The wind is changing and blowing in new visitors. The solitary swallow has been waiting ten days and today the wind blew in his mate. Within minutes they were swooping through the woodshed checking out last year’s nest.
On the wind arrived the Pied Flycatcher
hoping his mate would not be far behind.
The willow warblers breezed in
Meanwhile Spot is holding it in
Bert is not impressed
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Red sky tonight
after snow this morning
and WE are ready for Spot’s babies:
However, she does not seem interested
in spite of having her nipples checked
outside a blackbird takes advantage of her rooting
The nuthatch
is feeding
and getting excited about having its babies
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Hail today
and the sheep breath hangs in the air
but the sun shines through
Spot is hanging low
and flexing her muscles
knowing that the sleep-with-the-pigs experience now has some internal cladding and reading lights
Seedlings brave the chill
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Woke to snow this morning, near
and slightly further away
Meanwhile, outside the window, the wagtails return
and start gathering nesting material
Pippin, who once had only one eye, is re-united with Floppy’s harem
and Shelia finds a titbit for his favourite hen
The lucky two out of twelve are settling down
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Following the UPS blood on the road carnage we found Cayuga eggs from a couple of sources and put two sets of six in the incubator. Twenty-eight days of turning and humidifying brought us to some difficult births
and after a period of uncertainty the result is two new ducklings
Will Spot do better? To see how many she can accommodate we have been counting her teats
which after spending weeks caked in mud are now, due to pastures new, gleaming and ready for action.
She thinks the best preparation is to have a little lie down
now that she knows her maternity quarters have a door to keep out the draughts
Bert also thinks a lie down is probably best
Meanwhile the field next door looks like a sheep skin rug sale
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Spot is off to her maternity quarters. Stick and carrot (or board and bucket)
she looks around
and is mainly impressed by the fact that mud has been replaced by grass
does she know her enthusiasm will reverse the process?
She looks inside her new house. We thought transferring her bedding would make her feel at home but this is all we could find
And now for today’s sheep and lambs:
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
A couple of days ago we had an unusual perspective on the plot
as we celebrated a birthday
with The Annual Walk Up The Hill.
As we rise on to rough pasture the bird life changes. Skylarks are everywhere
plus the flash of a redstart and maybe a hint of a cuckoo.
The lambs are not used to people up here
Other glimpses from the outing
It is very hard to have a decent bath when the soil is soggy but a couple of days of sun makes it possible to create a bit of dust. And when you have been in confined quarantine for so long it is particularly pleasurable
The new arrivals follow suit
Meanwhile, there are squatters in the Owl Box
they will have to be evicted
and a pair of Dunnocks flirt in the sycamore
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
As the near-full moon arches over Gribin Isaf tonight
we are surrounded by lambs and it is quite hard work. They seem to end up on the opposite side of a fence to their mother and have to be returned – plus, they keep asking to have their photo taken
The greenhouse is filling up with growing things
tonight the aubergines are out of the propagator for the first time so they need their night-caps
Spot is now on single digit count down
Bert keeps himself to himself
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
Spot is feeling heavy
And is a bit tetchy, making increasing demands of her maternity quarters. We had provided ventilation, but she demanded hatches in case the wind blew strong
We had provided automatic water but she had demanded mud protection
Other animals just get on with life
This drake, following the UPS carnage, had to take on top duck responsibilities. This includes checking peoples shoe-laces
Pethan eraill yn y tyddyn heddiw:
The lambs are getting bolder
and the moon is getting bigger
Gribin Isaf 