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What a sadistic lot some of you are asking if…

What a sadistic lot some of you are asking if I had given the Bees the second dose of the treatment. Just waiting for me to tell you that I had been stung again. Sorry I cant give you that satisfaction for it was raining on Sunday when I was going to do the job, and you don’t do Bees in the rain I was advised. I have been trying to do it ever since but I have just not managed to find the time as I have been collecting materials to make a new enclosure area for a new webcam that I am starting to set up on the Farm. I am 99% sure that it is going to happen but I don’t want to say any for two reasons. One reason I will tell you when I get the new animals on the Farm, the other because I want to torment you. But it will be worth waiting in suspense for when I tell you.

I got a phone call last night at just before 11.pm from a lady who was concerned about a Badger that was laying flat out looking rather dead or ill next to the feeding area. I must admit it didn’t look to good to me when I viewed the webcam so I made me way up to where it was. Trouble is in my haste I forgot that that just before the gate that I get over to the feeding area an old dead Elm tree had fallen and I finished up flat on my face. The noise I made cursing and falling had woken the Badger who must have been a sleep. I reckon he may well have had a good helping of the fallen apples in the Orchard. I did curse the Lady at the time. But It was good that she phoned as only the day before I found a dead Badger very close to the Farm entrance that more than likely came from our Sett. There were no signs that it had been shot, probably run over. But there is always the chance that it was poisoned.

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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.

A footpath called the Devil’s Back-bone named by the shape of the path, linking South hinksey to New Hinsey near Oxford. Clive.

Grandpont nature reserve, this used to be the site of the old Oxford gas-works. Clive.

Railway bridge over the Thames at Osney with “boneys” footbridge in the back ground. Clive.

Narrow boat on the Thames at Osney with the old power station in the back ground. Clive.

Horse Chestnut Tree on the tow-path at Iffley. Clive.

As I was on my way to feed the Badgers last evening one of last years Cubs was walking towards me about 30 yards away. He was probably making his way back to the Sett in time for the food that I put down and would have turned onto the path towards the Sett before we go near to each other. It must have been in a world of its own as he was walking quite slowly. We both got to the path towards the Sett at the same time, and the youngster still had not seen me. Another youngster was also on the path at the turn, so it was a three way meeting with us all being within 4 feet of each other. The Badger on the path knew who I was there and unhurriedly knowing turned towards the Sett. It was then that the first Badger saw me. I have never seen a Badger move so fast. It spun around and was a distant blob in under 2 second.

The second Badger that was on the path is one that waits for me to feed them most evenings. As I climb over the gate it is waiting within a few feet of me and follows me just out of sight of the camera and appears close to the Sett entrance when I put the feed down.

Elsie want to know about Thornton. Thornton is spending some time with the Sheep. After breakfast Thornton goes to the Holiday Cottages on the scrounge. If he can scrounge enough he will hang around, if not he joins the Sheep in the Horse Field. He has a couple of favorites that he is with more than the others. He is fascinated with the Lambs and the Lambs with Thornton. The other evening whilst we were fencing to keep the Sheep in the Horse Field we saw Thornton laying with the Sheep surrounded by the Lambs. Thornton doesn’t want to be a Sheep full time. He can always be found of an evening close to the Field Gate waiting to be called for his dinner. After dinner he settle himself in his sleeping place.

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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.

I WONT BE FEEDING THE BADGERS UNTIL 8.45PM

I have not been watching the webcams a lot after I feed the Badgers, so I didn’t realise that the Rooks had been taking most of the Badger bread before the Badgers came out. It was only because some of our Holiday Guests had wanted to go to the hide last night after I had fed the Badgers that I realised. I don’t normally let people go up to the hide after I have fed the Badgers in case it disturbs them, but on looking I could see that there was very little bread left.

The Rook Chicks will leave their nests over the next two days, the 5th and 6th of May so the parents a busily feeding them and will do until they can fly so the Badger food is easy pickings.

All of the twelve Geese and six Chickens are free range now, other than three new Chickens that we got on Saturday. We put all them away at night. The Chickens have got use to being shut up of a night and are all in their house by eightish. The Geese haven’t learnt yet but they are not a lot of bother getting them into their Stable. Hopefully they will learn to house themselves soon. It is nice seeing all of them around the Farm, and our Holiday Guests enjoy them and the fresh eggs that we supply. The Fox is a concern as they will try to get both the Geese and Chickens. Unfortunately that is nature and other than keep them locked up all day there is not a lot you can do about the Fox. Badger also will take Chickens and Geese but as the Badger is rarely out in the day he is not such a threat when they are housed of a night.

All of the first Chicken that we got are now laying eggs. A little small at the moment as this is the first time that they have produced eggs, but they are getting larger. Mind you we have had a couple of double yolkers. At first they were laying here, there and every where, but over the past couple of days they have been going back to their house to lay their eggs. A couple of the Geese are also laying. These we are incubating as we have seen the Gander mating with the Geese.

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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.

MY TAME ROBIN

LONG TAILED TITS IN MY FEEDER

GREENFINCH

BLUE TIT

BLACKBIRD FEEDING ITS BABY

ALL TAKEN IN MY GARDEN LAST YEAR LYNNE

Sorry that the Forum was not updated until this evening.

About midnight last night when I checked the webcams there was a Deer laying down by the stream in the Valley. The way it was laying down I could not be sure what type of Deer it was but i reckon it was a Roe Deer. It was the first Deer that I have seen on the webcams for a good few months. We can see that there are Deer visiting the Valley by their foot prints that we regularly see.

It or another Deer going by the Deer foot prints I found when I went to feed the Badger, had made its way to the gate in the background of the Badger feeding area. It may well have jumped the gate to where the Badgers feed. On a couple of occasions Deer were were seen at the Badger feeding area last year.

I see on the Forum that some of you have Snowdrops out. We have had them open for a week. What I want to see is the Daffodils out. They are a great site but better still we know that we are in Spring.

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Starting from numbersix there are five new photographs on the…

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

Lupins in my friend’s garden in the South of France. Janice of Leeds.

The is the new ‘ Living Coasts’ attraction in Torquay.Devon. Janice of Leeds.

This is Babbacombe model village in South Devon. The landscaping is amazing. Janice of Leeds.

This is Breakwater Beach in Brixham Devon. I long for the summer!! Janice of Leeds.

Another photograph from the Kestrel nest in Shropshire.

The Badger last night were not fighting they were playing. And they do make an awful noise when they fight. I told last year when we heard a fight between two Badgers and found the next morning a young male that had probably strayed into our Setts territory and got to close to the Sett.

Although Badger will travel many mile in a night they do have their own territory. They mark it by digging small holes called Dung Pits on their boundary to leave their droppings. We come across them now and then. There was one very close by the side of our drive close to the Farmhouse.

The size of Badger territory is governed by the availability of food, being mainly earth worms. The population of the Sett at Denbury would be larger than normal in this area, for in and around the boundaries of Denbury there are six Badgers Setts that I know of. The area would not sustain such a large Sett as ours unless we feed them.

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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.

Lupins in my friend’s garden in the South of France. Janice of Leeds.

The is the new ‘ Living Coasts’ attraction in Torquay.Devon. Janice of Leeds.

This is Babbacombe model village in South Devon. The landscaping is amazing. Janice of Leeds.

This is Breakwater Beach in Brixham Devon. I long for the summer!! Janice of Leeds.

Another photograph from the Kestrel nest in Shropshire.

The Badger last night were not fighting they were playing. And they do make an awful noise when they fight. I told last year when we heard a fight between two Badgers and found the next morning a young male that had probably strayed into our Setts territory and got to close to the Sett.

Although Badger will travel many mile in a night they do have their own territory. They mark it by digging small holes called Dung Pits on their boundary to leave their droppings. We come across them now and then. There was one very close by the side of our drive close to the Farmhouse.

The size of Badger territory is governed by the availability of food, being mainly earth worms. The population of the Sett at Denbury would be larger than normal in this area, for in and around the boundaries of Denbury there are six Badgers Setts that I know of. The area would not sustain such a large Sett as ours unless we feed them.

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There are five new photographs on the Photo page from…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page from number eleven.

Hope viewers won’t mind looking at non U K animals! We took so many this time. Here is a Kookaburra, Wombats (my favourites!) and the Penguins which are all native to Australia . The penguin’s are called Little penguins. David Attenbourgh did some filming with them once. Rose W’canton.

A few of us have this problem. One Sunday morning over our village. Not good enough!!Lindsay.

Another Monkey from Karen.

It is good news about any Badger Cull not going ahead. The National Farmer Union are not best pleased and screaming. It was a fight that they could not afford to loose if were to show that they were still a force in farming. They are not. They will keep screaming that a cull should go ahead even though there are better ways to reduce the incidents of Bovine TB, that are being shown to be working. More importantly is that the very great majority of the British public don’t want to see a Badger Cull. This is a democratic country, the NFU need to try to listen to what the majority want. The last badger cull was stopped because of the public outcry.

The NFU are shouting that they will try to get the ruling overturned, and that there will be a massive turnout outside Parliament next week. They wont get the ruling overturned and I wait to see the size of the turnout in protest. It is not the Hunting Bill that many Farmer demonstrated against. Most protesting as a case of principle. They were right to show their feelings, if you agreed or not. TB is a problem, but there are to many conflicting arguments in the scientific evidence, that it would be discriminating to take the chance of decimating the British Wildlife as an experiment, for thats what it would be, only to find that it was wrong.

I was quite pleased with the Goose last night. The battery didnt last quite as long as I thought it would, but it may not have been fully charged. One of this holiday guests on a fishing holiday, waded out in his new waders to put the Gordon in the water. We used a heavy metal bar to tie Gordon to, but as he floated about the metal bar some times got in between the wireless ariels that caused the interference that you could see on and off. Both the colour and infra-red were very good. I will put Gordon on the Lake sometime next week during the day so that we can try to watch the Swallows catching food from the Lake.

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There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number one. Nearly out of photographs so I will have to start showing only three a night.

A Goldfinch on my Feeder. Judy.

Banksy is a part of Bristol culture – this one is opposite the Bristol Royal Infirmary. The Child is “popping” a paper bag behind the Police Marksman!; Julia.

My Welsh slate water feature awaiting connection to water pump. Im not using the stone around the bottom as the kids have just put that there [little rogues]. Karen.

These Geese were running towards us hissing. Elsie.

Maddi’s village.

Unfortunately there was a Gosling missing this morning. We can only guess what happened to it. I thought that this year especially after four of them surviving for over a week that they may make it through to a size that they would fly off of the Lake. Again like every year we don’t know what has taken the Gosling, but I should think more than likely it is a Magpie or Crow. What ever it was for sure it will return for another. This week we have had Holiday Guests that have been fishing on the Lake, making it unlikely that any thing would take the Gosling whilst they are fishing. It is early morning that they are vulnerable when the Magpies and Crows are first looking for food for their nestlings. I will put the recorder on tonight to see what is threatening the Geese.

After I had fed the Badger last night I checked on the valley camera. There were three Roe Deer grazing. One was an adult Doe whose belly was moving very noticeably, as do Horse when the Foal is moving inside of them. If it wasn’t a Kid making her belly move, she must have had a severe belly rumbling going on.

On Tuesday we turned Emmi and Sox out into the Horse field. I put the camera on for you to see. Sox had a quick bucking session and they both grazed for a while. Yesterday we let Lady out with them. Emmi was not best pleased being on her own with Sox the day before. She was a lot more settled with Lady in the field with her. Both Emmi and Lady seemed to want to spend more time waiting at the gate. I guess in the hope that we would put Breeze and Arnie in with them as they could see them in the small paddock opposite the Horse field. With Breeze wanting to be boss that would not have been wise as for sure there would have been a kicking session. We have been putting Breeze and Arnie in the Horse field of a night and in the small paddock during the day.

Elaine, I am not sure if the Badger who is waiting for the feed of a night, is one of last years Cubs. It is not a very large Badger, so it could well be.

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There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number eleven.

Peacock at Leeds Castle. Bec.

The Admiral Benbow in Chapel Street Penzance. CH.

A BEGONIA IN OUR GARDEN LAST YEAR. LYNNE.

This was taken last year in Warsaw, it is a model of Big Ben and apart from the clock face it is made from Tyskie (lager) cans. Val.

Compos house from Last of The Summer Wine. Karen.

Below is an article Elsie emailed to me.

Cop arrested for interfering with badger sett

A POLICE officer was arrested for allegedly interfering with a badger sett at the same time his force was targeting the cruel sport of badger baiting.

The man has since quit the force and is still being investigated by his former colleagues.

In the past two years, Northumbria Police – working with the RSPCA – has carried out a series of operations to smash badger baiting rings operating in the region.

Chief Supt Chris Machell, head of the force’s Professional Standards department, said: “A police officer based in Newcastle area command was arrested in February on suspicion of interference with a badger sett.

“He was released on police bail pending further enquiries. The officer was suspended but subsequently tendered his resignation. This was accepted. The investigation continues.

“Northumbria Police will always robustly investigate any allegation of wrongdoing by employees.”

The officer – who comes from the Westerhope area of Newcastle – has not been named.

He was arrested after a badger sett in Hepscott, Northumberland, was found to have been disturbed.

Sophie Corless, RSPCA spokeswoman, said: “The RSPCA is investigating alleged offences under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006.”

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There are five new photographs on the Photo page starting…

There are five new photographs on the Photo page, starting from number six. I am sure that there must be some good photographers who have not yet sent any photographs in for the Photo page.

This thrush came to visit me yesterday, he is eating cooked pastry. PM.

These mallards were snapped in Monmouth. GJ.

A duck with one of her babies taken at Leeds castle. Bec.

Another view from around Port Isacc Cornwall (aka Port Wenn from the Doc Martin tv programme) Elaine.

The blackbird was supposed to be a thrush but as I got the camera sorted it had flown away and I ended up with this. Sue.

Elsie sent this artical to me that was in todays Northern Echo. I will use it for tonight Diary. Send me the link to any good wildlife stories from your local papers.

Badger baiter jailed after dogs badly hurt
By Graeme Hetherington

A MAN has been looked up for six months after being found guilty of taking part in the “barbaric sport” of badger baiting. John William Lee was arrested as he walked through a busy town centre while blood dripped from the face of one of his dogs. The 40-year-old was also carrying a rucksack on his back with a garden spade sticking out of the top. When his bag was searched, an eight-inch machete was found.

At his trial at Teesside Magistrates’ Court yesterday, Lee, of Farndale Avenue, Middlesbrough, denied one charge of wilfully attempting to take a badger and two charges of causing unnecessary suffering to his two dogs. But the court was told that one of his dogs was in such a terrible condition that a member of the public flagged down a police officer. Lee was arrested in the middle of the afternoon on January 26 last year as he made his way through Yarm town centre.

Matthew Brash, television vet and badger expert, told the court the wounds on the Plummer terrier were the type associated with badger bites. But Lee’s solicitor Nic Woodhouse said: “There was no evidence that any badger had been injured by his dogs and there was no evidence that any badger had been found dead. “My client suffers from mental health issues and anger management problems. When he has these problems he takes himself away into the country for a couple of weeks until he calms down.”

Magistrates found Lee guilty and sentenced him to six months for wilfully attempting to take a badger. He was also sentenced to two months concurrent for causing unnecessary suffering to his dogs and for allowing them to come in contact with wild animals. The court heard the cost of bringing the case and kennel fees was in excess of