Hello again, We've been enjoying lovely Spring weather recently, haven't we? So sunny that a green woodpecker has been attracted into our garden. He quarters the lawns, looking for ants. There are plenty about, even in the house. I understand that there has been a cuckoo, at Yellingham - Janet has heard it calling. Lucky her! The birds in the garden seem to be fewer than a month or so ago. They must be busy nesting and raising young. We see a few goldfinches, robins, dunnocks and a pair of greenfinches. One day, a young sparrow hawk flew …
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Our May meeting was really well attended by both members and visitors and Anne Swithinbank encouraged us all to grow something different! Hopefully many unusual plants will now be being propagated in Broadhembury and the surrounding areas and we await to see the results. We were blessed with excellent weather for our annual plant sale which was very successful once again. Our thanks to everyone who contributed in any way. The annual show will soon be upon us and here is a reminder of the classes. It is a relaxed and friendly occasion and we …
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To read or save this very interesting article about the work which has been going on at Hembury Fort, please click https://broadhemburyparishcouncil.org.uk/blog/.     …
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Hello everyone, I recently visited Exmouth with my brother Dave and we walked round the old docks area. We saw three house martins wheeling around in the sky above us. They looked in very good condition, considering that they had probably very recently arrived from their Winter quarters in Africa. We moved on to Topsham and Bowling Green Marsh, where we did not see many waders, ducks or geese. It seems that they had already departed for their breeding grounds in Russia and northern Europe. Still, we did see a few blackcaps in the hedge (and …
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The wetsuit has been put away as has the snorkel, but only yesterday. What a month April has been. However, the good news is that lambing has finished and it has gone really well. It is the first year since I started lambing that we didn’t loose a ewe or a lamb during the process. Keeping them all alive is now the tricky bit though. The weather has certainly taken its toll and it was a long time before we could turn out any ewes and lambs as the fields were so wet and muddy. Keeping the stock in has been a costly affair too. The good news for …
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A Happy New Year to all my readers! The exciting news this month is the fact that we have some new animals in the area. On the River Tale, there are two beavers, who have been around for a while, so it looks as though they like it here, and will stay. I haven't seen them myself, but I understand that The Devon Wildlife Trust people are involved, as are the landowners. Beavers have been living on the Otter for some years, so it was only a matter of time that some would move to the tributaries. The other day, I saw lots of fieldfares and some …
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The start of the New Year at Yellingham is always a little bit of a tense time, as we have our annual routine TB test on our cattle. This test is compulsory and is funded by the Government. Our test is always in January and carried out by our local vets. In brief, each animal has two injections, approximately 12cms apart. First the vet will clip 2 small areas where the injection will be made and then measure the thickness of the skin before administering the injection. Avian tuberculin is injected in the top site and bovine tuberculin below. On …
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