Spotted from the bird hide

A visitor to our bird hide spotted the following birds:-
2 Lapwings
1 Sparrowhawk
2 Pheasants

Reeves Pheasant

I went to look at the hens and found some pheasants in the run helping themselves to the hen feed. One of them was a reeves pheasant.

Ex-battery hens go free range!

Today we let the ex-battery hens out of their run to roam free. They didn't venture far from the coop.

Ex-battery hens.

Today we collected 6 ex-battery hens from the Battery Hen Welfare Trust. They have lost a lot of feathers and their combs are pale and floppy but they should look a lot healthier and happier soon. When they have recovered we will let them out of their run to roam freely around the farm with our existing hens.

Brown Hare seen jumping across the farm track prior to the farmhouse.
Logged by the Cook Family on holiday at Caldertop Cottage.

Bird Spotting!

'Spotted a curlew in the field adjacent to the farm track approaching the house'.
Logged by the Cook Family - on holiday at Caldertop Cottage

Nest in the bird hide

Swallows have been nesting inside the bird hide. They must have flown in when one of the hatches was left open!

Making hay while the sun shines!

We baled approximately 270 bales of hay today. It's been 4 years since we made hay! We had help from family, friends and neighbours and got it all carted into the barn before the rain came.

New arrivals on the farm

Our friesian heifer, Caldertop Nicola 35, has given birth to a heifer calf today and Caldertop Orchid 158 has given birth to twin heifer calves!

Cuckoo

Steve heard the cuckoo singing clearly this morning in the wood.