Hare Talk
Hare Talk is all about sharing the ins and outs of the farm. Feel free to scout around. May 15th The swallows are back - swooping,wheeling and twittering around the farmyard and sheds. The Sussex barn ( where the Shepherd's Hut facilities are based) is a hive of activity .... I guess they are nest building. We already have a nest of baby birds in the top shed high up on a steel ledge, I hear them calling for food, but as yet do not know what they are. May 13th The Romney Marsh frogs ( known locally as the laughing frog) are in fine voice at the moment and last night when I was out with Hector I could hear them calling loudly in the valley from the river and ditches and our neighbour's lake. We were surrounded by their laughter! April 28th Snippets from the farm. Every morning I take Hector ( a wild and hairy Tibetan Terrier ) out for a walk somewhere on the farm. If it's particularly muddy or I'm unable to take him in a field for some reason,I'll walk up the long deep cut drive and out onto Stubb Lane. The lane is lined with hedgerows, trees and a small wooded area now a carpet of wood anemones and bluebells. The air full of birdsong. A few days ago on my way down to the river I saw seven Red Legged Geese, wild ducks, a Cormorant, dozens of Blue Tits, Herons, Swans and Marsh frogs. All were making various calls, twitterings etc and in the distance a Woodpecker was busy tapping away on a tree. At night when Hector goes out for his last "potter" I often hear the Barn owl and Tawny owl calling - the latter Stuart discovered sitting on the garden fence a few feet away at dawn during lambing.......a surprise for both of them! Rustling, barking, squeeling, fluttering, baa-ing, bleating and more can all be heard around the farm house, Oast and Shepherd's Hut. Pipistrelle and Long eared Bats can be seen on a clear moonlit night under a black starry sky. There is so much to see and hear on the farm both day and night and I'll try and share what I see and hear by simple regular "snippets". Annie ................ ( the Woodpecker must be on a mission - it's been tapping from dawn until dusk! )
