Category Archives: Wildlife

Thank You

Our thanks to everyone

Life under Lockdown

Has our life here changed under lockdown? To be honest, on a day-to-day basis, not that much.

We work from home, we have plenty of space to walk the dogs, and our families live a fair distance away, so we don’t get to see them that often under normal circumstances. Nonetheless, we have still ‘felt’ a restriction – the sense of not being able to go out, even for something trivial, just because we want to.

For others though, we understand that the adjustment has been huge and much more difficult to make, but we have heard so many stories about how creative people have been throughout this unprecedented period and how they have filled their time with new challenges and hobbies. We found it quite inspiring, in many ways.

Escape to the Garden

Lately, we have spent lots of time outdoors in the garden. We have recovered our polytunnel which was lost in a severe storm several years ago.

In early April, the polytunnel looked like this, with the hoops and refurbished rails.

Reconstructing the polytunnel: 05/04/20

And this is how it looks today. It’s amazing how quickly everything has grown and we are looking forward to a bumper harvest. We are already enjoying fresh herbs, spinach and rocket.

The polytunnel today: 24/05/20

We have also taken a keen interest in all the wildlife in our garden and have installed several bird boxes which were occupied in no time, especially this cute little caravan.

https://www.facebook.com/TrainingLines/videos/189481559014772/

Our thanks to key workers

Although we have been lucky enough not to call upon their services, we are truly grateful to NHS and care workers for what they are doing. Just knowing they are there has been hugely reassuring to us.

We would also like to thank all of the other unsung heroes that have kept us going over the past three months. The delivery drivers who continue to deliver stock to us. Royal Mail who have maintained regular postal collections without missing a beat so that we could get orders out the door to our customers. Plus a special mention to the shop workers who have kept us fed and the bin men who ensured we weren’t overrun with rubbish. The many others who work in difficult circumstances, too.

Going forward

How have your lives changed during this awful pandemic? Have you learned lessons that you will take forward, or will you just be glad when it’s all over?

Here are some excellent tips on how to ease your pets out of lockdown: AFTER THE LOCKDOWN: HELPING YOUR PET TO COPE WHEN NORMAL LIFE RESUMES

And how to ensure your dog is not spooked by humans wearing masks have a look at this short tutorial: Teach Your DOG to Accept Masks

Please stay safe, take care and look after each other.

Hatched

At least something has hatched

Every year our geese sit on a large number of eggs for months on end.  By the time they are finished their bright orange legs are pale from lack of sunlight.  In all these years, not once have they managed to hatch a gosling.  We do have a gander so it’s not as if the eggs aren’t not fertile.

This spring the goose that was rejected by our flock, set herself up in the nesting box in the duck shed.  This was extremely irritating as everytime a duck laid an egg, she would scoop it underneath her.  We much prefer to eat duck eggs to chicken eggs and we have quite a few customers at the farm gate who also enjoy our duck eggs.  For weeks we haven’t been able to get hold of any as she hisses if you try to approach.

It must be well past the 28 days incubation period by now, and since nothing has hatched and she has finally given up.  Unfortunately, the muscovy has now taken over and has a huge pile of duck eggs under her.  Who knows how much longer she will carry on.

In the meantime, we had a blackbird that built a lovely nest in the shed.  It was decorated with green moss and bits of fleece.  Sadly, she did so on top of an electrical socket so we had to move it, otherwise it may have caught alight.  We wasn’t sure if she would return to it in its new location, but she did and pretty soon it contained several small blue eggs.  Less than a fortnight later, we discovered 5 newly hatched chicks.  Within days, their eyes were open, as were their beaks, waiting for worms.  They grew huge very quickly and the nest couldn’t cope.  One fell out and when we tried to return it, all the others leapt out in fright!

We decided to leave them alone to sort themselves out and most days when we went in to milk the goats, one of the youngsters was hopping around with the mother close by.

Perhaps the geese could learn a thing or two from the blackbirds!