Heron Being Mobbed.

Just had a heron fly over late evening, being mobbed by two gulls. They chased it quite a distance and were still going as it disappeared over the rooftops - squawking as it went.

Duck!

It's not often you get a duck in the area but this afternoon/evening, while I was out planting up my beans, I heard a distinctive 'quacking' coming from somewhere nearby and then spotted a duck standing on the roof of one of the nearby houses. Goodness knows where it had come from - the only water nearby is either the dewpond up on the Tye and I've never seen ducks on it, it's not big enough and there's not usually enough water in there or the river over in the valley.

Must have got lost! It was there for a few minutes until a couple of magpies came over and saw it off.

Rampant Rabbits in the Grass

The dewpond is getting low again although this time I took a closer look and spotted a newt emerging briefly to the surface through the muddy water. A few Linnets were flitting around waiting for me to go and I heard but didn't see a Whitethroat.

The grass on the Tye is now getting pretty long and the seed-heads have turned a pale dusky pinky-brown. It seems early in the year as it's only June. The area around the edges is still short and green where the rabbits have been grazing although with their numbers the band of short grass seems to be getting wider as they bolt out of the longer grass to take cover in the hedgerows and their burrows as I run past. Plenty of food for the weasel I saw earlier and I'm wondering if barn owls will take baby rabbits as something is needed to keep their numbers down.

I'm surprised the sheep are still on the Tye - the skylarks must be nesting by now so I would have thought they'd be taken off to make sure nesting skylarks don't get trampled.

Escaping Sheep

A more interesting run today. Usually I have a relatively uneventful run up onto the Tye seeing what's around. Occasionally nodding to a passing dog walker or avoiding their dog (the small yappy ones are the worst). Just the usual mass of rabbits bolting for cover. A few sheep and cattle still up on the Tye.

Coming back from my run and four lambs were standing on the wrong side of the cattle grid - no doubt they lept over ahead of the van that had just gone past. Of course the van driver hadn't bothered stopping.

Putting my shepherding skills into action - I managed to get the four lambs through the gate before they decided to take off into the garden of the house just by the gate and without letting the rest of the sheep out. One of the Mum's came to investigate what was going on but quickly went back in the direction she came as the lambs bounded through the gate.

They really aren't the most intelligent of creatures.