7 November
All the animals have been brought in for the winter as of today. The young lambs are confused and all huddled in a group at the gate, waiting to go out to the fields. Since they were born in February, that gate has never been shut, and they have been able to come and go, to and fro from the yard, and sheds, just as they pleased.
The older sheep, goats, donkeys, and Silas my huge white horse, who have been here for years, know the procedure now, but it's new to the 'young 'uns'. and they can't understand why they can't go out, as normal.
They will get used to it...
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9 November
Frances recently asked me whether I thought that the animals give cues to each about what the coming weather will bring etc.
I don't really know about that, but they do have a way of communicating with each other in some way, which I don't understand.
Being so close to such a diverse range of animals, I obviously get close to them, and watch their actions and habits. I find it fascinating for instance, that the older ewes, together with Aloyisious and Connor (older rams), will all come in to the yard at the same time each evening, yet their lambs, and the rescue lambs, ( the kids, as it were!) tend to be out until dusk, and then start moving slowly toward the yard and sheds, from the bottom fields, and join the older ones just before dark.
Also, the Rooks, in the aviary, all talk to each other in the same way, once I have left new food, and left the aviary, as if to say, " that berludy witch has gone for a while chaps ", and I have noticed that the wild rooks, sit on the branches of the trees near the aviary, and they all communicate together.
So I don't know what they communicate about, but they do communicate, AND... wouldn't I love to know what they were saying.. especially those flipping rooks...
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Don't get me wrong, I'm not one of those people who think that their animals are their children or anything, but I do know that my animals think, talk to each other, and also talk to me, or should I say, try and communicate with me. It's just that i don't always understand what they are saying.
Sometimes, I do understand what they are trying to communicate, like the other day one of my lambs was roaring from down in the fields, and I could tell that it was a distressed roar (bleat, whatever), and when I went down to find her, she was entangled in brambles in the hedge, and couldn't get free.
That communication I could understand alright. Something to do with the urgent tone I guess.
Sometimes when I call to the individuals, they bleat back. Theres something in it alright, but what? |
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