Downland Views

A Rubbish Post

2012-01-22T16:40:00.000Z

The life of a conservation volunteer is wonderfully varied. One week we may be moving sheep and ragworting, the next it could be moving ponies or cows and rubbish picking.

Last week it was rubbish picking. It seems that some of the chalk grassland sites we work on were once grand fly tipping areas. A lot of the larger rubbish is removed when a site is initially cleared and fenced, however, when the area is to be grazed, the remaining smaller bits of rubbish also need to be cleared and it is amazing how much of it there is.

After a quick sheep move our task was to rubbish pick an area at Hutchinsons Bank that will possibly be grazed by the project's two Dartmoor ponies in the Spring. It is strangely satisfying when one reviews the big load we removed from the site.

It is even more satisfying when one sees all the broken glass, barbed wire and other dangerous things we removed. I wonder how many wild animals may have suffered with injuries caused by this rubbish.

Most of our volunteer livestock work involves the conservation grazing sheep but another variation over the last couple of weeks has been tasks involving the Project's cows and ponies.

I am not very confident with cows as the only ones I have been involved with in the past were some rather dopey bullocks owned by my boss in a previous job. These big fellows would happily walk all over you rather than round you:) Animals are quick to pick up if one is nervous and the biggest give away is the way one breathes so I had to use the 'boring' technique (see 'Boring' post 18/9/11) to make sure I stayed calm while helping move the cattle. The first move was taking five of the Project's Sussex bullocks to the field next to Holly Lane car park at Chipstead. They were all very good which is just as well as they were sporting sharp little horns which on occasions seemed to be just a matter of inches from the Grazing Officer as he ushered them into the trailer.

The second move was taking the remaining three bullocks to Foxley Wood, Purley. This is a surprisingly lovely site, a little oasis, close to the infamous, car infested, Purley Cross and with views across to Riddlesdown.

Following the move to Foxley Wood there was just enough time to visit the farm where the Project is over-wintering twenty conservation grazing cows for the Corporation of London. Even though I am not a fan of cows I have to say these are a lovely group who seem friendly and inquisitive. One particularly caught my eye as she looks as if she has just had her top knot permed:)

My favourite stock move over the last couple of weeks has been the return of the ponies to my livestock checking area of Tatsfield. The sheep were moved up a field and the ponies have gone in at the bottom, conveniently next door to the farrier as they will soon need their hooves trimmed again. It is the first time they have grazed this field so after gobbling down some tasty grass they trotted round inspecting their new abode.

Then it was time to show off with a bit of bucking and galloping around just to inform any rivals or predators (being ponies they still think there may be wolves in Surrey:)) that they are tough guys.

Then they noticed the sheep staring at them from the adjoining field. Both ponies and sheep looked shocked and quite horrified at first but it didn't take them long before they were politely introducing themselves....

Lastly I wonder if other people are having trouble with their blog sites? I have had to change my 'comments' from embedded to pop-up as some people (including myself) couldn't access them. Also there are several of my favourite sites that I cannot access at all and others that I cannot access the comments on. Is it my computer or is it blogger or something else? Any ideas would be most welcome.

Where's Winter

2012-01-08T20:00:00.000Z

The first job of the New Year was to get over to Saltbox SSSI to dig up the Ragwort. Although Ragwort is the host plant for the Cinnabar Moth, it is, unfortunately, also very toxic to grazing animals and eventually the effects can kill them. Horses are particularly sensitive to the plant if eaten and for this reason one is obliged by Defra's Code of Practice, to remove it if there are grazing animals near by.

We thought we had cleared the Ragwort from Saltbox in the summer but, worryingly, not only are there plants still flowering and producing seed heads (each plant can produce 150,000 seeds!!) but there are new plants growing and beginning to send up new flower heads. They are in a sheltered part of the field so with the mild weather they have just kept growing. I dread to think what it will be like next Spring/Summer if we don't get some proper winter weather soon.

We took three bags over to collect the Ragwort we had dug up but after just an hour we had filled them all so will have to go back again this week. While digging up the Ragwort we found some lovely fungus...

...and also noticed that the Cuckoo Pint is shooting up.

It is so mild that I haven't really been able to do my new country boots justice which I had bought on the big side to accommodate thick socks to keep my feet warm this winter. When I first got them they seemed too lovely to use in the country (see pic below).

However it hasn't taken me long to christen them and they are now covered in mud after walking across the fields to do a livestock check of the Herdwicks that we had moved from Chapel Bank to Tatsfield last week.

When we arrive to do the livestock check, the sheep seemed very interested in something going on over the other side of the fence, but when I looked I couldn't see anything unusual. We moved them on to check that none were showing signs of lameness and then went off to check the fences. By the time we had finished they were back staring over the fence...

Very peculiar I thought...then, suddenly, a big lorry drove past very fast and the sheep all ran and I realised they had been looking at the traffic going past. Although they are used to the sound of traffic, I don't think they have been in a situation where they could really see the traffic but at the point in the field where they were looking it was quite a bit higher than the road and so gave them a birds-eye view of all the vehicles speeding along this little country lane. They obviously found it very entertaining:)

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T20:34:00.000Z

2011 was full off BIG ups and BIG downs but it was never dull and as such I am sorry to see it go. Thankfully there were more ups than downs.

One of the things that stood out for me in 2011 were the wonderful wild flowers of the Spring and Summer, particularly the Bee Orchids. I know they are not particularly rare but they are very beautiful and at one point last year, they were so prolific, we were discovering a new one nearly every time we went out.

Unfortunately there was also a profusion of Ragwort. This is a plant that is very poisonous to grazing animals so much of the summer was spent digging it up. Unbelievable, even after all that effort, with this mild weather there are still Ragwort plants flowering on Saltbox SSSI, so that will be one of the first jobs to do in 2012...my back is already aching at the thought of it.

Another highlight of 2011 was, of course, being involved with the lambing. It was hard work and stressful as I was worried that I would do something wrong but it was also very, very rewarding seeing the a new generation of little conservation grazers gambling around the fields full of the joys of life. Even now when I see them, all grown up, it still gives me a buzz of satisfaction.

The biggest down of 2011 was having to face the reality that my mother had Alzheimer's and then having to make her face the same reality so that we could take her to the doctor for a proper diagnosis and treatment to slow its progress. Even with the drugs, her condition has deteriorated a lot over the year. This was brought home to us particularly when her Christmas cards arrived from friends and relatives and she couldn't remember who they were. Sooooooo sad, but as usual she put on a brave face and Christmas was a particularly lovely, happy family occasion...very special as I suspect this will be the last Christmas she can enjoy knowing all her grandchildren and her great grandchild. Maybe she won't even remember me next year:(

Unfortunately my three friendly pheasants weren't so happy or festive as they had the most almighty fight with each other on Christmas morning. It went on for several hours with them ferociously pecking at each others necks and lashing out with their claws and growling (well that's what it sounded like) menacingly at each other. The cause? A male pheasant who stood by watching them for the first hour or so and then got bored and marched off, obviously deciding he didn't fancy any females that behaved in such an unlady-like fashion:) All is calm in the garden again now, but it shows Spring is on its way. I think it will be early this year.

As soon as we get in to the new year, I can't wait to get the Christmas decorations down and return everything to normal, but unfortunately the family won't let me, saying it must be done on the 12th night. I am beginning to think I know why. Forget all the traditional reasons for decorating the house with Holly and Ivy. Whilst reading my favourite book, Culpeper's Complete Herbal, I found that he refers to Pliny observing that Ivy berries are good for 'preventing drunkenness' and also saying that, 'the speediest cure for a surfeit by wine, is to drink a draught of the same liquor wherein a handful of bruised ivy-leaves have been boiled.' He also says that the berries of Holly 'expel wind.' It seems they are the perfect plants to have draped round the house over the 12 days of Christmas, although personally, I wouldn't like to risk any of his cures:)))))

And so to 2012. It's going to be a great year because life is too short and too important for it to be anything other. My New Years resolution is the same as it was the New Year following the birth of my first child, 33 years ago, and has been every year since... that is to get fit and lose weight:) I think this might be the year I actually succeed as everything in the shops is sooo expensive and I don't want to have to go back to work so it will be half portions for everyone:)

Have a Happy New Year and instead of joining the gym please consider joining your local conservation groups for some volunteering. It is needed this year more than ever as all the councils are having to make big financial cut backs and our precious countryside with its special flora and fauna is going to suffer if we don't get out there and help maintain it:)

Bloggers Block

2011-12-16T11:23:00.000Z

This is a bit of a ramble as I can't think of anything very interesting or funny to write about but I needed to write something so I could wish everyone a Happy Christmas.

At least the weather is turning more seasonal and with the first frosts the birds are returning in force to the feeders. From my favourite chair in the living room I look out of one window to my feeding station on the old cobnut tree. Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Woodpeckers, Blue tits and Coal tits (plus the Sparrow Hawk) have been regular visitors all year but they have now again being joined by the Nuthatches, Long tailed tits and of course the noisy but entertaining Ring Necked Parakeets. Interestingly the smaller birds will happily feed and perch alongside the Parakeets but will not go anywhere near the Nuthatches. The pheasants also like to perch in the tree especially if it is frosty so I'm guessing they suffer with cold feet.

From the other window I look out over the side garden that slopes up to my bird table. Here the quieter garden birds, like Blackbirds and Sparrows visit and I am pleased to say my friendly Robin has turned up again after being absent all summer.... just in time for a maggoty Christmas treat:)

Further afield but still visible from my chair the Buzzards and Crows like to catch the thermals above the woods and will glide around for ages, hardly moving their wings. It is so enjoyable being able to watch the birds from the warmth of my living room but rather embarrassing when people are visiting and I realise that I don't know what they've been talking about because I've been gazing out the window instead of paying them attention.

The weather might be colder but there is still lots of conservation work to do with the Downland Project. In fact there is always conservation work to do if anyone else fancies volunteering in the New Year :)) Since my last post we have helped put up temporary fencing on part of Banstead Down so it can be grazed by sheep, helped clear scrub and old logs from Saltbox SSSI and helped with several sheepy activities.

I have found, over the years, that any job involving animals or children frequently takes longer than one would have first anticipated and sheep moves, however well they are planned, are no exception. The project's sheep are in general quite obliging. However inevitably we do occasionally have a problem and that is what happened this week when we were moving 19 sheep from a field adjoining common land at Manor Park, Caterham.

The field is down a slope and, as it had rained, the common was too wet, slippery and liable to damage to take the trailer down to the field, so we put the sheep into a small pen using portable hurdles and then, along with several other volunteers, we gradually shuffled the hurdles with sheep still enclosed up the hill towards the trailer situated in the car park at the top. All was going well until one of the pesky Beulahs spotted a little gap under a hurdle and in a flash pushed his way out. This was a dodgy situation as the common opens on to a busy road and is used by many dog walkers. However, the project's sheep dog, Jack, soon had the escapee keen to return to his friends. The problem was, if we created a gap in the hurdles to let the escapee back in, we risked letting the other sheep out! For a little while the escapee ran first one way round the outside of the pen and then the other while us humans tried to judge the best time to open it up. Eventually the moment was right, we pulled two of the hurdles apart and in he popped. I think everyone, including the sheep, breathed a sigh of relief and we carried on with our slow shuffle up the hill and into the trailer with only a few more stops to help a Jacob that repeatedly got his horns stuck in a hurdle...I'm sure he was doing on purpose...he just didn't like the Beulah getting all the attention:)

Beulah Speckled Face

Another recent move that took an unexpectedly long time was on a cold windy day when twelve of the thirty one sheep at High Elms, Bromley needed to be taken to the newly fenced area on Banstead Down. The remaining nineteen would be taken to Hutchinsons Bank a couple of days later. All the sheep needed their hooves trimmed. The plan was to catch up the sheep, separate those for Banstead, trim their hooves, load them on to the trailer and release the Hutchinson Bank ones to be done another day. All went well and we were looking forward to an early lunch when the grazing officer was informed that the electric fencing at Banstead hadn't been completed as expected. To cut a long story short we ended up releasing the Banstead sheep, re-catching the Hutchinson's sheep, trimming all their hooves (a back breaking job done by the grazing officer and his assistant). Then transporting them in two loads to Hutchinsons Bank. By the time we had safely un-loaded the last lot it was just about dark and the moon was up (see pic below). We were all cold, tired and hungry...then bizarrely someone suddenly produced a bag of doughnuts. It was soooo yummy I've been craving doughnuts ever since:)

Not a very entertaining post so if you made it to the end, Well Done. You can be rewarded with three very silly Christmas sheep jokes:

Q...What do Jacob sheep hang on their Christmas trees? A...Hornaments (Jacobs have horns:))

Q...What do sheep say to each other at Christmastime? A...Merry Christmas to ewe:))

Q...What do sheep say to shepherds at Christmastime? A...Season's Bleatings:))

Hope you all have a Lovely Reeelaaaaxing Christmas with lots of fun and laughter. We will if we manage to get the new bath in which still sits majestically in the middle of the living room!

Ins and Outs

2011-11-20T14:42:00.011Z

The first 'out' was the Teaser (see previous post). He has hopefully done his job at getting the girls in 'the mood' and now it is the turn of the Rams. The breeding ewes have been separated into flocks of Jacobs and Beulahs and their handsome rams have joined them...so if they do the job right, lambing should start about 11th April next year:)

Below is a picture of the Breeding Beulahs (whoops...just re-read that...it sounds a bit offensive if you say it fast:)) They are being herded down a big hill to their fresh pasture, a lush field that in spring and summer is a mass of wild herbs and flowers.

A lot of our work is keeping stock securely fenced in but on a recent stock move to Cuddington near Banstead Surrey, we were putting up electric fencing to keep the sheep out. This is because part of the field is rich in Kidney Vetch which is the food plant of the larvae of the Small Blue butterfly. Small Blues are very dependent on there being a good number of Kidney Vetch flowers close by as they will rarely travel very far from their colony. They usually only lay one egg per flower as the caterpillars can be cannibalistic so they need lots of flower heads for successful breeding. When one considers it can take 2 to 5 years for a new Kidney Vetch plant to start flowering, one can understand why it is so important that the sheep are prevented from eating them.

Included in the area we fenced off from the sheep are some man made scrapes as Kidney vetch can easily be out competed by grass and other plants...

The edges of the scrape are already covered with new Kidney Vetch plants...

In another sheep move to an area in Woldingham, Surrey we have been putting up electric fencing to keep the sheep in. This is a very small piece of important chalk grassland on a steep hill making it difficult to fence especially in the pouring rain. It is a nice little area which is also a good place for reptiles with a reasonable population of adders.

Before these recent moves the Herdwick sheep had been grazing an area called Chapel Bank, near the town of New Addington, Surrey, that had previously been a rather popular place for dumping rubbish. Before the sheep were put on the site we removed lots of rubbish but must have missed a bit as when these Herdwicks had their feet trimmed before going to their new conservation grazing site...

...we came across one wearing a rather unusual bracelet on its sheepy wrist. Somehow he had managed to get this ring of black plastic over his hoof...

We weren't sure if he thought himself very trendy with his man jewellery or if he was plain upset and embarrassed because the other sheep had been calling him girly names like Eunice (Ewe..nice) and Julia (J..ewe..lia)...sorry but I thought it was funny:))))))))

Today there was again a beautiful sunny start to the autumnal day, just too good to stay in. So armed with camera and binoculars I climbed over the field fence behind us and was immediately immersed in the absolute beauty of the countryside; the golden trees shone out through the lifting mist, a group of five crows flew lazily around and across the valley the Buzzards and Pheasants were calling. Blanketing the fields were masses of spider webs covered in millions of dewdrops with the sun glinting off of them. It was just sooooooo beautiful. On these sort of days I would like to just keep on walking and never go home.

Unfortunately we still have masses of work to do at home (the new bathroom suite is still in the living room as my husband ended up having to replace part of the ceiling and he still has to replace the rotten joist where the bath will go and only 5 weeks until the family descends on us for Christmas!) so we had to make it a fairly short walk just down to the Saltbox SSSI.

I was just climbing back into the garden, which is precarious as it involves climbing up a wobbly step ladder, then carefully stepping over the barbed wire fence, on to a wobbly bench. Just at the moment I was negotiating the barbed wire, something in the woodpile next to the fence moved which made me jump and I nearly ended up impaled on a spike. The culprit was my tame pheasant waiting for some breakfast... she is such a lovely bird and I immediately felt better to be home again, especially as, by that time, the valley was echoing with the sounds of gun shots as the mentally insane got going in their Sunday ritual of destroying birds....it wouldn't be so bad if they shot them dead but we have often found them injured and unable to move just left to suffer a long lingering death over several days:(

How could anyone shoot a beautiful bird like this for fun!

The Teaser

2011-11-06T16:51:00.005Z

I love the Autmun but am I the only one as everyone seems so glum that the summer is over? To me Autumn is a lovely peaceful season as if nature, after its frenzy of summer growth, followed by the spreading of its precious seeds, nuts and berries, is happy at a good job done and ready to take a well earned rest. One of my favourite quotes is, 'Autumn, the year's last, loveliest smile.' by William Cullen Bryant.

This year it has been spectacular around here for Autumn colour. The picture below shows the view over the valley and Saltbox SSSI from my living room...each time I look out the colours seem to have changed a bit more. How can that not make one feel good:)

There are also so many signs of things to come next year...berries, seeds and nuts are everywhere just waiting for the right time and place to germinate. I sometimes feel the seeds and berries of Autumn are just as beautiful as the Spring flowers but even more magical because they hold so much potential.

It is also at this time of year that thoughts turn to next year's lambs. As mentioned in a previous post, the breeding ewes have been chosen and put on good pasture. The next thing is to introduce 'The Teaser'. He, basically, is a ram that has matured sexually but then had a vasectomy so although he will mount the ewes it will not result in a pregnancy. He evidently is a sheepy hunk and gets the ewes in the 'mood for love xxxx' ready for when the rams are put in.

Last week the Downland Project's, very feisty teaser, was rounded up by Jack, the project's sheep dog, and duly caught by the Grazing Officer.

To begin with The Teaser was not very happy at being removed from his male buddies and threatened to headbutt anyone that came close but once he had been taken over to the ewes field in the trailer and got the whiff of female sheep his mood changed and he bounced out of the trailer with a smile on his face.

He then positively strutted his way across the field to where the raunchy ewes were waiting to mob him with desire.

The next photos were 'X' rated...but The Teaser definitely agrees with me that Autumn is a good time of year:))

How Not to Catch a Sheep

2011-10-23T16:23:00.013+01:00

While I have been working on the computer my husband has been watching the Rugby World Cup Final. It has reminded me of my one failed attempt at a rugby tackle; the grazing officer and I were trying to catch one of the Herdwick sheep that needed medical attention. After it had run past me twice without me catching it, the grazing officer shouted in exasperation, " You have to rugby tackle it!" Now, one doesn't argue with the Grazing Officer when he is stressed, so off I went, mumbling grumpily under my breath, "Doesn't he realise how old I am!" and "Hasn't he noticed I'm female so have never played rugby in my life!" Anyway when the sheep raced past me for the third time I duly threw myself through the air in my best imitation of a rugby player and of course fell flat on my face:) I expected the grazing officer either to be laughing his head off or screaming that I was useless but he was already in hot pursuit of the sheep putting in his own rugby tackles. Just as we were giving up and were about to get the dog out the sheep also gave up and we caught him easily. In retrospect it must have looked very funny and I would have loved to have had it on video:)))

This week we have moved the female lambs from the farm where they were born back in March, to their first conservation grazing site. It was all very scary for them but Granny Alice (see previous post) went with them and they all stayed close, following her every move.

The site they have gone to is another Cowslip field at High Elms in Bromley, a couple of miles from where I live and close to Charles Darwin's House at Downe. High Elms Estate used to be owned by Sir John Lubbock who, as an MP in the 1800's, was instrumental in the introduction of the August Bank Holiday. The estate is now run as a nature reserve by the council. In the Spring and Summer there are lots of wild flowers with some quite rare orchids but at this time of year it is lovely to walk through the woods kicking the fallen leaves or to stroll in the more formal gardens, admiring the autumn colours of the many beautiful trees that were planted by the Lubbock family all those years ago. There is also a sensory walk, various ponds, beehives, nature cabin and cafe so well worth a visit.

Sheep and Peagles

2011-10-16T12:17:00.011+01:00

Life is somewhat stressful at the moment so any excuse to escape into the countryside is valuable. I have therefore found that I have really missed not having the ponies to stock check. We have been over to visit them a few times and they are both happy and well although getting a little tubby after eating their way through another field of over-growth but it is setting them up well for the bad winter everyone says we are going to have and by next Spring they will be beautifully slim again...hmmm...maybe I should spend the winter out in the fields with them as I need to shed a few pounds:)

I am pleased to say we have now got some sheep back in Tatsfield to stock check again as we have recently helped move a mix of 27 Beulah's and Jacobs, including some of this years lambs.

The sheep are split into two fields. One of the fields I have written about before as it used to have a lot of brambles growing in it which made it a difficult to stock check and although there was a lot of wildlife, the flowers were a little overwhelmed by the brambles. The Downlands Project put sheep on the field again last winter, then any remaining tougher growth was cut and as a result there was an amazing display of Cowslips and Violets in the Spring. It just shows how worthwhile this combination of conservation work is.

Interestingly I have just found out that Cowslips are also called Peagles. I have no idea why or what the meaning of Peagles is...I thought it was what they called dogs that were a cross between Beagles and Pekingese:)

The fields that we graze in Tatsfield are in a lovely position on the side of the North Downs with far reaching views. They are also surrounded by some beautiful woodland so we often extend our stock checking with a walk in the woods.

I love trees and as a child could never resist climbing them...the bigger the better...I was a wild child of the 60's in the most literal sense as, if I wasn't riding a horse or playing in a nearby stream, I would be sitting in the largest apple tree at the end of our garden. It was a difficult tree to climb as it involved leaping for the lowest branch then turning upside down so that I could use a leg to lever me up but it was a great place to watch wildlife.

These are two of the lovely trees at Tatsfield. Sadly I am well past being able to climb them but that lovely green canopy still looks very inviting.

Last week I also helped to sort the remaining sheep at the farm ready for them to be taken out to their various conservation grazing sites for the winter. I am very pleased to say a favourite Jacob of mine, who I call Alice, passed her sheepy MOT even though she is getting on a bit. She has a lovely temperament and although she has never managed to have her own lambs she has been useful acting as Granny to the female lambs in the months following separation from their mothers. She is a good, calming influence and role model and will happily put up with juveniles following her around.

I have to admit I had quite a few sheepy conversations with her last year when I was stock checking her flock...I wonder what she was saying back to me when I took this picture, probably, " Silly human," although with that expression it could have been something far worse..maybe she is not such a good influence!

Boring, Boring, Boring

2011-09-18T16:12:00.010+01:00

I like to live harmoniously with animals whether wild or domesticated and over the years I have found it essential to stay calm when handling or training them as they pick up on stress, tension, fear and irritation sooo fast causing them to become over-anxious and hard to manage.

Unfortunately not everyone sees it like that and I have seen people who, having themselves created this reaction in animals, to see it as deliberate disobedience whereupon they have become angry and aggressive with the animal. It is then a viscous circle until the animal ends up being labeled unmanageable and is often destroyed. Very sad and unnecessary and makes me VERY annoyed.

One of the biggest ways animals can pick up on emotions is by the way we breathe...when we are tense we take shorter breaths. I used to find it very hard to slow my breathing down and relax until, at a Kelly Marks (Intelligent Horsemanship) demonstration she mentioned a pupil of hers with the same problem who overcame it by saying to herself, on one long outward breath, "Boring..boring..boring." It works brilliantly every time and I've used it lots of other situations too like dealing with difficult people who are stressing me:) Try it.

In general I don't like to tame wild animals as I feel they are safer keeping away from humans, however, I make the exception for the pheasants that visit the garden as by feeding them they stay over my side of the valley where no shoots take place. My little group of friendly pheasants now stay close to the garden all the time which is just as well as pheasant shooting starts on 1st October:( One funny little female pheasant has become extra friendly and given the choice prefers to eat out of my hand rather than eat the same food off of the ground. She really seems to enjoy the interaction.

I do of course put food out for all the birds, however, we have recently had a Sparrowhawk that has taken to resting in our tree, right by the bird feeder, so I have felt it unsafe to refill it for a while. It has been interesting to see how close I can get to the hawk by moving slowly and using the 'boring' technique..only just close enough to take this photo so far.

Another recent occasion when I have needed to use the 'boring' technique was while getting the Downland Project's two Dartmoor ponies used to being handled again and having their feet picked up ready for a visit by the farrier prior to a move to another conservation grazing site. The ponies have minimal handling so that they will stay away from humans as some sites have footpaths running through them. This makes it safer for them and for the public (although some idiots still try to feed them despite the notices telling them not to...grrrr)

The picture below is of Rufus having his feet done back in April. He behaved perfectly then but when the farrier visited this time Rufus managed to plant a sharp kick on the farrier's leg..whoops.. I obviously wasn't thinking bored thoughts...sorry farrier:)

Thankfully the ponies behaved very well when they were moved, a great improvement from the first time which apparently took 3 hours! I wasn't there for that (thank goodness) and since then the grazing officer has spent a long time patiently getting them to feel happy about the trailer which has obviously paid off.

I will miss our visits to check the ponies even though they used to frequently find it funny to do a runner just as we were trying to look them over...

I will also miss their company when we are over at Saltbox pulling ragwort, checking the reptile refuges or photographing things as then they become very nosey wanting to know what we are up to. We can't even take a rest without them inspecting us. This is Rufus investigating my husband's big boots which usually smell strongly of sheep:)

And this is Tavey making sure that he is the only good looking chap in my photograph..after all he is rather handsome and he knows it:)

Hope they will be happy at their new site.

Obliging Sheep

2011-09-10T17:07:00.010+01:00

I am beginning to get really very fond of sheep. At the weekend my husband and I were helping with the annual Countryside Day. Our job was to promote the project's new sponsorship scheme for our conservation grazing animals and to answer questions about the grazing side of the project. To help with this we had the project's 19 Herdwick sheep. The wind blew the tents around right by them, people walked past them with dogs and children lent over to pet them but they remained calm and composed for the whole day and I think that is quite amazing.

There are around 900 different breeds of sheep in the world and each has different qualities. The Herdwicks, originating from Cumbria, are extremely hardy with coarse, dense fleeces high in kemp and lanolin to keep them dry and warm. They do well on poor quality forage and will happily eat regrowth of scrub, coarse grasses, coarse herbs and other invasive weeds so are useful in conservation grazing. Recently our Herdwicks were put in to graze a small orchard that was full of stinging nettles, brambles, Rosebay Willowherb etc. As the picture below shows, when they first went in we could hardly see them as the weeds towered above them.....

...but within a few days they had just about cleared the site (pic below) and were moved on to another overgrown orchard.

Nearly perfect little grazers, although, I did notice a bit of scrumping going on...but who could blame them:))

At the first orchard, just as we were about to have our lunch after having settled the sheep in, we noticed a rather battered Red Admiral butterfly laying on the ground by the gate, an obvious casualty of a lot of sheepy hooves. My husband carefully picked it up, straightened its wings out with a bit of grass and put it on a leaf to recover. Another volunteer mixed up a sugar solution and dropped it down on the leaf and the butterfly was soon tucking in..

Within a short time it was feeling much better and started sunning itself..Ahhhhh

My grandson has just walked in and on seeing I was writing about sheep (again!) started reeling off some sheep jokes...

Q: What did the cloned sheep say to the other sheep? A: I am ewe.

Q: Where do sheep get their hair cut? A: At the Baa-Baa's shop.

Q: How do sheep know the price of apples? A: By reading the Baaa-code.

I can sense a big groan from everyone but I found them quite amusing:))

Ragwort Pulling

2011-09-04T12:38:00.008+01:00

One advantage of having a parent with Alzheimers is that they like to reminisce so I am getting to hear a lot of tales about my Great Grandfather. He was a royal game keeper and lived in a cottage in Great Windsor Park. Although a game keeper, he also had a great affinity with all animals and wildlife, and for this reason I have always been told that I take after him. I am not sure he enjoyed his job as apparently didn't like the birds being shot and frequently complained to my mother about the 'toffs that killed his birds for fun.' He would also make up many tales to do with the countryside; when my mother was small and frightened by the noise of the rutting deer, he said that they were, 'just having a lovely party,' and to stop her from trampling on the crops in corn fields, he told her that if she did the, 'black spots of the Fluellen flower would jump out and stick to her!' For this reason I was particularly pleased to come across some Round Leaved Fluellen while Ragwort pulling on Saltbox SSSI as I had never seen it before..I can now see why my mother was always so particular about not trampling on even one blade of corn and it also might account for why, when I annoyed my big brother, he would threaten to 'put the black spot on me' which would result in running in terror and hiding under my bed:)

There has been a lot of Ragwort around this year and because it is very toxic to grazing animals, much of the summer has been spent removing it. It is back breaking work but has some advantages too as one notices things previously overlooked. Again on Saltbox SSSI we recently came across this lovely white Scabious amongst all the usual pale lilac ones...

...and a couple of weeks previously (same site and still Ragworting) we found several clumps of white Marjoram amongst the usual purple Marjoram.

Around the same time I also found, what I am guessing, was an albino slow worm under one of the reptile refuges we have there. It was a very pale, creamy, grey and totally devoid of stripes (annoyingly I didn't have my camera with me). It reminded me that we used to have an albino badger that regularly visited our garden, one of several that frequented the area, especially around Saltbox. It wasn't completely white but a very light cream colour. Unfortunately, since our neighbours got three Rottweilers and a Jack Russel Terrier, the badgers no longer visit us so I don't know if this strain still exist amongst our local badger population.

Experiment

2011-08-27T15:31:00.006+01:00

This post is a bit of an experiment to see if I have managed to sort out a problem. For sometime now when I have gone to 'Publish Post' a message has appeared saying 'Java script void.' I had just found a few things to try to correct it when Virgin Media messed up our Internet connection and has taken nearly a month to repair it..all very frustrating:((

Anyway hopefully it will all be ok now but for anyone with similar posting problems, I think it originated from updating to Internet Explorer 9 so I have now reverted back to IE 8. I have just found that didn't work so I have now tried going through a different browser (Firefox) and I think that has done the job:)

I suppose I should also test posting an image so here are a couple...the first is of the sheep shearer in action, back in June, with one of the Project's Beulah Speckled Face ewes, followed by a Jacob ewe, looking some what surprised, just after having had her woolly coat removed. Behind the Jacob are the lambs, who, as they aren't shorn, are separated from their mothers until the deed has been done. The noise of them calling to each other was deafening, so much so that my husband, who suffers with tinnitus, was walking around with bits of tissue sticking out of his ears:)

My next problems to sort out are why I can't double space between paragraphs (hence the silly stars) and why I can't highlight things to delete or move them. If anyone has any answers please let me know.

Wonderful Wildlife

2011-06-19T19:09:00.006+01:00

We recently attended a conference on chalk grassland. One of the speakers, Bill Oddie no less, answered the question, 'Why is wildlife important?' by saying that, above all, it gives pleasure. Just lately that pleasure has taken on a bigger role for me as it is helping me through what is a rather difficult time. My dear old mum has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's and I feel so sad that this special person has to end her days slowly forgetting everything that is important to her. However whenever I go out for a good trudge in valley or even just a stroll round the garden my mood is always lifted by the wonderful wildlife. Here are just some of the things that cheered me up today...

Bee on the Iris at the edge of one of my ponds

Man Orchid (one of 20 in the Pony's field)

Pyramid Orchids in the valley behind us

Unusual Pyramid Orchid (I think)...it is definitely not a common spotted

Yellow Rattle (v. prolific this year)

Scabious and one of many butterflies

Bee after the rain

and lastly my friendly pheasant with her baby visiting the garden

If only my mum could manage a walk round the countryside...I just know it would cheer her up as well.

Conservation Grazing Lambs

2011-04-24T19:18:00.007+01:00

Our new generation of conservation grazing lambs are now all born and running around the field enjoying the sunshine. It has been an exhausting but wonderful experience. We were advised not to give the lambs names but because some stick out in my mind, I have been unable to resist naming them. Here are a few of those lambs:

Jelly Bean

Little Jelly Bean got a bit stuck whilst being born, with his head out but his legs back. This requires urgent intervention as the lambs head can swell rapidly. Luckily the Grazing Officer was on hand to push him back into the ewe, re-arrange his legs and pull him back out. It saved his life but left him so wobbly he couldn't stand up for a couple of days and couldn't suckle. When I arrived in the morning I was shown how to milk the ewe and then tube feed Jelly Bean. We tried very hard to get him to suckle but he just couldn't manage it so I repeated what I had been shown earlier on and thankfully got the tube down the right passage to his stomach (and not into his lungs!) and the feed went well..Phew..I was sooo relieved. Over the next few days he gradually gained strength and as the second picture shows he is now feeding and growing well:))

Earie

This little guy just loved standing on his mother's back sucking her ear. The mum was very tolerant but every now and again she would stand up and send him flying.

K.O.

This chap started life well and was soon out in the field with his sister. Unfortunately they then became rather too adventurous and managed to get under the sheep netting into a field of horses where he got kicked and knocked out (hence K.O.). He was totally unconscious for quite a long time and we were all amazed he survived with only a slightly miss-shaped jaw.

Baldy Bot

We are not quite certain what happened to this little one. One morning he was found with a bald bottom. The vet thought it was probably a crow stealing lambs wool for its nest. Luckily the fleece soon grew again so it is not suffering with sunburn in this lovely weather.

Corky

Corky was so called because she didn't have her lambs until 2 weeks after all the others had lambed. Day after day she sat in her favourite shady spot under the Hawthorn tree and day after day the lambing team took turns to watch her for signs of lambing. When she did eventually give birth to her twins it was conveniently on a busy day on the farm when the whole lambing team were there taking part in a volunteering activity.

We had just put her and her newborn lambs into a mothering up pen when the manager of the project arrived with a representative form Surrey County Council who was doing a Public Value Review. We all felt very proud as we showed off the new arrivals and hopefully it will help her realise how important the farm is for the Old Surrey Downs Grazing Project.

Lots of Violets but Little Frog Spawn

2011-03-19T18:09:00.005Z

'They are a fine pleasing plant of Venus, of a mild nature, no way harmful.' This is how Violets are described in my Culpeper's Herbal Book and I think the description fits them well. This year they seem to be springing up everywhere around here and it is really making me feel that Spring has sprung. Unfortunately, though, we don't seem to have the other sign of Spring..frog spawn. We've only had about 3 dollops of it and very few frogs but in other years the ponds would have been heaving by now. I'm guessing the frogs just didn't survive the freezing cold weather of early winter :(

Last week I said goodbye to the sheep we have been stock checking as they have gone back to the farm where there is a bit more grass for them to eat. The picture below shows me having a last little word with my favourite who I call Alice. She really is a very friendly sweet natured Jacob sheep and I will miss visiting her each week. I keep thinking about renting some of the field behind us and buying her and perhaps a couple of others, like the two other Jacobs looking on but it probably isn't practical.

I will still get to see her when I am at the farm which is most of the time just lately as lambing started last week on the 16th. The lambs are coming fast with half the ewes having delivered already. It is an incredibly busy time with far more involved than just the birth so I am really tired but enjoying every minute of it:))))) I will go into that more in my next post. In the meantime couple of 'ahhhh' pictures to be going on with. The one below is of the first lamb delivery that I was involved with. The mum was very tired as it was a long labour but she summoned up enough energy to clean and feed her baby before it got too cold.

This next one was born the day before and so it was marked up and moved into the nursery pen with some more of the older lambs. It was soon running around with the other lambs. The mums all tried to rest whilst keeping an anxious eye on their babies but difficult when the lambs seemed to enjoy jumping on and off of their backs :) Today they were all let out into the field for the first time where they could enjoy the lovely warm sunshine and race around even more.

Busy Bees

2011-02-27T15:29:00.003Z

At last there is some colour in the garden with a good show of crocuses underneath the apple tree and it is not just me that's enjoying them as they are a buzz with lots of bees all with their heads covered in pollen.

It is nice that it has turned a bit warmer (we even had a moment of sunshine!) and it has brought the insects out but unfortunately the warmer weather didn't arrive in time for our visit to Bedford to see a demonstration by Monty Roberts (horse whisperer). It was freeezzzing but it didn't detract from the evening and Monty was amazing as ever. It was quite nerve wracking to watch a 76 year old man walking behind a horse that was kicking out at lightening speed. Needless to say the horse was quickly brought under Monty's spell. I wish I had his skill...and his courage:)

The rest of the weekend was spent visiting my eldest son and his girlfriend who also live in Bedfordshire. We stayed at a hotel next to an area of lakes full of wildfowl. Unfortunately I had forgotten the binoculars but it was still lovely to walk round the lakes and even nicer to wake in the morning to the sound of geese honking.

We returned home on Monday, calling in at the RSPB reserve in Sandy where we checked out their binoculars in the shop. It made me realise that we need to get some new ones.

On Tuesday we were back to helping with the Old Surrey Downs Project but this time it was moving some cows which was a new experience for me. Cows and I don't usually get on too well...they chase me...but these seemed ok. I just wish I could understand what they are thinking when they stare at me. It is easy to read a horse's body language but cows seem to give nothing away which I find rather un-nerving. They will be conservation grazing a lovely area of chalk grassland in Chipstead, Surrey.

This is just a short post as I want to get back to the http://www.meadopenfarm.co.uk where they have 24hour lamb cams watching the lambing pens. It is addictive viewing. Yesterday we saw two sets of twins born. It is also very useful to see what happens as we will be involved with the project's own lambing this year. The barn is now all ready to go with the floor, walls and hurdles all cleaned and disinfected. Lambing is due to start on 16th March. The picture below shows Jack, the sheep dog, jumping the gate...I'm sure he has springs in his legs:))

Averting an Accident

2011-02-13T15:07:00.003Z

After spending a lovely relaxing weekend in the New Forest we were soon back to hard work. In the area of SSSI that the ponies are grazing at the moment, there is a deep bomb crater. It is surrounded by brambles, so hasn't been easily accessible, but the earlier snow flattened the brambles so we thought we should climb down to have a better look at what was in it. We were horrified to find that, what we thought were more brambles, was actually masses of rusty barbed wire and other junk. The grazing officer decided there was too much junk and it would be too dangerous to remove it, so Tuesday was spent taking out trees and scrub from around the outside of the crater so that a fence could be put up to stop the ponies from getting in there. We then spent the afternoon moving logs...on Wednesday I could hardly move I ached so much! It was a good job done though as I dread to think what would have happened if the ponies had gone into the crater and got caught in all that barbed wire.

It is nice to see the stirrings of new life in the pony field. Cuckoo Pint is springing up in the old copse area. It looks lovely and juicy but the ponies never eat it so I'm guessing it doesn't taste as good as it looks, although, Culpeper says it will, 'cleanse all manner of rotten and filthy ulcers' and 'heal the stinking sores in the nose' and that, 'mixed with hot ox-dung and applied, will ease the pain of gout.' Hmmm...my old mum thinks she has a touch of gout but doesn't want to bother the doctor with it:)))))

Dog's Mercury is also beginning to come up and is another plant that the ponies will not touch probably because it is poisonous, although, again according to my Culpeper's Complete Herbal, if the leaves are rubbed on warts they will go and Hippocrates reckons that when applied to a female's 'secret parts' it will cure all sorts of women's problems...I'm shocked at the language :D

Sadly the garden remains devoid of snowdrops which no doubt the pheasants have something to do with. The pheasant below is the most friendly and follows me around the garden.

The area under the tree at one time had lots of spring flowers growing under it but this year it is just a patch of mud and the culprits are easy to spot. Luckily they don't touch the daffodils and they are coming up all over the place so we should have some colour soon.

We are off to Bedfordshire next weekend to visit my eldest son and his partner and to see a demonstration by Monty Roberts, the horse whisperer. We went to one of his shows last year and it was amazing so I am really looking forward to it.

Happy Days

2011-01-28T16:17:00.005Z

The saying, 'time flies when you're having fun,' nicely sums up the weeks since my last post. We haven't been doing anything special but what we have been doing has been very enjoyable; we've been planning our new bathroom which has involved plenty of discussion over lovely pub lunches; we've been doing lots of sheepy and pony things and been for some good winter walks:)

Our first pony activity of the New Year was to get a worm egg count done. The picture below is of my husband who, although he looks like he is impersonating a gnome, is actually sitting in the pony field, early on a very cold morning, waiting for Tavey to do some droppings (I was watching Rufus). We had a deadline as the faecal sample needed to be at the vets by 10am but as it was a half an hours drive away, it didn't leave us much time from first light. We had nearly given up and had just started pouring out coffee from our flask, when first one went, then the other. The coffee went flying as we gathered the precious nuggets and rushed off to the vets. We burst into the vet's office at 1oam on the dot...phew.

A week later Peter, the grazing officer for the Old Surrey Downs Project, called round with some worming medicine and a bag of pony nuts. We had to mix the wormer with a few nuts and feed it to them over five days. Now, as usually we mustn't feed the ponies, not even a carrot, this was a real treat for us and them, although we weren't sure if they would like the medicine. We needn't have worried as it was apple and cinnamon flavoured and they loved it, licking every last bit of it from their buckets. The trouble is that although the worming is now finished, they are still expecting us to arrive with food and can't believe that we haven't got anything for them, so they follow us around as we are checking the perimeter fences, watching our every move even though there are plenty of juicy plants for them to eat in their field.

The new sheep that we check seem a happy, healthy bunch and are no trouble except for a Jacob that I've nicknamed 'Domino' (because of its markings). We had arrived to find Domino missing from the flock and we eventually found him looking rather dead in a patch of brambles. On investigation we found that he was still alive but had got a thick stem of bramble caught round his neck and as he had twisted round and round trying to escape he had tightened the stem until it was more or less throttling him and he could hardly breathe. It was so tight that it was difficult to release him and when we did his legs were so weak and shaky that he kept falling over but luckily he soon recovered once he got back with the flock and started grazing within a few minutes although I imagine he must have had a sore throat.

We have also recently helped gather the pregnant ewes so they could be transported back to the farm where they were scanned to see what they were expecting. Out of the 32 ewes all are expecting, 19 with twins (and a couple possibly expecting triplets) and all the rest with singles. This will be the first year we are involved with the lambing so I am quite excited.

With so much stock checking I haven't had time to do anything in the garden other than to have a walk round to see what is coming up. It all seems quite behind this year..the snow drop flowers are almost non existent (I'm beginning to wonder if the pheasants are pecking at them) and the daffodils have only just shown themselves above the ground, unlike the Rhubarb which started sprouting underneath the snow in December..pity I don't like Rhubarb.

The other little star of the garden, that has been flowering from before the first snow and is still going strong, is this little primula (or is it a polyanthus..never quite sure of the difference). I think I will have to propagate it as I have never had one that is so strong and perpetually flowering.

2010 was a brilliant year for me but I think 2011 may be even better. Winston Churchill once said, "I am an optimist. It doesn't seem too much use being anything else." This about sums up how I feel, so (although a bit late)...Happy New Year everyone:))))

Christmas Dinner

2010-12-29T17:40:00.007Z

Christmas can be an expensive time and this year it has been particularly so. We haven't spent a lot on presents and I even managed to keep the catering down to fairly sensible proportions but I have spent loads on bird food. It has been so very cold and snowy for such a long time. How could I look out my warm and cosy living room window, while tucking into my second box of chocolates, and watch birds like this poor crow wading through the snow late in the day. Of course I have had to put out copious amounts of food for the garden wildlife.

On some days it has been like Piccadilly Circus with birds coming and going from the feeders. They have all got on very well with each other except for the pigeons. They haven't been aggressive with the other birds, just amongst themselves and I have seen some awful bullying going on. One pigeon repeatedly stood on another one pecking savagely at it. Then it would fly away only to return a few moments later to lay into the same bird again. I didn't know pigeons could be so nasty but I guess in extreme weather it's everyone for themselves.

Friendly Robin has been bobbing around outside the patio doors each morning, waiting for his breakfast. He seems to be surviving his second winter very well and looks fat, healthy and happy (not surprising with the gourmet food he's been dining on:)

A good number of pheasants have now made themselves at home in the garden thus avoiding the Boxing day shoot:)))) They are so intelligent as birds go and quick to become tame. If they see a movement from within the house they run over to the window making little chirping noises. Needless to say I have a big tub of grain at the ready to throw out the window for them. One of them has also found the small bird's bird table and regularly wedges herself in it to finish off anything that friendly robin has left behind. How can anyone enjoy shooting these lovely birds or any other living thing come to that.

As well as being expensive with food it has also been a busy Christmas as, with snow on the ground, the ponies have needed hay every day as well as having the ice removed from their trough and their water topped up. The hay and water have to be carried over to them so it is heavy work and time consuming but very rewarding when we are greeted with a whinny of welcome from a hungry pony and a lovely way to start Christmas morning:))))))

We also have some additional sheep to check. They are on a site in a beautiful nearby valley. It is quite a walk to get to them but their hay and water is in the wonky barn so we haven't needed to carry it to them. The site they are on goes steeply up the side of the valley and was very slippery in the snow but thankfully most of the snow thawed last night so today's visit was easier. I am looking forward to seeing what wild flowers and butterflies there are at this site in the summer. It also looks like there are some good place for reptiles too.

Finally, I was looking in 'Culpepper's Complete Herbal' (a Christmas present to myself) and found that back in 1653, when his book was first published, Dr Culpepper suggests Holly berries to, 'purge the body of gross and clammy phlegm'....yuk...I wouldn't recommend it though, if you are one of the many suffering with a bad cough this Christmas, as I think Holly berries may be poisonous. On the other hand if you are suffering with a bad case of, 'worms that breed in the ear' you should be ok with a dose of Sage...lol. I love this book but I am so pleased I didn't live in the 1600's:)))))

Happy New Year to everyone.

Oh No, Snow!

2010-12-03T17:36:00.005Z

In my last post I mentioned that I hoped we wouldn't get as much snow as last year as it made checking the ponies such hard work...here we are, one month later, with even more snow than last year! It has been snowing for the last three days depositing around one and a half feet of the white stuff. The ponies don't seem to mind though. They have icicles hanging off their coats, manes and tails and the snow comes above their knees but despite a supply of good fresh hay they prefer to dip their noses into the snow...

...and eat the grass underneath.

They don't seem to have any trouble wading through the deep snow to get around...

...however, I do and after three days of doing the mile walk to and from their field up to my knees in snow, my legs ache and I feel exhausted.

The scenery has been incredible though and I have taken so many photos but sadly I can't show them all. The one below is of the snowy valley as we walked back home yesterday. It was totally silent and very beautiful.

This next photo was taken of our little house (bottom right) when we were nearly home. We had popped into the local store and bought chocolate bars to have with steaming cups of coffee when we got in...mmm...it was lovely and as I am sure I must have burned thousands of calories on the hike to and from the ponies, I didn't feel guilty at all :)))

Rufus and Tavey Return

2010-11-04T12:05:00.005Z

I recently joined an organised walk looking at the stories attached to various plants. The walk took us into the SSSI that had been grazed by the ponies when we their stock checkers. The very knowledgeable lady taking the walk was amazed at the difference the ponies had made and was really excited to find that there were now lots of chalk grassland indicators that were clearly visible. It shows that conservation grazing works and is worthwhile.

During the summer the ponies have been grazing a completely different area that was too far away for us to be their checkers and although we visited them occasionally we still really missed them. However, last week they returned to the original area of SSSI near to us and we are again back to checking them:))) Tavey hasn't changed much but Rufus, the younger one (the grey) has grown such a lot and has lost his baby stature. He also seems a lot more confident and relaxed. It is such a pleasure to check on them and it is also very good exercise for us as the field is on a hill. I hope that we don't have quite such a snowy winter as last year though, as that made it very hard work.
We still also check on a flock of 20 sheep that are conservation grazing on the top of the North Downs. It has been quite a struggle over the last few weeks as they have been in a field covered in brambles and surrounded by Hawthorns. As the picture below shows, they liked to rest under the Hawthorns, but, as we need to check that they were all there and all well, we have had to scramble through the hawthorn bushes to chase them out to see them properly, so, along with brambles catching us round our legs, we have been returning covered in scratches. I'm pleased to say they have now just been moved to a much nicer field, so we managed to do today's check a lot quicker and without a scratch on us.

Below is a picture of my favourite sheep. We call him Rambo as he is a big, strong, handsome Jacob breeding ram but his real name is Ramekins which to me sounds sissy and doesn't do him justice. Although he is so powerful he is very friendly and gentle and loves me to give him a good scratch round the base of his horns. He has just gone on loan to the City of London to do what he does best with some of their conservation grazing ewes so I won't see him for a while but I'm sure he will have a good time:)

There are a few other Jacobs in the flock we check but the rest are all Beulah Speckled Face
sheep.

An interesting fact about sheep is that they only have teeth on the bottom at the front of their mouths and then only eight. They are quite picky eaters and tear the grass by trapping it between the bottom teeth and the hard plate on the top of there mouth. They do have teeth top and bottom at the back of their mouths for chewing the cud but those eight teeth at the front are very important as without them they can't eat.

Rats, Cats and Pheasants

2010-10-24T17:20:00.003+01:00

A few weeks back I mentioned my predicament with a rodent problem we were having in the garden, in particular, what to do about a rather cute baby rat who was eating my bird food. In an effort to discourage ratty I bought a metal feeding pole that I could move around the garden in an attempt to make it more difficult for the rat to find the food. Silly me, as if a rat could be that easily fooled and as the picture shows, he easily managed to climb the pole and help himself to the bird food.

A fox had already polished off cute baby rat's parents but, unfortunately, it didn't take long before cute baby rat became a big fat daddy rat himself and so our rodent problem increased once again. That was until a neighbouring cat found our garden. I got up one morning, a few days ago, to find him sitting on our patio with one dead rat at his feet, 10 mins later there was another, 20 mins later he walked past carrying a third in his mouth, then later in the day he left us a fourth. Since then, despite keeping guard for hours, in all weathers, he hasn't caught anymore.

I can't help feeling sorry for the rats but, on the other hand, it had got to the point where we felt we couldn't leave any doors or windows open in the house as they were nesting so close by. I also can't help admiring the cat's determination and acute senses..most of the time that the cat (don't know his name) was keeping guard he just looked like he was snoozing, with eyes tightly closed, but his ears gave it away as they kept twitching showing he was listening for any sound and very successfully it would seem.

At least without the rats around it has left the fallen bird food free for the pheasants who have returned to the garden for the winter. I have to admit that I have also started throwing food out for them as, if I can keep them over our side of the valley, they won't get caught up in the pheasant shoots. This year, so far, we have two males and five females visiting regularly. Usually, if there is more than one male, they are constantly fighting but these two males are very peaceful chaps...

...unlike two of the females who seem to hate each other and are forever squabbling.

Nothing Exciting

2010-10-10T17:20:00.006+01:00

I can't believe it is a whole month since I last posted anything on my blog so here is a quick round up of whats been going on.

I have now finished off my reptile survey and all 20 refuges have been removed leaving the site clear for the return of the ponies...I am so looking forward to having them back:-) I have been quite pleased with the results of the survey having seen lots of slow worms, common lizards and their off-spring but unfortunately no snakes. The lizard in the picture decided to sit on top of one of the refuges instead of underneath.

We have continued to help with the Old Surrey Downs Project and have recently assisted with the separating of the lambs and ewes. Neither seemed especially bothered at being separated from each other although I found it quite sad. The lambs are now being distributed to the various sites for conservation grazing and we have given the ewes that will be put with the ram a bit of an m.o.t. and they are now enjoying some good grazing to prepare them for another pregnancy.

The garden has been producing an abundance of fruit and veg but, as usual, too much to keep up with so we've given lots away. It has been a particularly good year for our apples so those that were less than perfect have been thrown over the fence into the field for any wild animals to enjoy. This picture shows a young roe deer tucking in to them

We always seem to get this glut of vegetables around this time and then nothing for the winter/spring so this year we have bought a small poly tunnel for the veg plot in the hope that we can actually manage to grow some things over the winter months ready for spring, although, apart from cabbages, I'm not sure what else to try at the moment.

Lastly little Ginger guinea pig had to be put to sleep a couple of weeks ago. He was the surprise package from Gemma one of the other guinea pigs shortly after we had got them. We went to bed with two guinea pigs and woke up to find three. He was a lovely 2" bundle of ginger fluff but grew rapidly to become a very handsome and cheeky piggy. Luckily Gemma, the only guinea pig left now, doesn't seem upset at being alone so I don't feel we need to get another one to keep her company but I will really miss him as he was such a big character.

Great Fly Past

2010-09-09T18:01:00.004+01:00

Last Sunday we went to the Battle of Britain 70th Anniversary open air Concert at Chartwell, the home of Sir Winston Churchill. We settled ourselves on the hill, just below the terrace, overlooking the beautiful lake and bandstand. The concert began with some readings and in the far distance there was the familiar hum of a Sptifire and Hurricane who were due to do a fly past...but they were beaten to it as a group of about 15 geese flew over us in perfect 'V' formation. The crowd cheered and clapped them and the geese circled round and then flew over us again and then off into the distance leaving the sky clear for the aircraft. It was a wonderful moment and I just wish I had had my camera ready.

The concert was quite moving. Most of the audience were my age and I couldn't help thinking that we were all there because our parents had been lucky enough to survive the war. When a life is lost to war (or anything) the generations that could have followed are also lost...so sad.

It is a natural thing to fight for supremacy and the good of the herd and all animals seem to do it. The difference with humans is that we involve so many innocent people in our battles, while mostly, in the animal world, it is just the leaders and leader wanabees that fight and the pack/herd will meekly follow whoever wins, so there is a lot less carnage, but I am very grateful to my parent's generation who all gave up so much for our freedom.

This coming weekend it is the Banstead (Surrey) Countryside Day so if anyone is in the area on Sunday (12th) call in...the entrance is free. It is being held next to the car park in Holly Lane from 10.30am to 4.30pm and should be good...if the weather stays dry:-)

Pony Visit

2010-08-30T13:43:00.006+01:00

It has been a week of doing lots of horsey things.

Firstly we eventually found the time to visit Rufus and Tavey on their new site that they are busy conservation grazing and I am pleased to say that it is beautiful. It is quite an open enclosure with a lovely sunny slope covered with lots of sweet smelling wild herbs, like marjoram, basil and thyme. Both ponies have put on a healthy amount of weight which will set them up nicely for the winter and both look very happy. Better still there is a lovely country pub at the end of the footpath which is a good place to round off a visit to them. Unfortunately the site quite a long way away so we are not able to be their stock checkers while they are there but hopefully they will be coming back to our area again in the autumn.

My next horsey caper was to have a go at western riding. Ever since seeing Monty Roberts (horse whisperer) riding western at one of his demonstrations I have been wanting to have a go. I like the fact that they only have the lightest contact with the horse's mouth and they don't constantly keep nudging the horse in then ribs which must be so annoying for a horse. I was very nervous as I was concerned that I wouldn't be able to control my English riding habits and that I would confuse the horse but I needn't have worried and by the end of the lesson I was happily weaving in and out of cones.

My last horsey activity was to visit the Edenbridge and Oxted Agricultural show. We go most years but this time The Old Surrey Downs Project had a stand which we were helping with. Luckily the stand was in a good position where I could look over to see what was happening in the main arena and we also had some time off so we were able to watch some of the horsey classes in other arenas. My favourite was the lead rein class..such cute ponies and children..very Thelwell.

Amongst all this week's activities I have managed to get over to Rufus and Tavey's old site where I am helping with a survey of the reptiles there. I have put out 25 reptile refuges (bits of roofing felt or metal that reptiles like to go under for warmth and to keep dry) and wanted to check what was under them. There were several common lizards and some slow worms including the one in the picture below that is clearly pregnant and ready to pop any day:-)))

Embrace your Weeds

2010-08-22T17:56:00.006+01:00

This is a picture of the field just the other side of our garden fence. You can now see why we are fighting a losing battle with weeds in the garden. I would like to complain to the farmer but I am worried that he may use a herbicide which would get rid of the invasive weeds but would also destroy the orchids and other chalk downland flowers that are now appearing after years of it being set-aside land so instead I try to embrace the weeds as wild flowers...which I suppose they are really:-)

I find that if I zoom in on the weeds the photos often show that they are actually very beautiful plants. Here are some examples of self sown incomers to our garden:

One advantage of lots of weeds is that the insects like them and this in turn attracts the birds. I am pleased to say that friendly Robin has raised his/her brood and is back to following me around the garden. The first picture was taken before the breeding season and the second after. She looks a bit the worse for wear in the second picture but then raising offspring can do that to you (you should see my before and after pictures...not a pretty sight..lol).

When all the garden work gets a bit too much to enjoy it is lovely to be able to go up on to the North Downs to do the stock check of the sheep but, unfortunately, the last time we went we found one of the sheep had been attacked by a dog. Poor thing was in a sorry state and as a consequence the flock have been taken back to the farm so that the injured one can be treated and the others checked for bites. This leaves us with no stock to check as the ponies are still grazing another site quite a long way from us. I think we are going to be given 16 sheep to check on another site but it isn't quite as nice as it adjoins rather a rough estate and is notorious for vandalism and dog attacks. I have heard that Lamas and Alpacas are good at protecting sheep from dogs...maybe I should suggest that The Old Surrey Downs Project should get some of them:)

More Comings and Goings

2010-08-14T16:42:00.004+01:00

I have just realised that it is nearly 2 months since I have posted anything on my blog. My excuse is that I've been busy, although, on looking back, I can't think what has been sooo time consuming:-) So to summarise what has been going on:

The ponies on the SSSI have now been moved to another site to allow the land to recover before the winter. Rufus (the baby) took 3 hours to load into the trailer so I am pleased to say I wasn't involved. Their new site, which is another area of chalk downland, is a fair distance away but I have been told they are very happy as there is better grazing there. Hopefully they will be back in the winter.

I am pleased to say that the Bee Orchids (referred to in my previous post) survived the pony's hooves along with plenty of Pyramid and Common Spotted Orchids. These all finished finished flowering a few weeks ago and it is now covered with a carpet of wild Marjoram, giving a wonderful scent as we walk through it and lots of butterflies.

Since the ponies have gone I have put down 25 reptile refuges on their old site to see what reptiles there are following the scrub clearance and grazing. So far there have been a lot of slow worms and a few and common lizards. It will be interesting to see which will breed this year.

We still have the sheep to stock check and we have also become a lot more involved with all the sheep that are owned by the Old Surrey Downs. We are now proficient human sheep dogs and (if the sheep are willing) can flip them on to their backs and give them a wonderful pedicure. If they are not willing they flip us on to our backs :-))))

In the garden, the Lavender seedlings are now strong little plants and most have been planted to form lavender hedges alongside the paths (can't wait for next year when they all come into flower...the bees will love them). Otherwise there is the usual selection of weeds, perennial sweet peas, roses and a glut of runner beans and courgettes.

We have recently returned from a lovely holiday in the lakes and mountains of Italy to find that we have some new neighbours. I am not sure they are really welcome though, as it is a family of rats. They are incredibly cute as they gobble up the fall out from the bird feeder but as they are quite close to the house and ponds and knowing how fast they reproduce I don't think we can let them stay. I am not quite sure, at the moment, how we will get rid of them, because, as I am sure you will understand from the photo of baby rat, there is no way I could kill them.

Comings and Goings

2010-06-16T17:11:00.005+01:00

With every walk there are now new wild flowers popping up everywhere. It is becoming hard to walk in the pony field as there are so many Orchids coming up, including a group of the very attractive Bee Orchids. They are growing quite close to the water trough so I wonder how long it will be before eight big hooves manage to squash them. We have tried to protect them by covering them with a tripod made of sticks but Tavey seemed to think we had put it there for him to scratch himself on:-)

Another of the 'comings' are the butterflies and moths. Now when we walk through the long grass and wild flowers in the field behind us, masses of Cinnabar Moths, Small Skippers, Blues and some others that I have yet to identify, fly up chasing each other around. Magical. There seem to be far more than in previous years which is surprising when we had such a long cold winter.

Something that worryingly seems to have gone though, are the Bees. We had loads in the early spring when all the Crocuses were 'a buzz' with them but I haven't seen any for several weeks.

Lastly and very sadly another thing that has gone is our lovely old cat, Lizzy, who had to be put to sleep yesterday. She was rather a 'one person cat' and I was that person. Right from being a kitten she would follow me around and sit with me so I will miss her such a lot. However, she was nearly twenty and, apart from losing her tail when a car ran over it, she has had had a really good long life and was loved very much, which is great considering she was born to a young stray and spent her first few weeks of life living under a bush in an old ladies garden. Now she is at rest with her brother and sister in our back garden where she loved to watch the world go by whilst basking in the sunshine.

I Like Lichen

2010-05-30T09:52:00.004+01:00

I have always found lichen to be interesting although I have never spent much time finding out about them, so I was pleased to find that lichens were the subject of the first activity of the Open University short course that I am doing. There are many interesting facts but here are a couple:

Although looking like one organism, lichen is made up of two interdependent organisms. The main part is a fungus and within the fungus there is either photosynthetic algae or cyanobacteria. The fungus protects and stops the algae drying out while absorbing the products of the algae's photosynthesis.
In 2005 the European Space Agency exposed 2 different types of lichen to open space for 15 days and despite being exposed to the vacuum of space, cosmic radiation, full spectrum uv light and intense temperatures, the lichens survived and on return to earth were still able to photosynthesise.

In my garden we have a lot of trouble with a vast amount of lichen colonising on our apple tree. I have yet to find out if the lichen are causing branches to die off or if a dying branch just provides a more attractive habitat for the lichen but as you can see from this photo, some branches are covered in it and not looking too healthy.

While I have been wandering around my garden looking for different types of lichen I have also come across some bugs which I haven't seen before. The first was a Roesel's Bush-cricket but unfortunately he hopped off before I could take his photograph. The second bug, which was crawling around the cornflowers, was more obliging (just) and thanks to the Natural History Museum's bug forum, I have found out it is a Agapanthia Villosoviridescens. Apparently the larvae live in the storks of thistles so no doubt another benefit of adjoining a field of weeds that like to spread their seeds and other bits into our garden (one has to try and find positives:-) Anyway, rather a cute beetle with very striking antennae.

Besides searching for lichen, my husband and I have been busy cutting down some of the Hawthorn which is re-growing in the pony sssi area, as it is reducing the grazing area and shading out some of the wildflowers. Although it is a very scratchy job it is also enjoyable as the ponies come over to keep an eye on us and investigate our belongings...Rufus even managed to pick up my water bottle and give it a good shake...wish I had my camera ready as it looked very funny. There is also plenty of interesting wildlife like a Grizzled Skipper, loads of Twayblade and this newly emerged Man Orchid although this picture doesn't really show it properly.

There were also a few interesting passers by who stopped for a chat. One person was a riding instructor that taught me to ride when I was about 9 yrs old and another was an incredibly knowledgeable reptile expert. He was very interested to know where I had seen the common lizard last week and logged it in his GPS. He also told be about the best places for putting down refuges for the reptiles and said he will drop some off for us, along with some more information on reptiles. He was the sort of chap that one could learn so much from and it was such a pleasure to meet him.

Sunny Sunday

2010-05-23T18:27:00.004+01:00

At this time of the year I just want to be constantly walking around the countryside, as everyday seems to bring something new, especially when the weather is warm and sunny.

In the SSSI land grazed by the ponies, over the last few days, I have seen three slow worms and a cute common lizard that was sun bathing on a choice piece of fairly fresh horse's dung..mmm..lovely and warm:-) Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me.

Today, as the weather was so warm, I decided to forget the usual Sunday gardening torture and go for a long walk, checking out some of the fields around us. There were masses of moths and butterflies. I rather liked this White Ermine moth and thought it looked quite trendy sporting its musical notes on its back...

Another butterfly that caught my eye was this beautiful Green Hairstreak. The photo doesn't do it justice as the emerald green of its wings shone amazingly as it flew around. It's the first time I have seen one of these around here.

In the area of SSSI land nearest to us, that has been rather mashed up by heavy machinery clearing the scrub, I was pleased to see some Birdsfoot-trefoil making an appearance again as the whole area used to be covered in it. It shows things are beginning to recover so hopefully there will be more Orchids this year (still no sign of the lizards though).

Another flower that I rather like that is growing in lots of places on the ground disturbed by the heavy machinery is the Scarlet Pimpernel, although very common I think it is so pretty.

Besides my long enjoyable walk, I have managed to fit in some other useful things today. I have cleaned the filters on the fish ponds and thinned out the pond weed, all the while being watched by the beady eyes of several frogs. I have also put together a rose arch which is currently on the living room floor waiting for a strong man to help me lift it outside. There were too many red ants wanting a nibble of my ankles to build it outside. I think we are gradually being taken over by red ants but I don't like killing them so I just try to avoid them, although, every time I go out, they seem to come running over to me as fast as their little legs will carry them...I can almost hear them shouting, "Hooray it's dinner!" :-)

Ginger's Op.

2010-05-17T18:56:00.004+01:00

In my post dated 30th April I wrote about Ginger guinea pig needing an expensive operation to remove a bladder stone. Today was operation day but although the stone is still showing up on x-rays, when the vet opened Ginger up, she was unable to locate it, so he's been through all that trauma for nothing. Tomorrow pictures of the x-rays (£800 worth!) are being sent to a specialist to see if he can say where the stone is (thankfully we are not being charged for all these additional cost). Even if the specialist can locate it more accurately I am not sure it is fair to put Ginger through yet another operation, although he doesn't seem too bad after this one, just very hungry. I really don't know what to do for the best.

As I am writing this I am half watching a fox that is acting very strangely... one minute it is at the top of the field but the next time I look up it is at the bottom, then it is back up at the top again and so on. Very odd. I think I will forgo my game of chess with the computer and watch it for a while through the binoculars.

Painful Pastime

2010-05-16T14:37:00.003+01:00

When looking at other bloggers descriptions and photos of their beautiful gardens they conjure up images of warm sunny Sundays pottering in the garden, pulling out a little weed here and another there, whilst enjoying a peace and quiet only broken by birdsong. If only that is what it was like in my garden.

I love my garden...when I don't need to do anything in it, but, as we adjoin a field that has been 'set aside' for at least the last ten years, every weed growing out there also spreads into our garden and it ends up as a battle field...me against weeds (odd how the pretty wildflowers that grow in the field never end up in our garden).

Anyway, as soon as I step outside, firstly the sun goes in, then there is usually a mass evacuation of aeroplanes from the airport flying overhead, meanwhile all the neighbours start their lawn mowers and strimmers and every child in the locality will find something to cry about. Maybe they have been stung by one of the extra large stinging nettles that seem to grow in our area and constantly manage to generate a sting that penetrates even my extra thick gardening gloves or maybe they too have been attacked by the abundance of cleavers that wrap themselves around ones limbs leaving a horrible itchy rash or were they attacked by the dastardly vicious red ants that lurk under every flower pot just waiting for a leg to run up before they start biting their victim with gusto. Gardening is a painful business.

I wish all weeds were like Forget-me-nots..up they come every year, flower beautifully, are easy to pull up when they have finished flowering and without having to do anything more, up they come the following year just as beautiful and they do not inflict any pain or injury. That's the sort of plant I like:-)

There are some good things about gardening though. I like the way my friendly Robin follows me around and puts his head on one side when I mumble curses after a weed has inflicted another dose of pain and I like discovering Slow Worms hiding in sunny parts of the garden soaking up the warmth and I actually rather like snails as long as they keep away from my vegetables and Sweet peas.

I also like finding signs that the foxes and badgers are still visiting the garden, although, today I found a very gone off hens egg that some creature had left in the flower bed. Unfortunately I stuck my trowel in it before I realized what it was so just to add to my painful Sunday gardening experience, the rest of the time was spent trying not to breathe the very smelly odour that emanated from the egg..even the Robin found it too much and flew away:-)

It's Just As Well..

2010-05-08T11:17:00.004+01:00

It is just as well that so many baby fish survived the harsh winter in our ponds because this Heron has become a frequent visitor to a nearby tree and I suspect has already had a few 'fishy take-aways'......

It is also just as well that since Christmas I have been dosing up on vitamins, cutting down on fats and generally trying to get fitter as during some volunteer work with the Old Surrey Downs Project on Thursday and Friday, I twice found myself running across a field in the process of rounding up sheep. Considering I haven't run anywhere (not even for the bus) for many years, I was rather pleased with myself and found it quite liberating...a bit like being a child again. I now have this ridiculous urge to run around in the field behind us, a bit Julie Andrews like in the opening scene of the Sound of Music...it's lucky for the neighbours I can't sing:-))

It's also just as well that the ponies don't seem to like eating Orchid leaves as plenty are now coming up in their field, especially Common Spotted and Twayblades. I can't wait for the flowering season to start. The ponies have done a really good job with their conservation grazing although there is a lot of Hawthorn that is growing up again. I wonder if this will be cut down or whether they will put some other type of grazing animal in, like goats, that may eat more of it than the ponies.

And lastly, it's just as well we have a new computer as my legs ache after all that running around after sheep, so I can now have a lazy day trying to beat the computer at chess:-)

Another Guinea Pig Dilemma

2010-04-30T15:29:00.006+01:00

Back in November 09, I wrote about one of my grandson's guinea pigs (his guinea pigs live with us as he is allergic to them). Gemma needed an operation to remove a bladder stone...the total vets bill came to just over £500!! She is now fully recovered and as you can see by her shiny coat is doing very well...

...however, now Gemma's son, Ginger, has also been diagnosed with a bladder stone (the problem can run in families). My first reaction was that we couldn't afford another £500 but then again why shouldn't Ginger have the same chance of a healthy life as Gemma. Also if it had been one of my dogs or cats I wouldn't have given it a second thought but just because they are small creatures they aren't really any less important.

Above all else I actually really love little Ginger. He was a surprise arrival shortly after we bought the guinea pigs for Jack's birthday so he has been with us from the word go. There is no way I could have him put to sleep when I know I could do something about it... added to which my grandson has promised all his pocket money towards the op, which obviously I won't accept, but it shows how important Ginger is to him too...so decision made.

I am sure lots of people will think I am nuts spending around £1000 in 6 months on two guinea pigs but that is the way I am. I hope this will be the finish of vets bills for a while though or I will end up having to go back to work:-)

Dawn Chorus...of Cars.

2010-04-23T17:21:00.005+01:00

This morning I decided that it was time to properly enjoy the wonders of the dawn chorus so at 5am I dragged hubby out of bed and we set off to the ponies with a breakfast of currant buns and coffee in the backpack.

To me it felt very early and the birds were singing with great gusto but unfortunately it was just the start of another day for a lot people who were off to work and car after car drowned out the magical, joyful bird song. It was very disappointing and although I should have really felt sorry for people who have to leave for work so early in the morning, at the time I felt really resentful

It was a bit quieter by the time we got to the ponies as it is further away from the road but by then the best of the dawn chorus was over. It was still good to be out at that time in the morning and we enjoyed our picnic breakfast. Of course inquisitive Tavey wanted to know what was going on and had to check out my walking pole to see if it was edible...

...and then he wanted to know if I had saved him any currant bun (which I hadn't).

In retrospect, despite the car noise, it was a nice start to the day and I feel so lucky that at 5am I could be walking across beautiful countryside, spotting wild flowers, rabbits, foxes and deer and two happy little ponies, instead of having to drive to some boring job in a stuffy office...I've been there, done that and never want to do it again:-)

Feeling Sheepy

2010-04-16T10:17:00.006+01:00

The Old Surrey Downs Project have returned the sheep to the Tatsfield site so we are back to stock checking them again as well as the ponies. The area where they are grazing is on the side of the North Downs and there are beautiful far reaching views. Unlike before, our visits now benefit from the warmth of the sun as it is a very much a sun trap. The top fields are now bordered by masses of Violets and Primroses and rabbits, making the most of the better weather, scuttle back to their underground world as we walk down through the fields. It is such a pleasure.

As a reward for our work, all the stock checkers were invited to the farm to see the lambing in progress. It is good to see this new life knowing that these lambs are not be going to be eaten but will live, for as long as their health allows, as conservation grazers. Some of the older sheep are now in their teens:-) The following day we were back on the downs to help with the back breaking job of hoof trimming. All very enjoyable.

Today it is our day for checking the ponies. When we walk to them we pass the SSSI land that was cleared last year using heavy machinary and still hasn't been grazed. It will be interesting to see how the two sites develop as they are virtually side by side. At the moment they have mostly the same flowers coming through, although, the machine cleared area has far more Violets and an area of Coltsfoot.

The pony area has more Cuckoo Pint but that is probably because it is a more sheltered site with more trees but if Rufus has anything to do with it they will all be eaten. I think he is coming up to two so is probably teething and likes to chew on something hard.

Sadly although the volcanic ash has grounded most flights in the country there still seems to be flights going in and out of Biggin Hill Airport so we can't enjoy the peace and quiet but it does help a bit not having the constant buzz of planes stacking for the major London Airports. One day I would like to move to a place where I can't hear any planes or traffic...that's if such a place exists in this country.

Early Morning Moment

2010-04-10T10:10:00.007+01:00

My family and friends wonder why I get up so early when I don't have to but it is simply to revel in early mornings like today. When I opened the curtains at around 6am the lightening sky was clear with the hint of blue that promises a beautiful day; a soft mist lingered just above the field; the birds, mostly still in their roosts were greeting the dawn with happy songs; there was not a breath of wind... a picture of still serenity...apart from two young deer who were cavorting round and round, up and down, full of the joys of spring. What a lovely way to start the day and I wouldn't miss it for anything.

The past few sunny warm days have brought everything racing forward. The Violets in the pony field have been joined by Wood Anemones, Primroses and Celandine.

My Lavender seeds are sprouting well in the greenhouse along with all the others seeds we've sown and the sowing continues. Everywhere I look there are seed trays including the kitchen table. Unfortunately a lot of the perennial weeds are also sprouting well and it looks like I will be fighting quite a few battles this year especially with Cleavers which seem to be coming up all over the place. The battle with the weeds is one, I know from experience, I won't win (unless I use chemicals) so it doesn't bother me anymore I just pull up what I can so they don't completely take over and try to appreciate that they too are part of nature...even though those horrid stinging nettles have already got me twice...grrrr

I had a peep under the weed suppressant sheet that we put on the top of the bank several years ago in the hope of making it a sitting area (as it has beautiful views) and sure enough the slow worms were out in force enjoying the warmth after surviving such a cold winter. It is a shame we can't use our sitting area but its a small price to pay when we have inadvertently created a habitat for these funny little creatures who are multiplying up there at a tremendous rate year after year.

I have always loved nature but have never really found out how to study it properly so at the age of 55 I thought it was about time I did something about it, so I have just sent my application in for an Open University Course on the subject. I am very excited and can't wait to get going on it:-)

Violets

2010-04-02T17:24:00.002+01:00

The first flowers to show themselves on the SSSI land grazed by the ponies are Violets and lots of them.

My Granny loved Violets. She said they had saved her life when, as a little girl, living in Windsor Great Park, where her father was a game keeper, she had been given them because she was desperately ill with a bad chest. She apparently quickly made a complete recovery. I don't know if it was in gratitude but my mother's middle name is Violet.

My granny also used to tell me a tale of King Frost who wanted a wife to warm his heart and was sent Violet whom he adored, but Violet was sad that she could no longer be with her own kind, so as King Frost loved her very much, he allowed her to return home during the months of March and April and that is why all the Violets come out to greet and party with her during those months:-)

She was always telling me little stories which I used to listen to intently but she also had a wicked sense of humour so frequently I believed everything she was saying only to find out it was a big joke.

Another thing that has reminded me of my Granny just lately is the sight of a Starling in the garden. We very rarely get them here anymore for some reason (although they are in other areas of Biggin Hill) but I can remember my Granny, who was crippled with Rheumatoid Arthritis, waving her walking stick at the masses that used to congregate in her garden. She used to hate the way they would stop the other garden birds from eating the bread she put out. I think she would be very surprised now to find I get excited if I see just one in my garden and I think she would also be very sad to know that in some areas birds like Sparrows and Starlings are having a hard time.

Having been brought up in Windsor Great Park she had a lot of wildlife on her door step and loved all aspects of it. She used to tell me that her Father (the game keeper) often said that everything in nature must be balanced for everything to survive and it concerned her in her later years that, because of human activity, things were becoming unbalanced. She would be very pleased to know that areas of special natural interest are now being conserved and of course she would have loved Tavey and Rufus.

Busy Week

2010-03-26T13:19:00.004Z

Its been a fairly busy week.

Monday the computer arrived so we spent plenty of time setting that up and having a play. I'm pleased to say that it works fine and is full of new gadgets which are great fun to use.

Tuesday we went on a Stock Checkers Course run by the Grazing Animals Project. The morning was spent in a classroom learning about legal aspects, the welfare needs and the checking needs of sheep, cows, goats and ponies. We then went out to some beautiful SSSI land at Hutchinsons Bank in Surrey to look more closely at sheep and goats. Then it was back to the classroom for an evaluation test for which we are still awaiting the results (I already know I have got at least one wrong) then hopefully we will get certificates. It was a very interesting day and nice to meet some other stock checkers but it is a long time since I have had to concentrate on something solidly for a whole day so by the time I had also been to the stables and ridden Molly, who was her usual awkward self, I was totally exhausted so to round off a good day we treated ourselves to fish and chips..yummy.

Wednesday we took my elderly mother out for a pub lunch which was very nice but when we returned there were messages on all our phones asking if we could check the ponies as it had been reported that Tavey(found out on the course that his name is not Tivy) had been showing signs of colic which can sometimes be fatal. We got over to him about 4 pm and he was looking very sorry for himself but he was no longer rolling and he wasn't kicking or biting at his abdomen so we reckoned he was recovering. The grazing officer for the Old Surrey Downs Project made lots of phone calls to various people including the vet and it was decided that if we could stay and watch him until night fall and providing he didn't get any worse the vet wouldn't come out. It was rather nice sitting in the field watching the sun go down and listening to the birds singing their goodnight songs and watching the rabbits venture out for their dinners. Tavey didn't get any worse so when we could hardly see him anymore we crept through the dark woods back home. Needless to say I found it difficult to sleep that night and at first light the next morning I dragged my husband out of bed and we went back to see if he had survived the night. Peter, the grazing officer, arrived just after us with a tarpaulin in the back of his land rover 'just in case' but thankfully we had judged it right and Tavey was fully recovered and back to the business of eating the contents of the field.

Thursday, after the early start, was a quiet, relaxing day where we did some shopping and checked on Tavey again.

So here we are at Friday. After checking the ponies this morning and eating a tasty hot cross bun with a cup of coffee when we got back, we have been busy planting seeds. The greenhouse was lovely and warm, the robin was singing outside and the lambs were calling on the hill so it was a real pleasure AND I have at last got my 150 lavender seeds sown:-)))

Soggy Saturday

2010-03-22T11:14:00.004Z

I have just come back from a weekend in my favourite place, the New Forest. Unfortunately it poured with rain. Bad weather never stops us enjoying our walks through the forest, although, on this occasion wellies would have been more practical than walking boots because as you can see from this picture even the paths were giant puddles.

We tried to base most of our walking in woody areas for shelter and because that is where most of the ponies and deer go when it is wet. Inevitably we got lost a few times (there are so many tracks in the woods it is hard to tell which is an animal track and which is a human track) so our short walks always ended up as very long walks. On one of these unplanned detours we came across this lovely old tree that had bracken and a holly tree growing out off one of it's branches.

It put me in mind of the gravel area in our garden. The idea was to have an area, free from plants, for the clothes line but the plants had other ideas and have self sown themselves all over the gravel and seem to thrive there a lot better than in the flower beds:-)

Talking of plants, now the weather is a bit warmer it is time I started sowing some seeds. I had great intentions of starting the sowing earlier this year but because the weather has been so cold and my husband doesn't like heating the greenhouse I have put it off. The consequence is that I have loads to do all at once (including my 150 Lavender seeds) and very little time to do it. It will be worth it though when I can sit back and see the bees and butterflies enjoying the results of my hard work.

We have just this minute taken delivery of a new, up to date, computer so if I don't post for a while it will be because of teething problems (I have no faith when it comes to new things working first time, especially computers). Thank goodness we have a son (with a Computer Science degree) still living at home:-)

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-18T11:46:00.005Z

The lambs are bleating on the hill, the bees are buzzing on the crocuses and at last the frogs have started croaking in the ponds..oh and the sun is still shining..hooray spring has sprung :-)

I love this time of year as it fills me with feelings of anticipation and this year more so than usual as we have the new area of SSSI land to watch over as it starts to unfold its previously hidden flora and fauna. Every time we check the ponies now we notice new shoots sprouting up. The ponies have done and are still doing an excellent job of eating the unwanted rough grass and scrub. It has been a hard winter for them but as you can see from this photo of Tivy looking the picture of health, they have come through it very well.

Sadly the sheep have now been moved so we will not be stock checking them until they are returned again, probably in the late summer. I will miss my tickle sessions with Rambo but it's another place where it will be interesting to see which wild flowers appear. I am dreading the day when they move the ponies as I will miss them so much. I keep thinking about getting a pony/horse of my own but I am not sure I can really afford it.

I have now put the fleece that I collected from the sheep's field around the garden for the birds to use for their nests but so far I haven't seen any takers. It is perhaps still a bit early. Friendly robin and partner have now been joined by a blackbird who is also getting quite friendly and is usually waiting with the robins in the Elderberry for me to restock the bird table in the morning.

Luckily my cat, Lizzy, at 19 years old, is past the age of wanting to catch birds and is just happy to sit in the sun watching them flutter around. It is strange how the birds seem to know that she is not a threat to them anymore. I have seen the same in Namibia where springbok will sometimes happily graze really close to resting lions and it is this body language that Monty Roberts (horse whisperer) uses when working with horses.

Sunny Days

2010-03-06T16:50:00.004Z

I have at last got round to cleaning up the fish ponds and have been rewarded with the fish making an appearance to bathe in the warmth of the sun. Despite the freezing temperatures we've had this winter I have only lost two fish and one of those was very old. As I stood on the bridge admiring my tidy pond, I was surprised to count 4 new baby fish that had also survived the hard winter. I really don't want anymore fish as I already have too many (that is why we've ended up with two fish ponds) but I can't help enjoying watching them grow especially when they start to develop their colours. We only bought 5 fish when we built the first pond but from that 5 we now have well over 30 fish and two ponds. We also have a wildlife pond but for some reason the frogs prefer to spawn in the fish ponds.

The birds in the garden have also been very busy and I am pleased to see friendly robin seems to have a mate. I have already seen the pigeons collecting bits for nest building so it won't be long before the other birds are at it too. When we do our sheep check I have been gathering some of the fleece that is caught on the brambles and trees. I have then cleaned and dried it in the green house ready to put out around the garden for any birds wanting a cosy, warm nest.

It has made such a change to do the stock checks in the sun. On Friday it was so lovely when we visited the ponies that my husband and I sat on a fallen tree trunk for a while to enjoy the warmth of the sun. Tivy and Rufus who were grazing close by came over to investigate what we were doing. Rufus was too timid to come very close but Tivy spent about 30 mins investigating us. As a small pony I don't think he had ever seen the top of a human head before as he kept smelling our hair which had been freshly washed that morning. Bit of luck we hadn't used apple scented shampoo :-)

ONE Sunny Day

2010-02-28T13:36:00.006Z

Friday was a remarkable day...the sun shone!! I don't mind rain too much but when it is cold, muddy and wet day after day it does get me down a bit. Guess what...it is pouring with rain again today in the south, with a strong bitterly cold wind.

It has been a hard winter for the ponies grazing the SSSI land, especially for little Rufus as this is his first year without his mum or a herd of other horses to shelter him. He seems to be coping well though and as the picture below shows he has grown a thick winter coat. A horse's coat is double layered. The first layer is dense,warm and grease laden and the second layer is made of long shiny hairs which stick out and direct the rain away from the body. In addition, the skin over the loins and hindquarters is thicker so provides good insulation...this is one of the reasons horses turn their backs to the wind.

The ponies are doing an excellent job clearing the unwanted scrub and long grass in readiness for the spring chalk downland flowers. It is interesting to watch them pick out what they want to eat and how they shake their mouthful and bang it on the ground to end up with just the tasty bit they wanted. Very clever when all they have to rely on is their sensitive little mouth.

The wild plants are beginning to make an appearance now but this also brings a few problems as some, like bluebells and cuckoo pint, are poisonous to horses and both are beginning to make an appearance in the woody area.

Luckily they are not desperately poisonous, unlike the Yew tree that I also came across last week in the woody area, which can kill a pony within a very short time. Needless to say it is no longer there.

During our last few stock checks we have seen a person standing, motionless, in an area of neighbouring SSSI land that is in the process of being cleared. We have assumed him to be a keen bird watcher or maybe someone trying to photo the deer that frequent the area but as he was there again on Friday and as the weather was so nice we decided to investigate. We quietly crept along the track so as not to disturb his viewing too much...no wonder he wasn't moving...he turned out to be a wooden man someone had cleverly made out of logs :-))

Wildlife Returns

2010-02-24T13:25:00.003Z

After commenting on the lack of wildlife visiting the garden in my last post, things have suddenly started to look up but sadly not altogether in a nice way.

A couple of days ago, I was just settling down for my lunch when I noticed something flash past the patio doors. On investigation I found it to be a very thin and very mangy fox who was searching the garden for food. Unfortunately I haven't seen him again so not much I can do to help him. I hope it wasn't the handsome fox that used to trot through the garden last year.

I think I have solved the mystery of my missing snowdrops. I used to have quite a few planted around the lower fish pond but this year only one has appeared. However yesterday I saw a rather plump vole running around the rockery that surrounds the pond and judging by his size I'm guessing he has been enjoying a snowdrop salad:-) I don't mind at all as I have quite a few primroses that are adding a nice touch of spring colour and he is very cute.

I am also pleased to say that at last we have some pheasants visiting us again.

Where's Our Wildlife Gone?

2010-02-16T09:11:00.004Z

We seem to be missing a lot of wildlife just lately here in Biggin Hill. In previous years I'd open my curtains in the morning and there would always be pheasants in the garden or a deer in the field but this winter I've only had 2 pheasants visit us on one occasion and three sightings of deer. The fox that regularly visited the garden to drink from the wildlife pond has gone and even the heron hasn't bothered to stop off lately to grab a fish from the fish pond. Hmmm...all very strange.

Thankfully there is plenty of wildlife to be seen when we are stock checking the ponies and the sheep. The sheep have just been moved to graze another area of overgrown chalk downland. It is quite difficult walking through the scrub to check the fences but very entertaining as nearly every step disturbs a mouse, vole or rabbit.

I also love checking the sheep as it gives me a chance to give a very friendly Jacob Ram (I call him Rambo) a scratch behind his horns. He loves it and pulls faces of pure ecstasy:-)

I have been very busy just lately producing some course notes for a friend who is running a course in stable management. The area around my computer is now covered in horse reference books and magazines but at last I have finished with them so I suppose I should now tidy up. It was enjoyable doing the notes though as it refreshed my memory of all things horsey and I also learnt quite a few new things.

Talking of learning new things, my husband and I spent Valentines day attending a Monty Roberts demonstration. He is an incredible man, the original horse whisperer. After suffering many beatings (and broken bones) inflicted by his father and hating the way his father used to inflict similar beatings while training horses, he followed the mustang herds and came to understand their 'language'. He then used that knowledge to train horses without the need of inflicting pain. He has since spread this knowledge throughout the world and it has made such a difference to the way horses are treated. Monty is now 75 and is still going strong in his mission to leave the world a better place for horses. A great man and an honor to see him work.

SSSI

2010-01-31T18:04:00.004Z

The area of SSSI chalk downland that we overlook has for a long time been a complete mess following the scrub clearance that took place last year. I have been concerned that the work that took place at great expense, both in monetary terms and the disruption to habitats, was going to wasted as almost a year after the scrub clearance the area still is not being grazed. I therefore decided to email English Nature. They were wonderful and replied almost immediately, reassuring me that everything is in hand and going to plan and the area will soon be grazed. I am so pleased and excited as this area used to be very rich in wildflowers. They also asked if I would be interested in doing recording for them this spring and summer so I have put my name forward. Hopefully this will mean I will still be able to access the area even when it is fenced off.

I find it very hard to motivate myself to do anything at this time of year (although I have got loads that I should be doing) but at the same time I feel bored. The highlights of my week are stock checking of the ponies and the sheep and my weekly visit to the stables where I help to get the horses ready for the evening lessons and have a ride myself. As I left home for the stables last week the sky was very red giving a lovely rosy glow to everything. They say, 'Red sky at night, Shepperd's delight' but although the sky looked wonderful, I am not sure there would have been many happy Shepperds as the temperature plummeted. By the time I was ready to ride it was -2 and the yard was frozen solid so I gingerly led Molly to the sand school to mount up. Molly is often a bit reluctant to do things but on that night I think she just wanted to move to keep warm because she was really quite lively.

Busy Birds

2010-01-24T17:38:00.005Z

It is easy to see how pleased the birds are that the weather is no longer freezing because, as well as busily looking for food to build themselves up again, there also seems to be quite a bit of flirting going on. I am really looking forward to the spring and have already collected lots of sheep's wool that I will put out when nest building begins.

My friendly robin survived the freeze ok. While I was doing a bit of organising on photoshop I came across a picture of him/her taken in August....just a baby...

...now he/she is all grown up...and still as cheeky as ever.

Although I am pleased for the wildlife that the weather has improved I am sorry to say that these horrible damp, grey days make me feel very fed up.

We walked over to the ponies yesterday through loads of squelchy mud. The ponies were happy to see us which made it worthwhile. Tivy trotted over for a scratch but Rufus, as usual, carried on eating...during the snowy weather, although he was given hay, he developed a habit of nibbling bark, fences, the gates and the notices on the gates which say 'Don't Feed the Ponies'..hmm..can he read:-))

I am trying to cheer myself up by making some plans for the garden. Last year we gravelled the drive so now we need to make a path down from the drive to the front door and then we will be able to do some planting. When I was a child our next door neighbour's path was lined either side by Lavender and I loved running down it surrounded by bees and a lovely scent. This is what I would like for our path so I have been finding out about different sorts of Lavender. I also want to be able to use the Lavender in cooking and for craft things so it is important to get the right type. I will need quite a lot of plants to line the path on both sides but we have a Lavender farm fairly close to us so I am hoping that they will sell seeds in their gift shop. Can't wait to get going on it.

Communications

2010-01-10T16:43:00.005Z

I have always found 'communication' to be an interesting subject. For many years I worked as a Speech and Language Therapist's Assistant dealing mainly with pre-school children but, as much as I enjoyed my job, I find animal communication to be even more fascinating.

My cat, for instance, during her 19 years of life, has developed her "meuw" for food, to "meow," to "mnow" and after a couple of attempts she now manages a very respectful "now!...now!...now!" How clever is that...although its also a bit annoying at 5am when she wakes me up demanding her breakfast.

It is the communication aspect that makes me enjoy horses so much. Horses use a lot of body language between themselves but when being ridden by humans they have to interpret a whole host of other communications signals and in general they do it with such good humour. This makes me think that they too must enjoy the interaction with humans.

A couple of days ago, when we were visiting the ponies on the SSSI land, my husband tripped which frightened Tivy and he ran down towards where I was checking his field mate, Rufus. When Tivy saw me he stopped and tossed his head up and down a couple of times. So I tossed my head up and down a couple of times too (I had washed my hair that morning and it was flying around a bit like a horse's mane:-). Tivy looked at me in amazement, then tossed his head up and down again, so I copied him again and this went on for several minutes, each of us taking a turn. It sounds a bit mad, but communication is all about copying and turn taking. However, unfortunately, I haven't a clue what my head tossing conversation with Tivy was all about but it was great fun.

It is shame humans can't communicate better. My son, daughter and grandson left from Gatwick for their skiing holiday in France but their flight was diverted to Lyon due to bad weather. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, the French would not allow the passengers off the plane so they had to sit there for 12 hours!!! Eventually (I think after the British Consulate got involved) they were allowed off and arrived at their destination of La Plange at 5am, nearly 24 hours after leaving Gatwick. If we can't communicate better with our neighbouring country, to sort out simple problems, I don't hold out much hope for the EU ever being successful.

It will soon be Spring

2010-01-08T10:52:00.010Z

On snowy days like these...

...I like to think of sunny days to come...

...I can feel the warmth when I look at this picture:-)))

Yesterday was our day for stock checking the sheep grazing SSSI land on top of the North Downs at Tatsfield. We were able to dig the car out ok, but unfortunately we found the hill too slippery to drive up so we had to abandon the trip. Not too much of a disaster as the Grazing Officers go round to all the grazing sites with hay when there is snow on the ground so the sheep would have been seen by someone. Never the less I don't like letting people down, especially when it involves animals.

Today it was the ponies turn. They are a lot closer and we can walk to them if necessary. They were in their usual early morning place by the enclosure. We broke up the thick ice on their trough and poured in two containers of hot water that we had bought from home. I gave Tivvy a scratch under his mane and was pleased to feel he was nice and warm. We then slithered our way down the hill to check the fences and back home.

My daughter, son and grandson are due to fly out of Gatwick early tomorrow for a skiing holiday. I hope they make it...although at this rate they could spend the week skiing in England:-)

Mouse Munchings

2010-01-06T16:33:00.002Z

At first light I ventured out into the snowy garden to put out some bird seed. I carefully walked up the slippery path and across the bridge to my new bird table, with food at the ready, but sitting on the table, already tucking in to some seeds left over from yesterday, was the cutest little mouse. He nibbled away, then suddenly noticed me, gave me a look of surprise and scuttled off.

How I wish I had had my camera with me.

Stay warm everyone:-)

Birds Eye View

2010-01-04T18:07:00.003Z

I know a lot of people aren't too keen on crows but I really quite like them. They seem to enjoy life in their large social groups and they seem to also enjoy their ability to fly...I frequently see them chasing each other or just gliding around on the air currents apparently 'just for fun' and when resting, it is usually at the top of a tall tree where they can get the best view of the surrounding countryside.

On this freezing cold morning the crows were out and about as usual but more concerned in finding food than playing games in the sky.

Just before Christmas my husband and I got the chance to experience a 'birds eye view' when we went to the Paul McCartney concert at the 02 (Millennium Dome). Our seats were right up near the roof and it was very high up! When I first looked down, something seemed to draw me forward. If I had been a bird I would have taken off and swooped around but as a human I found it rather disconcerting.

I wonder if birds, especially fledglings, experience a similar feeling and that is what draws them out of their nests for their first flight.

New Year Cheer

2009-12-31T13:01:00.006Z

I am so pleased that we are nearly in 2010... I love the feeling of new beginnings...baby birds, spring flowers and sunshine...all just a few months away:-)

I found I didn't have much festive spirit this year despite a liberal intake of whisky...Christmas is just such hard work. I think that everyone had a good time though and my mother was pleased with a present of a new bird table. This turned out to be a bonus for me as, when we collected her old one for disposal, we found that it was only the table part that was irretrievably rotten so my husband set to work and made a new top. He had a bit of trouble finding wood strong enough on the old roof to fix the new supports...hence they are a bit wonky, but I now have a proper bird table.

My friendly robin is very pleased as no longer will his grubs blow away before he eats them all. Also, at last there is somewhere for me to feed the blackbirds (they don't like my hanging table as it swings about and because of a visiting cat, it is too dodgy to put food on the ground).

I have positioned it on the bank away from the other feeders so now, when I am sitting in my favourite armchair, I can see the bird table from one window and the hanging feeders from the other...just as well I have my stock checking duties otherwise I would be sitting there all day.

Now the snow has gone the stock checking is done wading along paths of mud. Everything looks rather dull and grey but on closer inspection there are a few shoots of new growth here and there, the birds are happily searching out food and the rabbits are able to dig for juicy roots again. The damp has also brought out some beautiful shades on the tree stumps left after the scrub clearance. It doesn't matter how dull the weather there is always something good to look at in nature...even so I can't wait for spring :-)

Happy Wishes for the New Year

Snowy Wanderings

2009-12-23T11:56:00.002Z

I absolutely love early morning country walks in the snow. There is so much evidence of nocturnal wildlife with tracks going everywhere. I could spend all day just following tracks, finding hidden habitats and seeing how far the night time wanderers went.

As the footpaths on the SSSI land have been temporarily closed because of the ponies grazing, the animal tracks are undisturbed. This makes our daily fence check very interesting and rather time consuming.

In the woody area there are lots of rabbit tracks...

As well as fox tracks, badger tracks also criss-cross the whole field...

On the perimeters and edges of the woods there are lots of deer tracks...

They are all so busy with just surviving. I feel quite guilty for being disappointed when I couldn't have a take away the other evening when the roads out of the valley became too icy because of a sudden snow fall and also for complaining that I was too hot when I went to the Paul McCartney concert at the O2 Milleneum Dome last night.

Snowy Walks

2009-12-19T16:47:00.006Z

As the blizzard raged on Thursday night, I lay awake, watching the horizontal lines of snow passing under the street light. I couldn't sleep because I knew my son was out in it. He and some friends had been to see the film Avatar and were driving back to Biggin Hill where my son would have to walk down into the valley as the hillside roads are too dodgy in heavy snow. He eventually got home at 12.30 am but then I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the ponies on the SSSI land. Dartmoor ponies are very hardy and there are plenty of sheltered areas in their field but it can't have been much fun for them.

Next morning I couldn't wait to see how they had fared and was pleased to see them in their usual position, looking rather wet and sporting a few icicle in their manes, but never the less looking happy. We broke up the ice in their water trough and then braved the slippery decent to check the fences. It was a beautiful walk with the sun coming out and lighting up the snow laden trees. I was amazed at the number of animal tracks (deer, badger, rabbit and fox). I'd have thought that most of the wildlife would have stayed 'at home' in such bad weather. This picture is of little Rufus...nothing stops him eating, even the snow, as you can see by his snowy muzzle.

My husband and I are really enjoying our stock checking duties, so much so we are now stock checkers for some sheep that the Old Surrey Downs Project have grazing at another site, fairly close to Biggin Hill. It is in a beautiful situation right on top of the North Downs. I don't have much experience of sheep so it will be interesting to find out more about them and I am really looking forward to seeing what wild flowers appear in the spring.

The Old Surrey Downs Project is such a good set up. It has animals grazing at about 15 sites around Surrey and surrounding areas. Britain has about 50% of all the chalk downland sites in the whole of Europe and a lot of those are in or near to Surrey. Their land management using animals to graze various areas, especially the recovering ones, makes so much sense.

Allusive Pot of Gold

2009-12-06T16:43:00.004Z

The weather is certainly unpredictable at the moment but with the lure of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow I decided to venture out for a walk in the field behind us.

By the time I got to the rainbow's end the sun was out and the gold had been replaced by a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the sudden warmth. The birds started to sing and a group of at least 12 magpies flew out of the woods. I wonder what the collective name is for a lot of magpies?

Today I discovered where the gold had gone...a goat who is employed to eat the scrub on another nearby area of S.S.S.I. land must have gobbled it up...unless the goats name was Joseph, the amazing technicolour dream goat..ha, ha.

When I got back from my goat walk I decided that Gemma (my sick guinea pig), after eventually costing us £470 in vets bills, was well enough to be re-united with her guinea pig son, Ginger. It was a lovely reunion with lots of squeaks and whiskery kisses.

Sadly, yesterday, I had news that a beautiful horse I used to ride for a friend had had to be put to sleep following a collapse and paralysis. She was a very big horse but soooo gentle, both with other horses and humans. She was always friendly and always happy. I hope she will be just as happy in horsey heaven. RIP Izzy, I will miss you.

Fantastic Fungi

2009-11-26T20:37:00.006Z

The mystery pony has gone. Apparently a dog walker recognised him and informed the owner who came and collected him. We still don't know how he got there though...perhaps he had very cleverly worked out how to climb stiles..ha,ha.

I am enjoying my daily trips to the ponies such a lot. I had begun to get a bit lazy and not go for walks much but now I am walking up and down hills every day and I am feeling much fitter and more energetic and never want to go home.

It is already interesting to compare the two areas of SSSI land. The area nearest to us is very open and exposed, whereas, the area with the ponies is quite sheltered and surrounded by trees so as a consequence it is a good place for fungi. Over the last few days I must have seen at least ten different types of fungi. I don't know much about fungi so I haven't a clue what they are. When I have time I will try to identifying them but at the moment I am just pleased to have started my photographic record of the land.

Mystery Pony

2009-11-23T18:56:00.005Z

Yesterdays visit to the SSSI land to check on the ponies needed to be quick as we were due at a family celebration for my mother's 86th birthday. You can therefore imagine how we felt when, on walking through the woods towards the ponies enclosure, we came across some fresh pony sized droppings. Images of a lovely lunch were rapidly replaced with images of having to traipse up and down the valley, through mud and brambles, looking for our charges.

When we got to the enclosure both ponies were there (phew!) but so was another pony. Very odd as the area is really only accessible by stiles or kissing gates and I don't know of any ponies that have managed to negotiate either of these.

Shortly after our arrival a grazing officer form the Old Surrey Downs Project arrived. She had already been told about the extra pony and had been making enquiries with a local horse owner who unfortunately didn't recognise it. She then tried the police who said they could only act if the pony was on the road and then she tried the RSPCA who had no one that could come out as all their officer were in Cumbria helping with animals affected by the flood.

In the end we had no option but to leave him where he was... he was safe, had water and plenty of grass to eat so couldn't come to any harm but the mystery remains...who does this pony belong to and how did he get there?

Weather, Walks and Guinea Pig

2009-11-19T21:05:00.006Z

The weather can't make up its mind just lately, one day wind and rain, the next warm and sunny (well nearly sunny). Last Saturday it was blowing a gale and the rain moved in sheets down the valley but Sunday was a lovely warm day so we went for a walk in the fields adjoining us which I hadn't had a chance to do for a few of weeks. I was really surprised to still see quite a few wild flowers, a Peacock Butterfly enjoying the sun and some leaves left on the trees.

My regular stomping ground is now a bit further down the valley, on the SSSI land being managed by The Old Surrey Downs Project. This is because my husband and I are now officially stock checkers for the two Dartmoor ponies they have grazing the land. Their job being to control the growth of various grasses so that the Orchids (and other flowers ) will have a better chance of coming up next year. It is very nice to have a reason to go for a walk, as now we don't have dogs anymore, we often lack motivation to go out especially in the winter.

To update on my guinea pig issue, Gemma had an operation today to remove a very large, knobbly stone from her bladder. She is back home again now and doing quite well. The total cost was £436 !!

Peril for Parakeets

2009-11-14T16:00:00.005Z

I was saddened to read in my local paper that Natural England has put the Ring-Necked Parakeet on their hit-list. From Jan 2010 they can be killed, have their nests disturbed and the eggs destroyed by owners and occupiers of land, as long as they can prove justification and it is done humanely. It's a bit confusing though as the birds also seem to be protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act...????

I personally really like Ring-Necked Parakeets even though they are not native to our country. They feed happily alongside the smaller birds on my feeder and unlike other birds don't touch any of our growing veg. or fruit and lets face it a lot of Britain's wildlife didn't originate in this country. However Natural England have outlawed them because they have had complaints from farmers saying they are ruining fruit crops and that they also act aggressively towards native species such as starlings, nuthatches and woodpeckers that have similar types of roosts.

Apparently they have long been regarded as a pest in their native India so, knowing that, what a shame that the 'powers that be' allowed them to get a hold in this country as there are now so many in the South of England, that by allowing their destruction, it is inevitably going to mean that some of these beautiful, intelligent birds will be subjected to abuse and suffering.

In addition, the Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose and Monk Parakeet have also been added to the list of undesirables:-(

Exciting Visitors to S.S.S.I. Land

2009-11-09T18:51:00.005Z

On Sunday I went for a walk across the S.S.S.I. chalk downland that is on the other side of the road to the S.S.S.I. land that we back on to. It is being very well manged by the Old Surrey Hills Group who have been sympathetically clearing it of scrub (unlike the area nearer to us). Their initial idea was that they would then put goats on it to keep the scrub down and I put my name forward as a volunteer to look after them. However, on consideration they decided a couple of Dartmoor ponies would be more suited and sure enough there they were busily munching away. I am thrilled as I LOVE horses and ponies and of course have put my name forward as carer for them too... so fingers crossed:-))

Following my previous post I have decided that as well as writing predominantly about wildlife, I will also include more things about my life in general so expect to see more about horses, my pets and my garden. I hope this doesn't put anyone off.

First off is news of one of my Guinea Pigs, Gemma. She has been peeing blood for a few days and today the vet has decided she must go in for further investigations. She is a very nervous Guinea so it will be very traumatic for her. I take her in at 8.45am tomorrow...I soooo hope she will be ok and won't need an operation:-(

Tomorrow is also the day I go horse riding. The horse I ride is being a bit of a problem at the moment in that she can be going really well and seems to be enjoying herself but then suddenly stops and won't move for anything or anybody. The owners have spent loads on veterinary tests, dentist checks and a new saddle, but the problem still persists. I find it very worrying as I hate the thought that she might be in pain. Last week the vet took a urinary sample so it will be interesting to see if that shows up anything. I sometimes think I would be happier just looking after the horses and not actually riding them.

Blogging Block

2009-11-04T11:34:00.007Z

I really admire all the wildlife bloggers that manage to make regular posts that are interesting. I have hit a bit of a wall in my very short time as a wildlife blogger as so much that I love about wildlife is just repetitive. For example, I still and always will, get a tremendous buzz when my friendly Robin visits the garden but, however much I enjoy his visits, I can't keep writing about them as basically he does the same thing every time he comes so to put that in a blog post would be plainly boring.

When I think about it, it is only very occasionally that something unusual happens. Hmmm...so if I am going to give this blogging business another go I think I will have to include a few more posts that aren't strictly to do with wildlife. I will have a good think and hopefully start posting regularly again soon. Meanwhile here is a picture of my Friendly Robin looking very cross because I decided to take his picture instead of giving him his grubby treats:-))

The Spiders are Coming.

2009-09-04T10:45:00.004+01:00

The spiders are indicating that we are slipping gradually into Autumn as there is a relentless migration of them into my bathroom and an equally relentless effort on my part to deny them entry. Those that make it in are quickly caught in the spider catcher and returned to the garden, although, there have been three spiders that were too big for the spider catcher!!

I did intend to put a spider picture that my son had taken in macro at this point but I can't bring myself to do it as I am not that keen on spiders due to a couple of nasty incedents with them.

The first incident occurred after I had had a lovely relaxing bath. I slipped on my warm, fluffy bath robe and settled on the sofa with a nice glass of cool white wine but as I picked up the wine glass a large hairy black leg appeared out of the cuff of my bath robe...eeeek! I was not too relaxed after that:-)

The second incident was back in the days of having to get up in the dark to go to work. The alarm woke me up and I heard the Teasmade making me my morning cuppa. I dosed for a few minutes to let it cool down and then, so as not to disturb my husband, I didn't turn the light on, but took my cup from the Teasmade and took a big reviving gulp. Horror, something large got stuck in my throat. After a panicky few seconds as bits of the 'something' went down my throat and other bits didn't, my husband, who had been woken up by the choking noises, turned the light on to find me pulling huge spider legs out of my mouth...eeeeeeeeeeeeek!! Needless to say the Teasmade went in the bin and I only ever have a bottle of water by my bed now:-))

Love is in the Air

2009-08-30T19:08:00.004+01:00

I have an admirer and the feeling is mutual. Every time I go into the garden a young robin follows me around. Whatever I am doing he is there watching me and I really love his company.

Yesterday I was cutting back the overgrowth around the small fish pond and as usual my little friend was there so I thought it was about time I had some photos of him. The first photo was taken standing up bending over the bush the robin was in but as my back was sore it was difficult to keep still.

I decided to chance sitting down to take the next photo but expected that Robin might not like that and fly away. On the contrary, he seemed pleased and came even closer to me.

The next 5 minutes I spent telling Robin what a beautiful, handsome young lad he was (actually 'he' might be 'she' but I don't expect Robin cared). His reaction was to hop up and down the branch almost going onto my knee at one point... bit of luck my old cat has lost her appetite for Bird:-)

Foxy Lady gets Fish

2009-08-28T17:08:00.005+01:00

I always find it difficult to decide what to do when I find one of my fish looking very ill and at death's door. Do I leave it in the pond and risk infecting the others if it has something catching or do I take it out and bang it on the head to save it suffering or do I take it out and put it somewhere else where it can die peacefully on its own?

Yesterday I found one of my fish looking in a very bad way so I thought I would put it out of its misery but when I went to pick it up it swam away so I decided to put it in a bucket with pond weed and Lilly Pads to shelter it and wait to see if it would improve.

In the evening I checked on it on route to fill up the bird feeders and it wasn't looking too good and by the time I returned from the feeders it appeared to have died but I thought I would leave it in the bucket overnight as I didn't want to disturb it if there was still a bit of life left.

Next morning I got up at 5.30 am to find the bucket on its side and the weed strewn across the garden. I went out to look for the fish but couldn't find it anywhere and then 5 minutes later female fox came into the garden and went straight to an area under some trees where she dragged out my fish and proceeded to eat it.

I am always amazed at how good a fox's sense of smell is; the bucket with the fish in it had been well tucked away but Foxy still managed to smell it out. I have had similar examples of their very efficient noses when our first hen died and we buried it deeply at the end of the garden but a fox still smelt it out and by morning there was nothing left but a big hole.

Poor old fish...I am certain it would have been dead by the time the fox found it and at least the fox went away happy with a full tummy.

Chicken Welfare

2009-08-26T17:33:00.005+01:00

In the past I have kept hens and found them to be bright, active creatures that love to stretch their wings, scratch around for bugs, dust bath etc., in fact all the things wild birds do.

My hens would follow me round as I dug the garden so they could grab the odd worm; if I was sitting in the sun they would sit next to me with their wings stretched out also enjoying the warmth; they would love to go onto their tip toes flapping their wings to have a good stretch and sometimes they would just run round the garden chasing a fly. They were happy hens and showed it by producing lots of lovely eggs.

I was therefore horrified to read on the RSPCA website that Defra is currently considering new EU legislation which would reduce the current space that a chicken raised for meat in this country is allowed. When you consider the current area allowed in this country is only about the size of an A4 sheet of paper you can see why I am upset by this.

We wouldn't allow wild birds like Blackbirds, Bluetits or Robins (or any wild animal) to be confined in an equivalent small space but hens are really no different to wild birds. Their natural instinct along with every other living thing is to move. Sometimes I am ashamed to be human.

If you feel like I do please take a minute to go to the RSPCA's website http://www.rspca.org.uk/ and join their campaign 'Quash the Squash'.

Pheasant Returns

2009-08-24T16:28:00.004+01:00

At last I have a chance to get on the computer. With my grandson round here for the holidays and my husband playing on-line chess it is hard to get a turn with enough time to do all the necessary things and post a blog.

We have also been away in Bournemouth for a while, staying in the rather nice Sandbanks Hotel. Our room overlooked Poole Harbour and Brownsea Island so we had plenty of seabirds to keep us amused not to mention the people learning to windsurf and kite surf. Great to watch but a bit too energetic for us to take part. We plumped for the other side of the hotel which adjoined the sandy beach and as the weather was remarkable good we spent a lot of time relaxing and building sandcastles with our grandson.

Back at home nature has been quietly getting on with the year. The squirrels have taken most of the Cob Nuts while we have been away. The Sparrow Hawk continues with its surprise attacks leaving feathers everywhere when it has been successful. The Roe Deer have been making regular appearances at dusk but always when it is just too dark to get a photo and the few remaining bats that we were left with at the end of the hard winter have now multiplied into a healthy colony again.

More good news, the female Pheasant who has been absent from the garden for a while returned today bringing a brood of three babies...clever mummy avoiding those foxes:-)))))

Namibian Beetle

2009-08-12T16:17:00.004+01:00

I have always been a big fan of the Beatles (the hairy musician type) but I am not so keen on the black, vicious looking, creepy crawly type, although I do have a sort of horrified fascination for them. Just lately we seem to have had an invasion of them in our living room and I am constantly having to turf them out into the garden where they belong.

The only beetle I have ever really liked (apart from the Ladybird) is a beetle I came across while travelling in Namibia in 2007 called the Upside Down Beetle.

This clever little chap survives in the desert by crawling to the top of a sand dune at night where it basically turns upside down on to its head allowing moisture brought in by the sea mists to run down grooves in its back and into its mouth. Amazing and kind of cute looking too:-)

When one is in the desert it is hard to imagine that anything could live there for long but there's a surprising amount of wildlife that has adapted and evolved to survive the harsh environment

While we were sitting round the camp fire one evening, under an Acacia tree, (yes we were camping!) our Namibian guide asked what dangerous creatures we had in England. He seemed to find it hard to believe that all we could manage was the Adder and that it rarely kills anyone. The next morning, while the camp was being dismantled (we were moving on to the Skeleton Coast) a beautiful but poisonous Coral snake made its way out of a hole in the same Acacia Tree we had been sitting under the previous evening.

New Forest Return

2009-08-07T12:31:00.005+01:00

My visit to the New Forest was as lovely as ever. The spring foals are growing rapidly and spending lots of time playing with each other; the mares are filling out and looking a lot fitter and there is the usual plethora of wildlife round every corner. What a wonderful place. I wish I didn't have to come home...maybe one day I won't:-)

When I got up this morning I became aware of a very strange bird call. I grabbed the binoculars and darted from window to window trying to see what was making the noise but then I realised that my daughter had left her i-phone here and it was that giving her a wake up call (nice way to wake up). lol.

I did hear another welcomed bird call just as we got back from the New Forest. It was our Buzzard pair who have been absent for a few weeks. They were circling above us and very tenderly encouraging an offspring with its flying skills. Great! It shows things are going well with them. Unfortunately they were too high up for me to get a decent picture with my little camera.

While we've been away not only have the dreaded weeds grown again but I'm pleased to say that all our fruit and veg have too. We are eating runner beans and courgettes with every meal and giving them away to anyone who passes by. The cob nuts are ripening nicely and we will soon be racing against the squirrels to harvest them.

The plum tree was so laden with fruit this year that unfortunately a branch broke with the weight of the fruit while we were away. I wonder if they will still ripen enough for us and the birds to eat them.

London Litter

2009-07-30T23:19:00.004+01:00

I have had a very busy time since my last post because I've been organizing and enjoying my husband's birthday celebrations...he is now officially an OAP:-)) Yesterday we went to London, had a picnic in the park, went to see 'We Will Rock You' and went on for a meal afterwards. It was a lovely day but I was rather saddened to see a pigeon wandering round Charing Cross Station with a plastic tag caught so tightly round its ankle that it had cut off the circulation and his foot had fallen off. It didn't seem particularly distressed, more uncomfortable as the tag suck out, but it could have been avoided if people would just pick up their litter.

Although I find London quite interesting for a days visit I always love coming back to the fields and woods of home. I just wish the weather would improve as it seems that, just lately, I start a walk in the sun but end it in the rain. When I went out today the butterflies were enjoying themselves in the warm sun and I was hopeful of getting some good pics of them on the Wild Thyme which grows in abundance in the fields. By the time I had got to the top of the field the sky had darkened and it was tipping it down with rain so I had to make do with pictures of the Thyme and Harebells without their colourful companions who had flown away to take cover somewhere.

Talking of taking cover, my poor garden birds are constantly having to fly for cover because of a Sparrow Hawk who keeps swooping down at incredible speeds to snatch the little birds from the feeders. He is coming so often I think I may have to stop putting feed out for a while to try and break the habit. I am off to the New Forest for a few days so I will get my son to monitor it over the weekend and make a decision when I get back.

Worm Brew

2009-07-21T11:28:00.004+01:00

For a long time we had loads of worms in one of the compost bins so with that in mind my husband asked around to see if anyone was getting rid of a wormery. Almost immediately someone on Freecycle sent him an email offering him one, so since Easter we have been nurturing lots of wiggly worms.

The great thing about having a proper wormery is that as the worms eat their way through our leftovers they produce a liquid and as the wormery has an artificial floor with holes in, it allows this liquid to pass through to the bottom where it can be drained of by means of a tap. We now have our first brew of wormy wine ready to treat our plants with. Lets hope the plants like it:-)

Ragwort: To be or not to be?

2009-07-17T17:13:00.007+01:00

At this time of year the fields behind us are usually covered in Ragwort; however, this year there is a lot less, so I am guessing Mr Farmer has sprayed it.

I am not a big fan of chemical weedkillers but as I have mentioned in a previous post, I do think Ragwort needs to be controlled as it can kill grazing animals, particularly horses, and its yet to be decided if it is dangerous to humans. Having said that I have really enjoyed this year, seeing the masses of Cinnabar Moths, whose larval food is Ragwort. In turn, every strand of the remaining Ragwort is now covered with their attractive stripy caterpillars.

A lot of people in the horse world feel that Ragwort should be totally eradicated but surely we need to try and respect that whilst it can be deadly to one species it can be a lifeline to another. I really do sympathise with people who have lost much loved horses to this weed though and hate the thought of any horse, let alone one of the horses I ride, dying in such an unpleasant way. All very confusing...I really don't know what to think.

Insect Takeover

2009-07-15T11:34:00.006+01:00

The young birds in the garden now seem pretty self sufficient and it is all a lot quieter. The exception to this is the Magpie family and they are still going around like a group of hooligans hell bent on destroying the runner bean supports and the garden chairs by pulling at any loose thread. If one manages to get a bit of thread or anything else interesting they all chase it madly round and round the garden. They also desperately want to be like the smaller birds and eat from the feeders but they only manage to hold on for a couple of seconds during which time they gobble like mad...very amusing to watch.

Where the birds have quietened down the insects have taken over. The bumble bee's nest that the fox uncovered a few weeks back is thriving. The only problem being that it is right in the middle of the lawn. We also have a wasps nest that is in an unfortunate place; in the rockery, right next to the bridge that hides our filter box that needs cleaning just about every day. It puts me in mind of when I saw a wasp flying around the wildlife pond with a red spot on its back. I was very excited and convinced that we had some rare species in the garden but when my boys got back from school they informed me that they had marked the wasp with a little dollop of paint so they could monitor where it flew. I felt sure they were destined for jobs in wildlife conservation but both went into computing.

The other problem insects that we have are the grasshoppers and crickets. We have a fly curtain at the patio door that is made out of lots of little bits of bamboo on strings but when they blow together it makes a clickety noise that attracts the crickets and grasshoppers so we are forever having to turf the little hoppers out of our breakfast room. We will definitely have to buy a new fly curtain. This little chap hadn't got that far and was well camouflaged amongst the weeds in our lawn.

Glow Worms

2009-07-12T14:47:00.008+01:00

It is the time of year when our daytime walk becomes a night time walk. This is so we can count Glow Worms. The females of these fascinating little creatures glow brightly to attract a mate from around mid June to the end of July. They are often seen on grass land, particularly in chalky areas. They usually start glowing at around 10pm and keep going to about midnight. Unfortunately, because I usually get up around 5 am in the summer (thanks to Lizzy, my old cat, pestering me soooo much that it is just easier to get up!) I really feel like going to bed at 10pm rather than going for a walk; however, it is worth getting tired to see these amazing glowing insects. There are several things in nature that the camera just can't do justice to and the brilliant glow of a glow worm is one of them.

This is a favourite poem of my grandson's, although, sadly neither of us know who wrote it:

I wish I was a Glow Worm,
A Glow Worm's never glum,
'Cos how can you be grumpy,
When the sun shines out your bum!

The greatest number of Glow Worms we have seen in any one night is 74 but that was several years ago when the children were young and we all used to go on family glow worm hunts. So far this year we haven't seen many but hopefully we might see more if the weather improves a bit.

Clever Birds

2009-07-08T12:16:00.004+01:00

The frenetic feeding of baby birds in the garden seems to have calmed down a bit over the last few days. I don't know if this is because of the stormy weather we've been having or because the youngsters are now managing to feed themselves. Either way I think the parent birds have done and incredible job in raising their young. They have built their nests, kept them clean, fed their babies and all with no hands just a beak...wow...clever things.

The Parakeets do use their feet quite a lot though and often spend several minutes just hanging around but I wonder if they use them in parenting. This one hung by just one toe for about a minute and a half.

Now there aren't so many protective parent birds around the squirrels have returned to the feeder. Over the years I have tried several ways to make it more difficult for them to get at the bird food. Not that I mind them having some but they eat soooo much. Anyway they are just too agile so I have now given up and they help themselves along with everything else.

Seeds and Weeds

2009-07-05T11:46:00.006+01:00

Yesterday my husband and I went to Wakehurst Place in Sussex. We were amazed at the sizes of the trees; some must have been growing for years as they were massive. I have never seen any photo or painting that can truly capture the magnificence of a large tree; they are just one of those things that have to be seen to be appreciated.

While we were there we visited the Millennium Seed Bank. I have always appreciated the importance of plants but never really considered the future of plants and the devastating effect of certain plants dying out. The Millennium Seed Bank Project is incredible as not only do they have to collect the seeds but also work out how to store them in a way that will enable them to germinate again maybe in hundreds of years time and each seed has different requirements. They said that they have now collected seeds from every plant known in Britain except for a couple of rarer ones. What a job...I'd love to work there.

Anyway when I see the weeds in my garden I will now think that in generations to come people might be pleased to see these plants. In fact just at the moment I have to say that some of my weeds are looking quite pretty:-)

Bird Battles

2009-07-02T20:54:00.005+01:00

For those of you that get lots of Starlings in your gardens you would probably be surprised that I was not 100% sure that this was a baby Starling. There were no parent birds around and I didn't realize juveniles were so brown. I sort of guessed it was a Starling by its walk but was pleased to have it confirmed after watching a video on MIDMARSH JOTTINGS' blog. Obviously there are adult Starlings around nearby so I wonder why they don't come into my garden.

Just about every other bird has been paying us a visit along with their broods of youngsters. The garden seems like a bird version of Piccadilly Circus with all the comings and goings.

The Magpies have taken command of the ground and go around in a gang, like delinquent teenagers, terrorising everything and trying to undo the string that holds the runner bean canes together. Even the Pheasants get their tails pulled.

The feeding tree has become the domain of the Woodpecker family. They don't mind the smaller birds but hate the Parakeets and there are frequent wing flappings and squawkings as they argue it out. Once the Woodpeckers have driven the Parakeets away they seem to like to show their supremacy by drilling a few more holes in the poor old tree. I don't think the tree will survive for much longer.

There is so much going on I think I could happily spend all day just watching at the window but despite the hot weather I am still trying to do at least one walk a day. Today I chose a nice shady bridleway to wander down but other than lots of butterflies and a vole there wasn't much going on. I think everything was sitting sensibly in the shade taking it easy which is probably what I should have been doing as I got very hot. So something to cool down with; this is a picture of the same bridleway that I walked down today but when the photo was taken, only a few months ago, it was below freezing:-)

Flying Bugs

2009-06-29T18:32:00.003+01:00

I actually enjoyed the Biggin Hill Air Fair this year as for once it wasn't too noisy; even the Vulcan Bomber's display was reasonably quiet. I spent both days sitting in the sun at the end of the garden, where, in the moments there were no aeroplanes flying, I could admire the flying antics of many butterflies. I didn't realise there were so many down there. I am not very good at identifying butterflies or moths so if I have got these wrong please let me know.

Marbled White

Meadow Brown

Burnet Moth

In a previous post I mentioned how frightened the deer get during the Air Fair and showed a picture of them by the woods, right under the flight path, the evening before the Air Fair. This picture is of the same woods with a Virgin Jumbo Jet flying over the exact spot where the deer had been. It was huge but remarkable quiet for it's size, although, I am glad it only puts in an appearance for an occasional Air Fair. There was no sign of the deer so hopefully they were not too traumatised.

This year the Virgin plane was accompanied by the Red Arrows and while they were flying around I glanced across the garden and saw a Sparrow Hawk trying to grab a little chaffinch who was taking a bath at the edge of the wild life pond (he didn't get it). Both birds were totally unconcerned by the big birds in the sky:-)

Slow Worm Invasion

2009-06-27T20:28:00.003+01:00

In the past we have watched the Air Show (see yesterdays post) from a sunny bank set higher up in our garden but a couple of years ago we put a weed suppressant membrane over the area with the intention of then covering it with a thick layer of wood chips (the weeds on the bank are 'super weeds' that grow twice as fast and twice as large as anywhere else). However before we managed to get the wood chips the Slow Worms had taken to living underneath the membrane so it is now a no-go area.

We spent a very pleasant day viewing the flying from another part of the garden although I have to say I found the passing wildlife more interesting and was surprised at how many butterflies there are at the end of the garden. I will have to take my butterfly book with me tomorrow to see if I can identify any of them.

Air Fair Trauma

2009-06-26T13:11:00.008+01:00

The Red Arrows have just flown over and landed at the airport ready for the Biggin Hill Air Fair which takes place tomorrow and Sunday. Living near the main runway and in the valley over which the displays take place, some, including the rest of my family, would say we are really fortunate to have such a good view but after 33 years of having t0 calm traumatised pets I don't agree. Lizzy the old cat has to take tranquilisers for it and will spend the two days hiding under a bed. I give the guinea pigs extra hiding places and lots of hay and then close all the doors, windows and curtains around them to try to deaden the noise. Thankfully (as far as the air fair is concerned) we no longer have the dogs as they used to bark all the time and strangely the hens that we used to have never minded and our Guinea Fowl (also deceased) only ever squawked at the very noisiest of the planes. So at least I know the wild birds are unlikely to be affected too much.

For the other wild animals it will be a different matter though. The first time I saw a deer here was during an air fair and it was charging around the field in desperate panic. Unfortunately, on our walk in the valley yesterday we came across some deer. The place where they are standing in the picture below is approx 200metres from the end of the runway and the wood in which they shelter during the day is even closer and runs up the side of the valley to the road at the end of the runway. Poor things they will really suffer especially this year as the Vulcan Bomber is due to fly over and that is about the noisiest plane ever:-((((

I wonder if the underground animals like the badgers are affected by the noise and vibration.

To cheer myself up I will end with another lovely poppy picture from yesterday morning's walk:-)

Weed or Flower?

2009-06-24T20:32:00.007+01:00

I love this time of year but it always leaves me feeling a bit confused.

The field behind us is full of horrible yellow flowering weeds (Hawks Beard I think) whose seed heads are blown into our garden and totally wreck it. This really annoys me but at the same time when I step out of the garden and into the field I love seeing the orchids and other less invasive wild flowers that co-exist with the annoying ones and I love the fact that it provides a habitat for butterflies and ground nesting birds.

Yesterday I pulled out loads of these yellow flowering plants and other weeds from the garden, got covered in stinging nettle stings and hurt my back trying to pull up copious wild poppies from the rockery. Then I went for a walk in the fields to the side of us and spent ages trying to capture the beauty of fields covered with the same poppies I'd been pulling out of the garden.

I think there is a saying that, 'a weed is just a flower in the wrong place'. After seeing the poppies I'm so pleased there are still some 'right places'.

2009-06-23T14:56:00.004+01:00

We had just finished watching our recording of Springwatch Close Encounters, and, as there was still some daylight left, we decided to walk across the field to the SSSI land and see what had changed while we had been away. This area of land always used to be a mass of Orchids and other wild flowers at this time of year so I wanted to see what effect the scrub clearance using heavy machinery has had.

As we walked up the field we had a close encounter of our own. I narrowly missed stepping on a female pheasant that was sitting totally motionless and camouflaged in the tall grass. She didn't seem at all concerned that she had nearly been flattened by a big human foot, although, by the time we were going back home again she had sensibly gone.

The SSSI land looked awful with hardly a wild flower in sight and I noticed that the hawthorn that had been cut down, is regrowing with renewed vigour. There was also no sign of the lizards that used to frequent the bank. The clearance work of this area of chalk downland was commissioned by English Nature so presumably they approved the use of the heavy machinery and have been monitoring the work but I wonder how long it will take to recover. When I have got time I must walk down a bit further where there is an area of SSI land that was hand cleared of scrub by the Old Surrey Downs Group. It will be interesting to compare the rate of recovery of the two sites.

There is good news though, the Orchids are beginning to take a strong hold in the uncultivated fields adjoining the SSI land including the one we back on to. It has taken about 10 years of the land being set-aside to reach this point so maybe that is what I should expect with the SSSI land but it shows it should eventually recover. The trouble is I will be an OAP by then so I just hope I will still be able to scramble up the hill to see it:-)

Happy Returns

2009-06-22T18:19:00.003+01:00

I've only been away for a week but if you saw the garden you would think it was more like a month. It is a jungle with weeds growing everywhere and bindweed climbing over everything. The vegetables are coming on well though. This year we have put netting over a lot of things as the pheasants like pecking at the leaves and end up eating more of the vegetables than we do. It seems to have worked and I think we might even manage a decent crop of cauliflowers and cabbages.

When I got back from the Isle of Wight I was pleased to see a female pheasant in the garden but I wasn't sure if it was my friendly one that disappeared a few weeks ago (see post 23rd May). I opened the window and rung my little bell which tells the birds I am about to throw out some goodies and sure enough she came running over. So she hadn't been shot or got by the fox. She must have been sitting on eggs all this time (I think they take around 22 days to hatch). Needless to say she has lost a lot of weight but I'm sure with a bit of a helping hand from me she will soon put that back on and maybe she will bring her babies for a visit to the garden.

Wonderful Wildlife

2009-06-13T18:42:00.005+01:00

I am going off for a weeks camping on the Isle of wight tomorrow so today I have been busy preparing for the trip. This includes typing out a load of instructions on how to care for all the pets while we are away. There are so many do's and don'ts like... 'don't feed cabbage to the guinea pigs as it gives them wind'... but... 'do give them plenty of freshly cut grass'... but... 'make sure there are no buttercups caught up in the freshly cut grass'. I think my son, who is pet sitting, will want to leave home when he sees all he has to do.

Caring for pets makes me appreciate just how fantastic wild animals are as they manage all on their own. I think it is amazing that a big animal like a deer or a badger can find enough food and shelter to survive even extremes of weather and birds despite having many predators still manage to raise new generations to keep their species going. Its incredible.

This is a picture of mummy woodpecker feeding her baby in the garden this morning (at least I think it is mummy and not daddy). Not a very good picture as it was on full zoom with no tripod but quite sweet.

I won't be able to do any posts while camping so the next one will be in a week or so's time:-)

Badger or Fox?

2009-06-11T21:52:00.004+01:00

This evening the garden and valley have been very still, no wind and no wildlife. Evenings like this tend to leave me feeling a bit flat, although, tonight, the absence of wildlife was probably down to me.

Around 6.30pm I had suddenly realised my cat Lizzy was missing. She is 18 yrs old with a thyroid problem and never ventures far from the bungalow these days. The furthest she has been for many months is the veg. patch, so I was very worried. My family and I all separately checked the garage and shed as both had been opened when my husband had mown the lawn earlier. Then we searched the whole garden, front and back, and then the field right up to the woods, calling her name all the time. After about an hour of this I thought I would check the garage again and thankfully there she was waiting at the door to be let out. I was sooo relieved, however, I am guessing that all the calling has put the wind up the creatures that usually venture our way.

I had hoped to see the foxes because I was keen to know if they were responsible for a fairly large deep hole that had been dug in the middle of the lawn and which had a scent mark dropping in it. Later on when I went to fill it in I discovered that it was actually the entrance to a bumble bees nest which either a fox or badger had been trying to get at (needless to say I didn't fill in the hole).

The badgers tend to visit the garden later at night and since our security light has broken it is usually too dark to see them (must get round to buying a new one). There is a strain of albino badger around this part of Biggin Hill and for several years we had one visiting the garden.

Even though I can't see the badgers at the moment I always know when they have visited the garden because of the numorous holes they leave behind but I have never noticed droppings in them before so I am thinking that it was the fox that was after the bumbles.

Fossils in the Chalk

2009-06-10T17:44:00.003+01:00

I was watching yet another TV program about global warming and rising sea levels. It made me wonder if Biggin Hill would ever be covered with sea again.

Biggin Hill is on the edge of the North Downs and as its name suggests it is fairly big hill at about 500ft above sea level. However at one time it must have been at the bottom of the sea as when the field behind us used to be ploughed up it often exposed fossils of shells.

My children loved to go fossil hunting after the field had been ploughed and especially after a hard frost which would make the chunks of chalk crack open to reveal its treasure.

This picture is of a shell fossil my younger son found in the field when he was eight.

When I look down the valley today with its masses of wildflowers, trees and different habitats it is hard to imagine that it was ever covered with sea or ever could be again but if it was I wonder what creatures would be fossilised and when the sea reseeded again what would the humans (if any) be like who discover the new fossils?

Rotten Tree

2009-06-08T11:56:00.004+01:00

The Ring Necked Parakeets that visit our feeder usually look very sleek and well groomed...

...that is until it rains like it did on Sunday, then they look like this...

It is guaranteed to make me feel sorry for them so out I went and filled up the feeder to the top so that more than one bird could use it at the same time. I hooked it over the usual branch but there was a big cracking sound and I just managed to dive out the way as the feeder crashed to the ground.

Luckily for the wet bedraggled birds the feeder wasn't broken but I found that the branch and a lot of the rest of the Cob Nut tree is rotting away with several patches of soft wood and holes. No wonder the Woodpeckers and Nuthatches like the tree so much but I wonder if it will survive very long especially when Woody is hell bent on making the holes bigger.

Another update on the fox cub; he has found his mum. Both trotted happily through the garden yesterday evening looking fit and well...hooray.

Anniversary in the New Forest

2009-06-06T19:37:00.002+01:00

The New Forest never disappoints when it comes to wildlife. We get off the beaten track and usually walk miles further than intended because we get lost but we always come back having seen something special that compensates for the aching legs. Add to this there is an abundance of my favourite animal, the horse, and I am in my element. I love it down there.

Going at this time of year is particularly enjoyable as there are so many baby animals.

Shortly after I took this photo a stallion started rounding up her and about 30 other ponies and driving them into a valley. Another young stallion was trying to join them but the 'boss' stallion wouldn't let it get anywhere near and kept chasing him back up the hill. This happened time and time again and at one point, after chasing the young stallion, the 'boss' stallion got down and rolled, something horses don't often do when alone unless they are feeling very confident. He then got up and went back to his mares. It was a definite signal saying, ' don't mess with me.' The young stallion went over and smelt where the 'boss' stallion had rolled and after that, although still following and smelling the air, he kept his distance. It was fascinating to watch. The reason for this battle of wills was this lovely mare who was in season, not a typical New Forest pony but beautiful all the same.

There were so many other interesting things; lots of birds, dragonflies, reptiles and flowers, too many things to go into in one post so here are just a couple more pics of babies we came across.

A lovely way to spend our 33rd wedding anniversary.

A Day Indoors

2009-06-04T07:17:00.006+01:00

Update on the lone fox cub; he seems to be doing well. He was in the garden yesterday evening and was scent marking everything, including the birds water bowl!

The garden is beginning to look like a jungle as bindweed and ground elder threaten to take over but I have just found out that the young shoots of ground elder, which apparently was introduced by the Romans (not the cleverest thing they did), is edible so now it will feature on the menu of my grandson's guinea pigs (they live with us as he is allergic to them).

Gemma

Gemma's baby, Ginger

The Guinea pigs live in my daughter's old bedroom. Despite my husband having built a lovely big run for them, they don't like it outside because they find those big birds (the aeroplanes) terrifying. Up until now I have had them in two interconnecting cages and then given them a run on the floor each day but I have just managed to get another cage so I ignored the weeds in the garden and spent the day inside spring cleaning their room and setting up the new cage. My husband then cleverly joined it on to the other two. It took ginger a couple of days to work out how to get from one cage to another but now they are really enjoying their extra space.

Now I just have the rest of the bungalow to spring clean but it will have to wait as we are off to the New Forest for a couple of days (my favourite place) for our wedding anniversary.

2009-06-02T11:00:00.003+01:00

The warm weather has really got the weeds in the field growing and they are now at least knee high which is a shame as it makes it a lot harder to see the passing wildlife. I sometimes catch site of a fox head peeping up to have a look around but that is it except for the deer which gain confidence with the taller growth and often make an appearance. This little chappy was getting a bit too confident as I caught him eyeing up my husband's newly planted vegetables.

One of the more unpleasant weeds that grows in the field is ragwort and after years of the field being uncultivated it now covers everywhere. Ragwort is a dangerous weed which is deadly to horses and can make other animals very ill by attacking the liver. There have been several questions raised as to whether it is also dangerous to humans as one scientist reported eating a very small amount which caused him to become ill with liver damage. For the last couple of years I have been on the verge of having a moan to the farmer and asking him to do something about it but this year for the first time we have got quite a few Cinnabar Moths whose larval food is ragwort so maybe I'll leave complaining for a bit until I can find out more about the risks to humans. This Cinnabar Moth was on the grass outside my son's bedroom window.

Foxes and Wild Flowers

2009-05-31T21:43:00.006+01:00

Since seeing the vixen ambling through the field with her cub following close behind her (7 days ago) I have twice seen a fox cub alone in our garden and wondered if it is the same one. Both times he has looked a bit lost and confused but he is probably old enough to look after himself and he already seems to have learnt that there are often scraps to be found under the hanging bird tray. No sign of the vixen though, so I went for a walk down the valley to where I have seen her sitting outside her den before. She wasn't there, so I started to look for wild flowers on the SSSI land.

This area used to be prolific in wild flowers common to chalk downland so I was pleased to see that, despite the land having been driven over by big tractors during the scrub clearance, there are still a few patches that the tractor missed and some Orchids and other flowers are coming through.

Common Spotted Orchid

Twayblade Orchid

Vetch

Campion

2009-05-29T20:15:00.005+01:00

It is always pleasing when our ponds balance out leaving nice clear water. The wildlife pond still has quite a bit of the green gunk although the plants are growing rapidly so it should clear soon and the newts don't seem to mind. The two fish ponds are now fairly clear and I can see my fish again. All seem to have survived the winter well.

When we made the first fish pond several years ago we started with just 5 fish but now we have over 30 (hence we have two fish ponds) . The big white fish with the red head in the middle of the picture below was one of the originals and mothered a lot of the others. Strangely the frogs seem to prefer the fish ponds to the wildlife pond.

Unfortunately the clearer water hasn't gone un-noticed by the heron and several mornings over the last week I've seen him standing in the field looking hopeful but the clear fishing line around the edge of the pond and lots of plants has so far deterred him.

A lot of the flowers around the pond came from a good friend of ours who was in the fire service with my husband. He had a lovely pond with many beautiful flowers and lots of wildlife but when he sadly died his wife couldn't manage the pond anymore so she passed on some of the flowers to us. Now whenever the Irises flower we have a lovely reminder of him.

2009-05-27T11:24:00.007+01:00

I was just walking past the window when I noticed the fox in the garden and for once there were no pheasants around so I was able to grab my camera and take a couple of photos. Whenever the fox is in the garden he always has a good snuff around the bottom of the cob nut tree so I am wondering if there are some mice living there. It would be a good place for mice as there is a constant supply of food dropped down from the bird feeders an of course the nuts in the autumn. I will have to keep a watch out for them.

This is definitely the same fox that I mentioned in an earlier blog that was injured as this next picture shows the scar on his back. I am amazed he has recovered so well and so quickly as he had been in a very bad way and was barely able to walk.

I notice that the RSPB are doing a 'Summer Watch' this year for people to count all wildlife visitors to their garden not just birds. Trouble is a lot of the wildlife like the foxes and badgers visit in the evening or night so I maybe I could do two watches one in the day for birds and the other at dusk. I will have to read on their site exactly what they need.

Cheeky Squirrels

2009-05-25T19:12:00.008+01:00

A lot of people don't like the Ring Necked Parakeets that have colonised in some areas of England because they are not native but I find them very entertaining and contrary to rumors I find they get on just fine with the smaller birds and I regularly watch them sharing the feeder with blue tits and finches. The thing that the parakeets really dislike though are the squirrels and as the picture below shows they get very cross when the squirrel hogs the feeder.

The squirrels can also be very entertaining, although, also a little annoying as they eat the bird food so quickly that it costs me a fortune keeping the feeders topped up. Luckily we only ever seem to have two or three squirrels at one time. They can be very cheeky and besides upsetting the parakeets they love to taunt the pheasants.

The squirrels aren't as bad as the young Magpies for teasing male pheasant though. They just love to try and pull out his lovely long tail feathers. The pheasant never seems to retaliate he just walks around with a Magpie hanging off his tail...very amusing...one day I will manage to catch it on camera.

Lucky Escape

2009-05-24T18:45:00.005+01:00

Poor sad and lonely male pheasant had a very narrow escape last night. I was watching him busily grubbing around the base of the cob nut tree when I noticed a movement the other side of the sheep netting and there was the young fox just making his way into the garden. I was in a bit of a predicament as the pheasant was between me and the fox so if I made too much of a sudden movement it would chase him right into the waiting jaws of the fox. Luckily the fox caught sight of me at the window and ran out of the garden so male phes lives for another day but was this what happened to the female phes I wonder.

Later that evening the same young fox was sitting in the field staring at something near the woods so I got my binoculars to see what it was and there ambling along was a vixen with cub trotting behind. Maybe the young fox was her cub from last year.

We kept hens for about 10 years or so and in all that time only two were caught by foxes. One was lost in a daylight raid and the other was caught at night the one and only time in the whole 10 years I forgot to shut the hen house door. Luckily the dog barked and woke us up and we all ran down the garden screaming (don't know what the neighbours thought!) but the fox took fright, dropped the hen and turned tail out of the garden. After a clever bit of stitch work by the vet and a months recuperation in my daughters bedroom, henny, thankfully was as good as new.

I still like foxes though and think that not enough is said about their uses in the countryside. Some years ago when the farmer first started with sheep he killed of all the local foxes. This caused an explosion of rabbits in his wheat fields (there were literally hundreds) and an explosion in rats and mice. Needless to say the farmer has never totally wiped out the fox population again.

Female Pheasant Missing

2009-05-23T18:37:00.009+01:00

I opened the curtains yesterday to find , yet again, that female pheasant and male pheasant were apart. Male pheasant was on the fence right outside the kitchen window but female was perching quite a long way away on the same fence (you can just see her). This is very strange behaviour for these two as they usually stay together all the time.

Then this morning I found the male phes looking very fed up sitting under a bush on his own and there was no sign of female phes anywhere

This could mean two things. She may have laid some eggs and be sitting on them which would explain her moodiness of the last two days or the fox (who now seems fully recovered from his injuries) could have got her. I'm hoping so much its the first reason as I am very fond of this particular pheasant.

She first came to the garden two years ago with her mother who was also quite friendly. Unfortunately the mother disappeared last autumn. If they fly to the other side of the valley they are likely to be shot. I personally don't know how anyone could actually enjoy shooting such a beautiful bird or any animal come to that but they do and regular shoots are held over the winter months. I was therefore very pleased when the friendly daughter turned up in the garden again just before Christmas... I can tell it is her as when she sees me she runs towards me instead of away as the other pheasants do. I hope she is busy trying to produce another friendly pheasant to bring to my garden but only time will tell.

Grumpy Female Pheasant

2009-05-22T19:11:00.019+01:00

Oh dear, it seems friendly female pheasant is getting fed up with the amorous advances of friendly (or should I say over-friendly) male pheasant.

Yesterday female phes. flew up into the cob nut tree proclaiming that she 'had a headache' and wasn't coming down for at least an hour. This left confused male phes. gazing longingly up at her (he doesn't 'do' trees).

I don't blame her really as he is always chasing her around, dropping a wing to show her how handsome he is . He never leaves her side whether she is pecking around the garden or going for a wonder round the field. He is always there making advances.

He is a very handsome bird but sometimes a female just wants to get on with life and if she isn't allowed to do so she will go into a huff.