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Hi Everyone Vicky here some of you may have noticed…

Hi Everyone Vicky here, some of you may have noticed that there is now only one black swan on the lake. On sunday evening we sat outside the cottage and suddenly saw a black swan flying over head and circling the lake. The swan took off and landed three times each time landing back on the lake, about 9.30 that evening and the swans were both there. When Mr farmer went to feed the swans on Monday morning one of the swans was missing we presume that she flew off at first light that morning. The remaining swan is looking rather lonely and sorry for himself but mr farmer is working on finding him a companion.
When i was here at Denbury in April two Emus hatched and they were named Easter and Friday they are both doing very well and are rather lively.
Some of you may know that i was hoping for a photo of the kingfisher here at Denbury, this afternoon i stood at the cottage door and i saw him in the tree at the side of the little stream which runs beside the cottages, i grabbed my camera and went down the that lake but unfortunatley he had gone, i was too late.

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We have an old Cider Orchard at Denbury I suppose…

We have an old Cider Orchard at Denbury. I suppose you could count the number of trees in the orchard on two hands. The trees are old. In the 18 years we have been at Denbury we have done nothing to them, They need a lot of pruning but they always produce a great amount of apples.

Until about three to four years ago the orchard was the home of our Wild Boar we kept until they started to dig their escape under the fencing. An orchard is a great home for Pigs and Wild Boar who keep them tidy with their rooting and eating the surplus apples. We only ever used a few of the apples for ourselves and the Horses. Last year we were able to crush some and feed to the Emu. The Badgers make a meal of the windfalls but there are still a great amount that are left to rot on the ground.

Unfortunately once the Wild Boar had learnt how to get out of the orchard there was no way of keeping them in. They rooted up our pastures and on a few occasions they made their way to the Village, that didn’t go down very well with one of our neighbours who’s garden they rooted up. The rooting wasn’t that bad, just a very newly dug area that had been just planted. None of the plants were damaged until our neighbour decided to throw a wobbly and picked one of the plants up and threw it on the ground protesting that it was ruined. I couldn’t resist telling them it was now. So the Wild Boar had to go. Contrary to what you may hear about Wild Boar they are no more dangerous than any other type of pig. I found them more placid than other pigs and we found them a pleasure to keep.

The Orchard without the Wild Boar is now overgrown with weeds and looks an eyesore so I have decided to use the Orchard for what it was intended and make cider. Better still being that October is not one of our busier months we are going to offer cider making holidays. Watch out Diane, Vicky, John and David, and of course Margaret and Marie, regulars to Denbury I have some work for you. Mind you drinking all you can and taking a gallon or more home with you will make it worth while.

We have a small Barn that will be ideal for the Cider making and I have purchased an Antique Cider Press. Trouble is it is in France. Takes some believing that I have to drive to France to purchase a Cider Press when we live in Somerset
the home of Cider. The Press I have purchased is a lot nicer than the traditional Somerset Presses and will fit well into our Barn. Those I have seen locally, and believe me they are very hard to find are being sold for stupid money. In the main they are very big and in very poor condition. They will need to be kept outside because of their size. Not a good idea to be making Cider in the Autumn outside. Today I had four very large wooden Brandy barrels delivered for storing the Cider when made. That of course if there is any left to store.

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We have an old Cider Orchard at Denbury I suppose…

We have an old Cider Orchard at Denbury. I suppose you could count the number of trees in the orchard on two hands. The trees are old. In the 18 years we have been at Denbury we have done nothing to them, but they always produce a great amount of apples.

Until about three or four years ago the orchard was the home of the Wild Boar we kept until they started to dig their escape under the fencing. An orchard is a great home for Pigs and Wild Boar who keep them tidy with their rooting and eating the surplus apples. We only ever used a few of for ourselves and the Horses. Last year we were able to crush some and feed them to the Emu. The Badgers make a meal of the windfalls but there are still a great amount that are left to rot on the ground.

Unfortunately once the Wild Boar had learnt how to get out of the orchard there was no way of keeping them in. They rooted up our pastures and on a few occasions they made their way to the Village, that didn’t go down very well with one of our neighbours who’s garden they rooted up. The rooting wasn’t that bad, just a very newly dug area that had been just planted. None of the plants were damaged until our neighbour decided to throw a wobbly and picked one of the plants up and threw it on the ground protesting that it was ruined. I couldn’t resist telling them it was now. So the Wild Boar had to go. Contrary to what you may hear about Wild Boar they are no more dangerous than any other type of pig. I found them more placid than other pigs and we found them a pleasure to keep.

The Orchard without the Wild Boar is now overgrown with weeds and looks an eyesore so I have decided to use the Orchard for what it was intended and make cider. Better still being that October is not one of our busier months we are going to offer cider making holidays. Watch out Diane, Vicky, John and David, and of course Margaret and Marie, regulars to Denbury I have some work for you. Mind you drinking all you can and taking a gallon or more home with you will make it worth while.

We have a small Barn that will be ideal for the Cider making and I have purchased an Antique Cider Press. Trouble is it is in France. Takes some believing that I have to drive to France to purchase a Cider Press when we live in Somerset
the home of Cider. The Press I have purchased is a lot nicer than the traditional Somerset Presses and will fit well into our Barn. Those I have seen locally and they are very hard to find are being sold for stupid money. In the main they are very big and in very poor condition. They will need to be kept outside because of their size. Not a good idea to be making Cider in the Autumn outside. Today I had four very large wooden Brandy barrels delivered for storing the Cider when made. That of course if there is any left to store.

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Hi Everyone Vicky here again Can anyone remember Mr Farmer…

Hi Everyone Vicky here again.

Can anyone remember Mr Farmer mentioning on the diary that he had a power cut when Julia and Chris were holidaying here at Denbury in February? He thought that he had lost all the fertile Emu eggs that were in the incubator at the time. On the 1st of April one of the eggs hatched to Mr Farmers delight, and we have been looking after the baby Emu, as he/she is the only Emu that has hatched so far he/she was lonley so i bought a teddy bear and he/she now cuddles upto it to sleep. Mr Farmer has named the Emu “Friday” as he/she hatched the day before Good Friday. We don’t know what sex Friday is the only way to tell is by having a blood test. I have put some photos of Friday on my Flickr.

Thornton and his friend

Thank you all for your lovely comments about the diaries i have written while here at Denbury, this will be the last diary while i’m at Denbury this time as i’m off home tomorrow.

Take care all and HAPPY EASTER!!!

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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.

Lake Placid New York, wouldn’t it be nice to have a cottage like that, OK if you have 3 million dollars BETTY CANADA

Lake Placid New York BETTY CANADA

Lake Placid New York BETTY CANADA

Hand Made flower quilt at Shelburne museum, Burlington Vermont. BETTY CANADA

We have been wanting to do a Barn Owl release at Denbury since our first relationship with the Barn Owl Trust three years ago. The release shows another part of what the Trust does for the welfare of the Barn Owls. We didn’t think that it was going to happen this year, with the good weather that we had a the beginning of the Summer no Owlets that had fallen from their nest had been found and handed to the Trust. Then we had the wet spell and a number of orphaned Owlet were found and handed in to the Trust.

In the majority of cases the Owls are released in the areas that they are found. Of course this is not always possible and release sites have to be found. This year a pair are being released at Denbury.

In the seventeen years we have been at the Farm we have never seen a Barn Owl so Denbury is a good location. We have allowed a number of areas close to the Farm Yard to grow rough. The Badger Field being one where the Mobile Aviary is sited. The rough grass allows Mice, Voles and Rats to breed so there is a plentiful source of food in the Badger Field for the Barn Owls. There is another Field within a couple of hundred metres that is rough parkland and various other places very close by.

The mobile aviary is positioned close to the highest place in the Badger Field so that the Barn Owls are able to get the best possible panoramic views of the surrounding fields, farmland and buildings. They will be kept in the mobile aviary for about two weeks so that they are able to get use to the area and noises. In that two weeks we will be feed and water the Owls. The feed we put in last night had been eaten by this morning so they had found the food. After about two weeks the roof will be raised to allow the Owls freedom. They should return to the Aviary for a short period before taking the final journey to freedom. We would like to think that the Barn Owls will choose Denbury as their home. The chance of that is very remote, but the release will hopefully allow us to see Barn Owls over the coming years.

I have fitted an infra-red lamp in the area of the aviary, as long as it is working you should see the Owls on the perches in the aviary. I will put it on after the Badgers have eaten.

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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.

Kingfisher that landed on one of our guests fishing rod at Denbury last week. It happened with another of our guests today.

Cardinal in Edwards Gardens – Rosie’s Mum

Niagara Falls = Rosie’s Mum

Tunnel which goes underground to the edge of the Falls – Rosie’s Mum

Albino Peacock – Rosie’s Mum

Thank you all those checking the adds.

I am not a fisherman, as much because I don’t particularly enjoy it and I don’t like to think of the Fish being caught with a hook in its mouth. That by the way it is the biggest participation sport in this country. It is second to people coming on Holiday at Denbury for the Wildlife, so we are fortunate to be able to offer fishing Holidays at Denbury. Most of all those Fishing here seem to have been wildlife enthusiasts.

We made the Lake and Large Pond over ten years ago to encourage the Wildlife. For that it has been very successful. Stocking the Lakes with Fish was secondary. We only spent a very small amount of money on the stocking the Lakes, mostly very small Fish. There seemed to be very little point in having a Lake with no Fish. Fish were needed for the Kingfisher and Grebes that now visit our waters.

The intention when we put the Lake and Pond in was for them to be filled by the Stream that runs by the side of the Lake, but after they were dug out the holes filled within ten days from underground springs. That is a very large amount of water. The Lake is about an acre and the Pond about half the size. The Lakes being Spring fed rather than by the Stream allows the Fish to grow to their full potential, rather than by the size of the Lake. After ten years the Fish are very large. Last year a Carp of 22lb was fish from the Lake and one of a larger size was seen in the Pond.

I will tell you a little more about the Lakes and fishing and the experiences that a few of those fishing in the past two weeks have had tomorrow.

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font color red One of computers crashed today so we…

One of computers crashed today, so we are working on it to try to get it going. Only Denbury Farm Cam 1 and 3 are working. Denbury Farm Cam 2 may be off for a few days.

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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.

Daffs at Denbury. Vicky

Front of the lime kiln. David

View fron inside the lime kiln David

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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.

The Towers Cleveleys, large gardens of a mansion long gone, that has been turned into a secret haven for locals to enjoy. As a bonus it is just a minutes walk away from us, so armed with a packed lunch is a great place to spend an hour or two. Pam, Cleveleys.

Although it looks as if we are in for a cold spell for part of this week, spring is well on its way at Denbury.

On a walk around the Lake this afternoon I could see that the Flag Iris’s and Marsh Marigold are starting to show them selves above the ground and a few of the Tree are starting to bud. We are also seeing some rough grass starting to show through. The way that that a pair of Blackbirds are darting about instead of waiting around the animal feed bins I am sure that a pair of Blackbirds are building a nest. I will try to see where it is. If I am right and find it I will put a camera up.

Well Ladies and Gentlemen it is about time I told you about the so called Otter that you have been seeing. We do have Otters at Denbury as Karen and some of you saw in the Valley last year. But they are not Otters coming to feed at the Badgers feeding area. They are are or were rats. I have poisoned two areas to get rid of them and by the amount that I have seen over the past few nights most have gone.

Otters are much larger than what some have believed you have seen. The Otter in the Valley last year was very big. A rough guide to the size would be a large Cat plus the strong tail. With the amount of water around Denbury the Otters would be hunting Eels and Fish. If for any reason they were to be about the Badgers feeding area, they would have made a meal of the rats, as would Stoats and Weasels that we also see at Denbury quite often.

There are still a few rats about. I will need to find their holes in the bank that the Badgers Sett is in, to put the bait in. We have been baiting the areas for a long time, probably over a month if not more. We changed the bait we used from a product called Slaymore (just in case any of you have a vermin problem) to our normally excellent Farm Supplies own brand. Although the two bait was based around the same grain the rats would not take it. As soon as we changed back to Slaymore the bait started to be taken. For sure the rats had been to the bait as we put a plastic petrol can with holes at either end, this we put inside a cage. This is to stop Birds from getting to eat the bait. The rats ate half of the can and left the bait.

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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.

FLOOD PHOTOS FROM TAUNTON AREA.

RIVER TONE IN FLOOD AT BURROW BRIDGE. JOHN AND MARIE.

THIS ROAD IS NOW A RIVER. JOHN AND MARIE.

THIS WAS A FIELD NOW A LAKE. JOHN AND MARIE.

THIS IS WHERE THE RIVER TONE AND THE PARROT MERGE BURROW MUMP IS IN THE BACKGROUND. JOHN AND MARIE.

Here’s a pic of our unexpected snowfall.The bird and squirrel dishes are somewhere under there …you may be able to see their footprints! I managed to shovel them out and fill them…only one missing, but it will appear when it all melts. Marie/NJ.

At Denbury as John and Marie we have had quite bad floods at the end of our drive. Also we still have a lot of snow that has not melted.

There was a Little Egret on the Lake this morning. When I changed the cameras over at about 7.45am he was on the waters edge. I wasn’t that concerned that it would have had one of our Fish for breakfast as in the weather most of the Fish will be at the bottom of the Lake, and I reckon that he must have been resigned to that itself in the way that it looked so uninterested in Fishing. Little Egrets tend to be a little more selective in the size of Fish that they take, unlike the Heron that will stab at anything that move even though the Fish will to large to eat, causing damage or death to the Fish. It stayed for about three quarters of an hour before flying off, probably to a shallow ornamental Fish Pond in someones Garden. Today’s visit by the Little Egret was only the second time that I have seen one on the Lake, the last being five to six years ago in the Spring. I was driving back to the Farm House along our drive when I noticed one Fishing from the Island, on stopping to watch it I saw two Heron next to each other. One of the Herons was a lot larger than the other that made me think, maybe wrongly that the parent was feeding the youngster or teaching it to Fish. I didn’t wait to find out, a clap of my hands soon had them flying off.

Nice to see your input on the Forum Taffy. What I have written is not meant as a rebuff to yours or Lindsay’s Forum inputs. Denbury is surrounded by many hundreds if not thousands of Trees, so what I have written is not sentiment’s for a couple of Trees in a back garden. Ivy is a food source for Birds, it is also eaten by Deer, Sheep and Cows etc, and is used as a Roost in the Winter by Bats and Birds. It is also believed to have healing properties for Animals. So Ivy can be an important plant for many reasons. Unfortunately it is the cause of the majority of fallen Trees in our Woods at Denbury and others Trees where Ivy may grow. Live and Healthy Trees also supply food for Birds and Wildlife. Ivy not only causes Trees to fall, it will also take more water from the ground than the Trees, stopping the Trees growth, at times causing Trees to die. At Denbury the Bats use the Quarries for their Winter Roosts. Trees are no less important than any other living form. In fact Trees more so for a lot of reasons. Why should we let Trees that could be many hundred of years, or any age to die through being overwhelmed with Ivy. I will do no less to protect the Trees at Denbury than I do for Birds, Bats and all other Wildlife. If that means removing the Ivy to stop the Trees from being over burdened and top heavy, that makes them easier to be blown over, or make the heavy weight that snow settling on the Ivy, that causes them to snap or fall over and die, I will do so. Mind you there is so many Trees over burdened with Ivy in the Woods, it will take a couple of life times to remove it all.