We have managed to get the new tower for the main Badger camera up today. I thought that it was going to be a little smaller than the telegraph pole that is currently being used. To my surprise it is the same size of 8 metres. We have got to get a bracket to attach the camera to the tower. That will add another metre to the overall height of the camera. I don’t know if it will make any difference to what we are able to see, but it may make it possible to see the Buzzards flying. I have a more powerful zoom camera, I am not sure if I should put that on the new tower, or use it in another location. The telegraph pole we are now using does cause the camera to have a blind spot, the new tower should nearly eliminate that. The new tower has a winch to raise and lower it, so that we can work on it from the ground instead of me having to find some one who will climb the telegraph pole.
I have an idea of how I can use the old telegraph pole that we are taking down. Seeing how the tower raises and lowers I may try to get a bracket made so that I can raise the telegraph pole the same way, If it works I will put a different camera down the valley, the same type that we normally use. It will give a much better picture, as most of the other cameras. It will mean using more IR lamps, but it could well be worth it.
Since we sold our Cattle about eight years ago we haven’t bothered about having gates through the farm. With Cattle you need to alternate the grazing of the fields. Once the grass from one field has been eaten off, you move the cattle to another field allowing the grass to regrow, so the fields had to have gates. We had about thirty Charolais Breeding Cattle, if we had allowed them the run of the farm we would have soon run out of grass. The problem without gates, even if you do not have a lot of stock, is that if you have any animals that get out of where they are meant to be, as we sometimes do, you are unable to reduce the size of the area that they can run back and forward in, making it difficult to catch them. With gates you can contain them from field to field. Today we decided that we should re gate through the farm. We have have had to dig the holes for the new gateposts, as the old wooden posts had partially rotted away and needed renewing. Only six new post were needed, so it was not worth getting a contractor in to knock the posts in with a machine, so the hole were dug by hand. It wouldn’t be the easiest of jobs digging small holes about three feet deep. I made sure that I had something else to do when my Lads were doing the digging. Most of the work was done today and the new gates should be fitted on Monday.
The young Buzzard has been flying above the farm for the past couple of days, squawking non stop and looking for its parents. Once I saw an adult Buzzard that seemed to be chasing the youngster away. It must have been its parent. Again it is the first time that I have noticed this happening, although it must happen every year. Seeing the Buzzards on the webcams lets you see wildlife without them being disturbed, letting you see what you would normally not be able to see.