand driving. To be honest I find it as boring as watching paint dry. I wont be able to drive that fast as we are taking a small trailer to collect the older female in. The Piglet will travel in a box on the back seat.

We have made a pen for them in the main barn out of gates. They will stay in that for a week or so before we let them be free range. The Female and Piglet know each other so we don’t expect to have any problems with them getting on with each other. The Female we are told is exceptionally friendly. The only problem that we may have is with Tass. She is a bit of a hunter and when Jade our Springer was alive they once killed one of our Wild Boar Piglets so we will need to watch her very carefully. We expected Tass to be a bit of a problem with the Geese but she has not taken any notice of them at all. Although that could be that she a Kye have found a Rabbit nest a few metres from the Farm House door. Tass keeps bringing one of the baby Rabbits to the door to show us. She doesn’t hurt them and puts them down as soon as she is told. The squealing the babies make you would think she was killing them. We thought that the Mother would have moved the babies away but she doesn’t take any notice, even when the babies are put back in the nest.

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Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

There are no more photographs for tomorrows Photo Page.

Never seen a red frog before this one was uncovered this weekend while trying to sort my back garden sue.

The Geese on the lawn.

First venture in to the Stream.

A little more confident.

Odd looking creepy crawly sent in by Elsie.

The Geese were very wary about going into the Stream. They waited by the side with little enthusiasm. Finally I coaxed them in but that didn’t set them alive. I waited for half an hour to make sure that they were OK and went in for a cup of coffee leaving one of our Holiday Guest who volunteered to keep an eye on them. Twenty minutes later the rather concerned Holiday Guest was at the Farm House door trying to explain that she had also gone in doors for a cup of tea and on checking that the Geese were alright had found that they had got out of the Stream and one was missing.

We searched around for ten to fifteen minutes expecting to find one had got over the Sheep netting and was in one of the Fields but it was no where to be seen. It was in my mind that this was the first one that the Fox had got when we heard a honking from the Stream. The missing Goose was tangled in the Sheep netting and was unable to get out of the Stream with the others. She was well and truly tangle up where she had been struggling. Eventually I freed her, but she was a bit weak, very wet and unable to climb the bank so I carried her to the lawn. She soon dried out and looks none the worse for her ordeal. Harriet felt a little guilty for not watching them. I told her it was just unfortunate and that the Geese cant have a baby sitter for the rest of their life.

What seems to have happened was that one of the Ganders had been trying to mate with her, whilst trying to get away she had got caught in the netting. The Geese didn’t go back into the Stream. They are not use to being able to get in to water.

Whilst the Geese were out on the lawn yesterday we tidied up their Stable and found eight eggs. Ali together we have had fourteen eggs from them since we have had them. There are three in the incubator that are fertile so they have been a good purchase.

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Starting from number six there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number six there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

ALL TOOK AT RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK. LYNNE.

We let eight of our Geese out yesterday. It would have been the first time that they had ever had the chance to graze. To our surprise it wasn’t that difficult to get them out of the stable that they have been kept in since we got them a couple of weeks back. We put them onto the lawn area by the Holiday Cottages where it was easy to fence them in with sheep netting. They looked lost and didn’t really know what to do at first, but soon realised that the grass was what we had been cutting and giving them over the time that they have been here. The lawn is a large area and I don’t think that they could believe that they had all that freedom. The lawn is by the side of the Stream. This part of the Stream had been widened and made a bit deeper by previous owner of the Farm. This afternoon we have fenced off an area on the other side of the Stream so that the Geese can go into the water tomorrow. Getting the Geese back into the Stable of a night was also a lot easier that we had thought, it was just a case of walking behind them. If they strayed slightly, a little movement to our left or right put them in the right direction. That was until Thornton decided that he would help tonight. He is normally out with the Sheep until a little later, so we were taken by surprise when he turned up as we were getting the Geese in. The Geese were a little surprised too and went in the opposite direction that we were sending them. After chasing Thornton off the Geese soon went the right way.

Elsie, the Male Gander is still on the Lake. He disappeared a couple of times during the day. (May be he is playing away) but is always on the Lake at night.

Michael the SWT IT person was up at the Fall of the Clyde today. It was his intention to get the Peregrine Falcon webcam working, but unfortunately there was a problem. It may have been a faulty part that I sent. I posted a new party today, so with a bit of luck the webcam should be going next week.

We have managed to find a Sponsor for our egg hatching webcam. Some years ago a Veterinary who did an inspection for the suitability of our facilities for Ostriches, now runs a Incubation Sales business. Banbury Cross Incubators. By chance I found the business and recognised his name. He is going to supply us with a hatcher and various other bits that we need. He is a working Veterinary and has suggested that we may be able to broadcast operations from his Surgery. I will look into it over the next week and let you know more. The Veterinary still works with Ratites (Ostriches, Emu and Rhea) so we may be able to get an egg or two from those species.

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Starting from number one there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number one there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

ALL TOOK AT RUFFORD COUNTRY PARK. LYNNE.

We let eight of our Geese out yesterday

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Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on…

Starting from number eleven there are five new photographs on the Photo Page.

Some photos taken at Lakeside Village, Hothfield, where Dad lives. Jill xx.

The lake. Jill xx.

Primroses. Jill xx.

Wild flowers. Jill xx.

Sealion posing for photos. Jill xx.