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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 six that are all from Vicky.

Goldfinch taken in my garden. Vicky.

A pair of black swans and there signets taken at Cricket St Thomas. Vicky.

A coot feeding her babies taken at Mapperly in ilkeston. Vicky.

A photo of my first passion flower this year. Vicky.

A Lime Hawk Moth that i took last year in my garden. Vicky.

We noticed that Gypsy had quite a large lump and a cut on her offside rear leg. It thought that it was probably a kick from one of the other Horses when they were having a run about. This evening when we let the Horses in for their feed Emmi had a kick on one of her rear leg. When we let the Horses out Gypsy was by the gate and she has got a kick mark on her nearside rear leg. Gypsy must have got the injury this afternoon as she was sitting on her own when I put the Horses on the webcams this afternoon.

Thinking back over the last couple of days I remembered that I had caught a quick glimpse of the Horses running around in what looked like a fun session that they sometimes have. When they stopped Breeze backed in to the group in what looked like a half hearted threat, or was it. I haven’t taken the chance. Breeze is being kept in for the night as she may be up to her old tricks again, trying to be the boss again. Trouble is when she decides that all is not going as she wants she starts to Herd all of the Horses up. That alright as long as she is not being a bully. Horses instinctively have leaders and they will give threats to show that they are.

As last year before we let Breeze out in the Field with the other Horses, we sectioned her off behind an electric fenced area so that she got use to the Mares with their Foals and Willow and Gypsy. As every year we let the battery on the electric loose its charge, eventually Breeze goes through the fence and joins the other Horse. This year she was the best that she had been. No running around it was just a nice herd,. It doesn’t seem to have lasted going by the minor injuries that Emmi and Gypsy have. We will section Breeze off behind an electric fenced area again tomorrow. Hopefully it will calm he down.

We cant take the chance with the Foals if there are arguments between the Horses. I should think that it is Emmi that Breeze disapproves of. When Willow and Gypsy play with the Foals they naturally will get close to the Mares, Breeze will then try to keep them away from Emmi and that is when the running around and kicking starts. Mind you I could well be wrong and it is not Breeze. Though the Horse field is calm tonight.

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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. Nearly out of photographs.

I was driving down through Burrington Coombe l and came across these goats. Julia.

This is my first capture of the infamous Buzzard! I shall be shimmying up the lamp post next week LOL. Karen.

Young ducklings on the lake, they were so cute. Elsie.

Spring in the Gardens. Rufford Country Park. Judy.

Shetland ponies on the Shetland islands. Lindsay.

The Goose with the three Goslings managed to survive the night. Mrs Goose had the good sense to return to the island. Just in case I electric fenced at the end that the Fox came from to take the Gander, I also put a couple of gates at another place that the Fox would have an easy way to get to the Geese, but it still leaves many places for a Fox to get to them.

We don’t normally feed the Geese when they are on the Lake, but yesterday afternoon we gave the Goose and Goslings bread. The Goose had obviously been fed before by people, as she came straight over for it. We will do all we can to keep them alive but I really do think that the Goslings have only a little chance. The other pair of Geese flew in this morning. They will nest if they can get on the island but I fear they will finish up the same way. I am very tempted to chase them off of the Lake and hope that they will find another place to nest.

We let Emmi, Sox and Lady out into the main Horse field of a day and Breeze and Arnie of a night. If we put all the Horses in together, Breeze will cause problems being the herd leader, she will try to herd them up causing a few kicking session, so as last year we are going to electric fence off an area for Breeze so that she gets use to the other Horses. It will help to stop any major problems when we let the Horses run together. As soon as we let Breeze in to the Horse field, Ewy make her way to be with her. Ewy has been on her own, mainly in the Horse field for the whole of the Winter.

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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.

I SAID THAT APRIL NEEDED SOME FRIENDS !!! THE FOUR TINY BABIES ARRIVED IN A NEST THAT WE THINK SOMEONE HAD REMOVED FROM A LOFT. THEY ARE VERY SMALL BUT ARE DOING QUITE WELL.

Levant near St Just in Cornwall owned by the National Trust, has a working steam engine. CH.

These little cuties are in the field opposite my house and they have been keeping us amused for most of the week. They have mad half hours when they run around the field chasing and jumping up and down as thought they are on springs.

Parrots at Birdworld. Bec.

Compos house from Last of The Summer Wine. Karen.

For those of you who have asked, Ewy is still about. I do show her now and then on the webcam in the Horse field. She has been in the field for most of the Winter, only going into the woods and valley now and then, very rarely coming near to the field gate. We were only talking about her last night, we reckon it could well be because of when the Sheep were chased last year by a Riders Dog who passed through the Farm. Since Breeze and Arnie have been in the small paddock opposite the Horse field, she has got a little braver. If we left the Horses out of a night I am sure she would join Breeze in the paddock, but of a daytime she only has to see a human or the Dogs and she is gone like a bat out of hell. The grass has started to grow and If we get a bit of warmth in the ground the grass should have it away, so that we can turn the Horses out into the Horse field on the 1st of May. Ewy will no doubt then hang out with Breeze.

I have just had a few words with the Manager of the Stud that Emmi went to, when she was mated with a Stallion. Emmi and Sox arrived back to Denbury late in the evening, last Friday. We really didn’t look to closely at her until on the Saturday I noticed that Emmi was a little lame. On checking her over we notice that she had six kick hoof marks on her. Four on her nearside rear leg, one on her nearside rear quarter and another on her offside shoulder. It was the kicks to her leg that were making her lame. It will heal itself within a few days.

I had warned the Manager of the Stud before Emmi went that although I had not had any experiences of Emmi being a madam, I thought that with strange Horses she may well throw out a kick. It seems that the Manager did not heed my words, for she most definitely had been kicked, being her or other Horses starting it it doesn’t matter. The Manager of the Stud wasn’t best pleased with me telling him, mostly he denied it, tough for him. Mares with Foals are protective. How many Mares and Foals were together in their paddocks together, I guess I will never know. When Horses have a kicking session with Foals at foot, they tend to get very close to the Foals, thinking that they are protecting them, but of course it puts the Foals in danger. One good kick and a Foal could be severely injured or killed. I wont be using that Stud again.

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There are four new photographs that have been put on…

There are four new photographs that have been put on today. Sorry they are a bit all over the page, but it takes to long to change them over so that they are new from the top. I will get it changed in the New Year.

I enlarged this photo of the Seagulls on a branch, and framed it as I thought it was so funny. Elsie

There are two photographs of Robins, that were sent by Julia, her description is on last night Diary.

Hello Mr Farmer, I hope you get the photo I am trying to send you, it’s one my sister-in-law emailed to me of the puppy we are going to have, she’s a King Charles Cavalier Spaniel and this photo was taken last week when she was 2 weeks old, we’re going to call her Blossom, my granddaughter would love a puppy but she hasn’t a clue that we’re getting one. Alex

Once I have written today’s Diary I will put today completely out of my mind. It started at midnight last night, Kye when she went out before we tuned in, decided she was going on walk abouts, Tass returning on her own. For nearly an hour I looked for Kye with Tass by my side, hoping that she would come to us once she heard me with Tass. In the end I was not prepared to look any longer, turning in at well gone 1.am. At 5.am Kye decided that she wanted to come in. Both Tass and Kye are able to open the Farm House door by jumping up at the handle and pulling it down whilst pushing on the door. Being locked the door would not open as normal so she kept on jumping up at the handle, making it rattle, with the rattle and scrapping that her claws made on the door, even in our Farm House with the thick walls and heavy doors she soon managed to woke us up. Where she had been for over four hours we will never know except at 1.am Jan made an entry on the forum that she had seen her near the Badger Sett on Camera one. For sure that was not the only place she had been, as her legs were covered in mud. Believe me I am not to impressed with Kye.

And it got worse. As Emmi and Gypsy are stabled in the row of stables that Breeze and Arnie’s are normally stabled, we are using the row of stables where Lady goes temporarily for Breeze and Arnie. The usual procedure in the mornings is to open the field gate and the Horses make their own way to their stables. Our Holiday Guests and Friends who have never seen them make their own way in, are amazed when they witness it. It is not such a big deal, they are going in for a feed, for sure they will make sure that they will get to their feed before any other of the other Horses. With Arnie and Breeze going to different stables, we need to bring them in on head collars. An easy procedure normally, not this morning. Lady and Willow were going to their normal stable, they didn’t need head collars and off they went. As I was putting Arnie’s on, Breeze decided she wasn’t going to wait, barging past me, knocking me over before I had Arnie’s head collar on, and off he went.

When I got to the gate where all of the Horses were waiting, Gypsy was with them, the gate on the corral was open. That caused more of a rumpus, and off they all went again, except Gypsy who didn’t know what way to go. Fortunately she went back to her stable with out a lot of fuss. As some of you saw on the webcams the rest finished up the Valley, after first running all over the Holiday Cottages lawn and around the lake area where the Sheep had been kept. Four Horses running over the two areas have made the lawns look like the Aintree Racecourse after the Grand National, on a filthy wet day. There are hoof impression all over the areas, up to 5 inches deep, skid marks and divots.

I followed the Horses down the Valley hoping to get a head collar on one of them,. As soon as I got near one of them Breeze had it on her toes again, taking all the other Horses with her, all the way down to the other end of the valley into the next field, out of sight. I went and got the Quad Bike to follow them. When i got back to the beginning of the Valley they were starting to make their way back. As I got near Breeze she decided to have it away again. This time I was able to get behind on the Quad and chased her back to the yard, knowing the other Horses would follow. I put them back into the field, so they missed this mornings feed. Breeze is not in my good book either.

And there was more. Last night I put the Telescope on. When I got back to the Farm House I had no remote access through the computers. In the end I gave up and turned it off. This morning I still had the same problem. Got no idea what the problem is. I am going to phone the Manufacturers in the USA later tonight. If they cannot tell me what the trouble is, the Telescope will need to go back to the suppliers.

And more. I went to collect my emails after I had finished chasing after Horses around. The server went crazy and I finished up with over 700 emails that I had previously had. An hour wasted checking and deleting them. So today never happened.

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Alex asked if we have found out if Lady is…

Alex asked if we have found out if Lady is in foal. To be honest we have been so busy after the flood, we have not had time to get the Veterinary in to scan her. We have not seen Lady come in to season since she was covered. That would be a good sign that she is in foal. Even more so with Branston being able to be close to Lady’s stable. If Lady did come into season we would soon know with Branston being a Colt, by the way he acted. Woody although ill, has come into season a couple of times since Lady has been back from being covered. Branston let us know then. I will try to get the Veterinary in next week to make sure that if she is in foal she is not carrying twins, that you wouldn’t want in a thoroughbred.

The other reason I need the Veterinary to come in, is that I need him to look at Breeze, as we have not seen her come into season this year. I am concerned that she maybe in foal. If she is it will not be good news, as there is a chance that she was covered by one of the Colts last year. I was not told about it until a couple of months ago. By the time I was told it was to late to do anything about it. By all accounts the Colts got out, and were seen with Breeze last November. I am hoping that she had finished cycling by then. But if my memory serves me right it was quite warm then. Mares will stay in season longer if t is warm. I would like to see Breeze have a foal, but having one in October, for that is when she would have it, would not be a very good time. Breeze and any foal would be stabled through the winter. Not a good start for a foal. The foal would be getting on for six month old, before it it was running about in the fields with Breeze.

With thoroughbred Horses like Lady and Woody, the ideal time to have a foal would be February to March time. There is a chance that the weather would be kind, so that the mare and foal could get out in a field for part of the day. and the spring grass would be starting to grow. Some breeders try to get their mares to foal in early January, so that they have a full year for the foals to grow before becoming yearlings. Get it wrong, and the mare foals late December, you are in all sorts of trouble, for as soon as January the first comes, on that days the days old foal becomes a yearling. The foal then grows being out of its age for racing. The Manager of the Stud where Lady was covered, made a visit to Denbury yesterday, and told us of an occurrence that happened this year. The mare in question was the highest priced mare sold last year. In foal to a top stallion. It sold for over

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Sorry that the Denbury Farm Web cams have been on…

Sorry that the Denbury Farm Web cams have been on and off today. We are just finishing off tidying the system up, to make some workspace available in the kitchen.

There are five Swallow chicks in the nest. With that many mouths to feed, with this wet weather it could be that the chicks are not having all of the feed that they need. I should think that was the main reason that the chicks in the first nest that we showed, did not survive. The weather is still not looking good and there will be little for the Adults to catch on the wing.

I caught sight of the Ducklings today, they were swimming in between the reeds so I was unable to count how many there were.

This weather is making more work on the farm than we normally do in the summer. Most of the time the Horses are out in the field during the summer. With the weather as it is, it is not fair to leave them out in continuous rain, when they are use to being stabled. For the past two night we have let Bliss and Misty come in for shelter. We let the Horses bring themselves in at feed time. The two fillies could not believe their luck following all the other Horses in. But when they are in we have to muck out the stable. The flood went into all of the stables, that made it necessary to clear the whole lot of the bedding out of every one.

We have still got Breeze fenced off on her own, as we really do not trust her not to be bossy with the other Horses. One of the other Horses has knocking down the electric fence. I didn’t realise that there was a bad on connection on the fencer. Bliss , Misty and Willow have been walking across the wire when it is on the ground, and going in with Breeze. Breeze although the fence is down will not cross the wire, she has probably had a little sting from a fencer in the past. The youngsters, although they have had a little sting have not experienced electric fencer for very long and forget about the consequences of touching the wire. When the youngsters are in with Breeze she is really good with them, but I know she will start her old tricks if I let her in with all the Horses. Lady and Woody will not go any where near an electric fence.

Woody is still loosing a lot of weight. She did look as if she was putting a little weight on, but it was only for a week or so. Although she looks unwell, she is not in any pain. The idea was to let her have a nice summer before we made a final decisions. Having a nice bit of heat on her back would have made her feel a lot better, it is not working out like that with this continuous rain.

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Rye Harbour seabirds update the general survival of the chicks…

Rye Harbour seabirds update – the general survival of the chicks has been good, but the main Black-headed Gull on the webcam has lost a couple of chicks, but that means more for the survivor. The Gull feeds by regurgitating food (insects, worms or fish… and sometimes chips!) whereas the Terns bring in a single whole fish and it’s first come first served, so there is often much begging, even before the parent Tern lands. The Tern chicks have white bellies, but the Gull chicks are shades of brown all over. Barry, Rye Harbour.

Rye Harbour is making the News on the BBC website in Sussex. Congratulation to them all for all the hard work. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6227956.stm

Letting Breeze run with the rest of the Horses today didn’t work. We left the Electric fenced off area, open so that she would find her own way out, hopefully in a calm way. At first it was, we initially believed that what had worked last year was going to happen this time. She had a little buck and calmly walked towards Woody who was laying down, When Woody got up Breeze decided that she was going to show who was the boss. Woody started to walk towards the other horses, that had congregated at the field gate, to get out of the way of Breeze. Breeze didn’t want her near them and put herself between Woody and the other Horses. As she got near Misty, she kicked her, luckily it on just caught her lightly, and no damage was done. By this time Woody had walked away to the far end of the field and laid down. Breeze went partly towards her and then galloped back to the gate area at full speed, having to dig her hind legs into the ground to stop herself from hitting the gate. Bliss was the nearest to her when she stopped and was lunged at and bitten on her side.

Breeze had to be got out of the field before she hurt one of the other Horses. That was not as easy as it sounds. Breeze had no intention of being caught, it was decided to let Arnie , Lady and Willow out as if it was feeding time. Breeze fell for that and followed them in. I really cant make it out why she is acting as she is. It is her herd, but there is not any threat to her. It could be that she see Woody as a threat because she is so close to Lady. We will see what happens when Woody is not in the field. Breeze is now back behind the Electric fence off area, and will have to stay there until the hay has been made and Woody, Bliss and Willow can be in a field on their own.

At feeding time Woody was at the far end of the field laying down. Normally she would be at the gate waiting to come in, or if she was laying down, calling her would get her up and to the gate. Tonight I had to go a fetch her, when I got up to her she was flat out, it needed a great effort for her to get up. When it was time to put the Horses back in the field, she was again flat out in the stable and had not eaten her feed. We have given her pain killers and she will be stabled overnight.

I have been checking for the Rats. Touch wood I have not seen ay feeding on the ground tonight. I had not watched the Bird feeders so I am unsure if any are feeding on them. I have seen the Voles darting about. I dont really want to kill them so I may move the cage with the poison in tomorrow,

The SWT webcams are down tonight. I know that they would not want the web cams to be off and I would think that it the cause is something out of their control.

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We were going to name the Filly today with one…

We were going to name the Filly today, with one of the names that some of you liked. We cannot remember without going back on the forum, what the majority wanted. We liked both of the names, they were Whisper or Willow. Let us know what you think. To Lady’s annoyance she is becoming a little independent, very often wandering off with Bliss and Misty. When Lady calls for her, she now sometime doesn’t hear or pretends not to. Misty and Bliss get the blame, with Lady pacing over to them, with her ears back in a threatening posture.

As I am writing I can hear the Magpies intimidating the other birds. How they get away with darting in and out to take the Badgers feed, I cant imagine. A couple of times I thought that one of the Badgers may have hurt one of them. It is surprising how fast the reactions of Badgers are, and also how fast they cover the ground when they are on the move. The shape and size of them gives the impression that they are slow and awkward. Far from it, they can outrun me, and they can keep going at a constant pace for miles.

Over the past week or more there have been two or three Herons on the lake every day, after the fish. I have made you aware of my feeling for the Herons. I don’t want them here. That is why you may see me scanning the lake with the camera, from time to time over the day. As well as seeing what there is on the lake, it is also to look for Herons. From the house to the lake it is about a 150m. Believe me, when I see one on the lake I don’t hang about to get there to frighten them off. I don’t suppose that I see many of them.

Breeze is really getting the hump being behind the electric fencer on her own. We have had Breeze longer than any of the Horses, so she is a bit special to us, and we do feel guilty having to do it to her. We know that there is no alternative, but it doesn’t help. When we give the Horses a little feed in the morning and of a night we put Arnie in with her. I shouldn’t think that it helps a lot, probably it make it worse, as he is only in with her for an hour at most. Tomorrow we will get Breeze in with Arnie for a few hours. More than likely she will go out for a ride.

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When I turned the camera onto the single Swallow chick…

When I turned the camera onto the single Swallow chick this morning, it had gone. I was surprised that it had survived for as long as it did with the way it perched itself on the side of its nest. I dreaded looking at the nest when I came down in the morning. Last evening it was fluttering its wings and I thought then that it was going to fall out of the nest. It looks as if some thing had got it, either after the chick had fallen out of the nest, or it may have been taken by a Magpie, as at the entrance of the barn, there were feathers of what looked like the Swallow chicks, and it has not returned to the nest tonight, if it had of fledged.

The Magpies that you see stealing the Badgers feed have nested nearby. For the past few days we have seen their four fledglings sitting in a row on a fence, within sight of our kitchen window, the parents going to and fro with feed for them, no doubt from other birds nests, that they have raided for the eggs or chicks. They are not the sort of neighbours that you would want living next to you. There should be given an ASBO. If I had a shot gun, I just might have.

It is nice to have Lady and the Foal back. Although we had the problem of how we turn them out. I kept them in last night after their journey from the stud. And we have been keeping Woody in of a night. With the weather as it is all the Horses need to be out, even Woody, as the grass is better for her to eat rather than the hay. We turned Lady and the Foal out with Woody this morning, leaving Arnie and Breeze in for the day. Bliss and Misty came hurtling over to greet them, but just a little over the top. Woody got in between the two youngsters and Lady and the Foal to give them protection against the boisterous pair. This is the first time that Woody has done this, before Lady and the Foal went to the stud Woody kept her distance. We are not getting to excited, but Woody has seemed a lot better over the past couple of days. It maybe our eyes, but she maybe putting on a little weight, contrary to what I said a couple of days ago.

This evening we had to make the decision of how we were going to turn all the Horses out tonight. Until the hay is cut we only use one field for turning the Horse out. Until I am sure that Breeze will not hassle and chase Lady and the Foal, they have to be parted. Breeze really is a kind Horse until a new Horse enters her herd. Then she is a pain by chasing and herding. Lady has to protect her Foal. When Breeze gets to close to the Foal, Lady turns her back to Breeze as a warning, of course Breeze being the herd leader turns her back into Lady, with the intention of putting Lady in her place, and will if Lady keeps the threat up, kick out. That is when the Foal is liable to get hurt.

What we have done to separate them, is to electric fence a section of the field off. To Breezes disgust, she is the one who is in the sectioned off part. She ain’t to happy about it. Once she gets use to the Foal, that may take a week or two, she will have to stay there.

Bliss and Misty were to young to remember what the electric fence is. Whilst we were putting it up, they were running into it for fun, playing with the wire by putting their noses and mouth on to it. Not a very good thing to be doing, it would cause a problem if they knocked it down, allowing Breeze to get out. Once the electric fencer was turned on they both touched it again. After a couple of shocks they don’t go back. But it really is only a small shock, that gives them a little fright, rather than hurt them. I know, I have forgotten many times to turn the electric fencer off, before touching it.