A pleasant find

Bouncing around in what only could be described as being in the middle of no where Shep stumbled upon something. By bouncing around I would like to add I was riding a quad bike on overgrown, rough, un grazed moorland, I wasn't actually physically bouncing around like a chimpanzee, although it is fair to say I have been known to do such things, just not on this particular occasion.

There I was, out in the middle of no where on a quest - trying to track down some wayward sheep, when I spotted a deer. Nowt unusual with that, there are roe deer a plenty in the Tarset valley and many to be seen on this particular hill ground which is surrounded by forestry.

This deer acted in a different fashion to many which you stumble upon. Usually a deer takes flight, all you see is the white rump disappearing into the distance. This one behaved in a totally different manner.

I would easily be 100 yards off it when it just seemed to spring up from nowhere, initially I thought little of the fact, just another deer. Until......... it only ran a few yards before stopping and heading back to the spot it had sprung from. As I was still bouncing along on the quad it then ran away further, but hesitated, stopped, looked back before disappearing over the edge of the hillside. Strange behaviour.

Now if that deer had been a sheep I would have guessed it had a lamb lying back there somewhere, why else would it hesitate and head back before running further away?

I looked across to the spot where I had first been aware of the deer and thought I could see something moving. Time to stop the bike and go and investigate I thought.

All movement had ceased as I slowly and quietly walked towards the spot, just over the edge of the hill I could hear a deer barking, she had definitely left something behind.

 

And sure enough, I wasn't disappointed, as tucked away in the long, overgrown heather was her fawn. A roe deer fawn. Acting dead. Squatting down, lying flat, pretending it wasn't there. Take flight and the hunter might hunt, lie and act dead and all may be well. It had been well taught for it's tender youth.

 

 

Moss lay away back next to the bike, curious as to what I was up to but wiser than to disobey his orders, he remained alert, waiting to be called, although that wasn't going to happen.

 

I took these photographs as quickly as I could, the photographer in me wanting to remove annoying foliage to enable a better shot, the shepherd in me telling me not to loiter, leave well alone and move on as quickly as possible. The doe was still calling, although out of sight she wasn't far away and so I retraced my steps, mounted the trusty stead and bounced off leaving mother and offspring to be reunited.

It is hard to believe, that this is Sheps first ever encounter with a roe deer fawn, I have seen many youngsters trotting alongside their mothers but never come across a little chap of just a few days old. It doesn't take much to cheer one up and this was one of those little things which puts a day on a high, all that bouncing about on the 18th June was well worth it!

Sheepy mischief

Sheep ain't as stupid as folks would like you to think and given the opportunity they are more than capable of running circles around you. Shep and Moss have been dealing with their mischievous ways over recent days.

 

This picture might appear quite innocuous but them there sheep know what they're playing at, running down a steep bankside full of brackens, they were forever hopefully of hiding from sight. Fortunately at the moment the brackens are only just growing, by the next time these sheep are gathered in July the brackens will be higher, denser and give them far more cover. Should they get away with this ploy again there is no doubt some of them may well give shepherd and dogs the slip.

 

When gathering it is always wise to look back, the above photo is the reverse shot of the one previous to it, so, there are sheep running and trying to hide in the brackens ahead, but nothing behind..... look closer - just to the right hand side of the self seeded tree, is there something showing above the heather?

 

Aye! crafty beast, tried to slink off whilst the fore runners were causing mayhem, too wise to keep running, she just stood still, forever hopeful she would be overlooked.

There is a final ploy in a sheep's life. To sulk. They like to take flight, run and hide, run in the opposite direction to the one you'd like them to, then there are those who once they think the world has got the better of them they go in a huff - sulk and refuse to budge.

 

If they can run into water they're more than happy, in fact can almost be suicidal in their attempts to take to a burn in a desire to be petty. Fortunately this time the burn wasn't full. This ewe had decided enough was enough, taking flight hadn't worked, trying to hide hadn't been successful either, the last resort was to go in a sheep huff, take to the water

 

and face up to the dog - do the battle of wills thing. So it was, like staring someone out, see who gives in and blinks first. Moss was more than happy to stand his ground, it had been a long and fraught gather, the water was cool and he wasn't in a great hurry to go anywhere, he actually had the ace card up his sleeve but was being patient for the time being. The ewe may well find her nose being nipped if she continues to dig her heels in. Whose nerve will give first?

 

Good old Moss came up trumps, his nerve did hold as he was edging for a fight, mebbes the ewe realised he wasn't gonna take any prisoners. He managed to stare her out and move her on, although still in the water and travelling down the burn she soon realised she'd be able to travel far faster on terra firma

 

and off she went as though the devil was on her tail, rushing to join the safety of her mates further down stream.

Sheep are anything but stupid, they can be far wiser than those of us who try to handle them!

Another Tuesday! (17th April)

That is what I was told this morning “Way..... it’s Tuesday you know”. The remark was in answer to my question as to whether or not the day was going to fair up. 6am and I was heading to the hill, if it was going to fair up I would have waited - what a foul morning! The shepherd had shot down to check the shed, all 7 of them! I had looked them before retiring for the night, he looked them in the morning to ensure I wouldn’t be held up heading out to the hill. A wicked smile as he told me he was heading back in for his early morning coffee as I headed out - happed (covered) up like an Eskimo, or so I was told.

Tuesday? Yup, that atrocious arctic snowy day was Tuesday 3rd April, Tuesday 10th April, the day my hill ewes started to lamb, was an equally atrocious morning and here we were – yet another Tuesday, the 17th, and truly abysmal weather, thank fully there is now only one Tuesday left in April, should the trend continue!

Shep and Moss headed out on the quad. Very strong, bitterly cold wind which drove rain, ice and snow right through you, ugh! It was awful. With hindsight (such a wonderful thing) I ought to have turned around and had a second cup of coffee, but I didn’t!

By the time we reached the top of the Dodlaw I was nithered (very cold), everything felt saturated. Raising my head against the onslaught was painful on the face; eyes were screwed up to stop the cold icy whatever stinging the eyeballs. I had passed a new lambed pair, busying themselves getting footed, that natural instinct was driving them on.

 

Once up on the top of this carbuncle it is necessary to get off the bike and walk down the hillside a short way to allow a better view of the ground. Shep ain’t good at heights, this is steep ground to what I am accustomed to and it doesn’t always take much for the vertigo to set in. This morning was no exception as Moss went sideways and I wondered if I would topple over. The strength of the wind out on the top there was unbelievable, I made a mental note to eat more chocolate, more ballast was obviously needed!

Over the top and onto the two cuts of sheep away over the back saw more shelter, still bitterly cold, still wet and icy but definitely more shelter. My face was stinging, my hands getting cold, for all they were encased in a good pair of gloves and the bike has heated hand grips they were still suffering. As was my backside, it was getting colder and colder and feeling wetter and wetter. I was half way round my trip around the hill when I realised what a plonker I was. My discomfort found me sheltering from the onslaught in the back of a dyke (wall). Gloves off and I rolled a fag, it was bliss to crouch down out of the unrelenting wind and shite that was being thrown at me, Moss cuddled in, he too appreciated the few moments of shelter.

Down on my honkers in the back of the wall I caught sight of my leggings – what a prat! Neither wonder I felt so bloody cold. I have two pairs of wellies and leggings with me, a fair weather pair and a wet weather pair. Basically, a brand new set and a set which are ripped and shredded, fine for keeping me warm and clean but no use for keeping me dry. Which pair had I put on?? Need I tell you? Some folk just don’t have the sense they were born with!

There were lambs a plenty, regardless of the weather conditions the ewes had been spitting them out. Most were new lambed, all were footed, nothing was taking any serious hurt. I eventually got in for my breakfast as the weather started to improve.

It would have been a strange sight should I not have been living alone, as I dropped my britches (trousers) peeled soggy knickers off my now numb arse then opened the top oven door of the aga and turned my back to it in an attempt to get some feeling back into that expanse of myself I had been sitting on for the past few hours. I feel sure that if I had wet myself I would have been drier and probably warmer than I was at that moment in time. The offending wellies and leggings found themselves pushed away into a corner, no fear of jumping into them again in a hurry as I depart in the mornings in a sleepy haze.

 

Thankfully the day improved. My next lap and all subsequent journeys were done in the dry. A cold, cold wind but sunshine did grace on occasions. There were a couple of lambs not sucked on my return, they got sorted and all was well. Full tummies and they will survive the rigours of the weather.

I had the pleasure of being able to sit and watch the dipper for a short while later that morning. I have seen it fly down the burn at ‘my’ spot once in the time I’ve been here, so I knew it was still on the water. Whether the same one that I have seen over the past five years I wouldn’t like to say but it definitely uses the same stretch of water. Today the burn was full and the little cheerful dipper did his bobbing act on a stone in the middle of the burn, then kindly dived into the water, swam under before once again appearing back up on top of another stone. He did this twice as I watched before heading further downstream and out of sight. I really do have a penchant for dippers, such cheery little things; memories of the early morning onslaught soon began to vanish as I went on my way with a spring in my step.

 

Not wanting to sit still for a photo, preferring to sniff his armpits !

 

Then deciding the smell was too much - time to leave!

The buzzards were busy today as well, soaring up and up and up on the thermals. Ravens too were to be seen and of course the corbie crows (carrion crow). There was another bird............ I need my bird book. I have borrowed one from the shepherd but it ain’t up to scratch. I’ve seen this bird once before, two years ago and whilst I was lambing here. It’s huge - massive wingspan. I’d like to think it’s an osprey; however, I may well be wrong.

A wheatear on the final lap tonight kindly alighted on a fence post right beside me; they are bonny in their own right and cheerful with it. The day finished on a high, a slight shower saw a rainbow arc across the sky – a grand way to put the day to bed!

 

gathering again

You just get finished gathering at one farm then off you go to another...... Blimey! Like I often say - no peace for the wicked!

Moss and I chose to use shank's pony last week, in other words we gathered on foot, by choice I may add, as we could easily have taken our own quad bike, however, I decided walking would be good for the body and soul. Has to be said, as I found myself negotiating some thick heather on an uphill climb towards the route taken by the Pennine Way I concluded my little stumpy legs may well be getting stumpier, however, the body needed a stretch, or so the mind told me and so persevere we did for a few days.

We stopped off en route to take some pictures, okay! the truth is Shep needed a pee and the old shooting hut was a grand hidey hole where the world and it's neighbours wouldn't be able to view my bare arse, then I decided to take some photos before resuming the journey, views of where I was heading on those little short legs of mine.

Sheep are being moved by Moss who worked well, my abilities to keep up with some of the fore runners was limited, strange how you miss a quad! Moss' wide outrun came to the fore and he didn't let me down once, the pair of us were very happy with the proceedings. I gain a lot of pleasure from working the dogs, especially so when they work well and keep the job under control. I couldn't help but think Moss was working better with us being on foot, or maybe it was because he was a solitary dog and had me all to himself - who knows?

Finally all were gathered and were being brought towards the pens.

Once held in the sheep pens the sheep were run up the shedder. The twin bearing ewes were being taken off. They had been in such good fettle at the scanning it was decided to set them back to the hill, it was now time for them to be coming into the fields and receiving a bite of cake (feed).

The twin bearing ewes are waiting expectantly - what next? Would they be lucky enough to just run through the pens or was there some man handling going to be done to them?

All the sheep were going to receive treatment. They needed their pre lambing innoculation, a booster for them and a cover against clostridial diseases for the lambs within them. They also required an oral dose for liver fluke, some for worms. Then there was the pour on which would be applied to their backs, not for lice this time........

For ticks

Them blood sucking critters which can cause havoc to ewes and lambs when the spring rise occurs. We found out that it was already occuring. This tick was one of many which had taken residence on the sheep. In actual fact it was ready to depart. My hand under the sheep's chin whilst dosing had naturally dislodged the fella. Gorged and full of blood it was dropping off ready to commence it's reproductive cycle. Instead it found itself smiling for the camera and then unceremoniously squashed into a bloody mush on the fence post.

The pour on which had been applied to the sheep's back would kill off any of the critters which had latched onto the animals and it would also prevent any others from taking up residence over the following 8 weeks. The lambs on this particular farm have to be treated quite soon after birth and definitely before they head back to the hill with their mothers, otherwise they suffer all manner of unpleasant disorders, including turning cripply and quite obviously struggling to thrive.

The weeks work went well, we had dry weather if not somewhat overcast and coupled with a cold wind, although when walking whilst gathering the wind wasn't too much of a bother, body warmer than it would have been had it been astride a quad bike.

As evening was drawing in and sheep were heading back out to the hill the sun graced us with it's presence and made the dead hill grasses appear almost golden in the light it cast across the hill. A grand way to finish a day in mid March.