Tuesday, 15 July 2014

Gathering the Point

Farmer and family are back from a lovely holiday.  The Haunn field has changed colour in our absence!  And we finally got the Coronation Meadow badges up on the gates!



Whilst we have been away the shearing contractors have been busy shearing everyone else's sheep and we are now trying to catch up.  Step one in preparation is to gather the Cheviots and Zwartbles off the Point.  With steep drops and cliffs all round Farmer does more leg work than the dogs.   This morning he opened the gates onto the next field to encourage them through at their own pace.  This afternoon we went back to pick up the stragglers. 

There was one Cheviot lamb on its own.  Farmer and the dogs at his heel got him to move up towards the others.


We found last years bottle fed Zwarties had grazed themselves onto a ledge, and so Farmer had to go and try and encourage them off.




Unfortunately because they are still fairly tame, they wanted to come towards him (rather than wanting to get as far away as possible) so his usually successful tactic of much whistling and calling did not frighten them to safety as it normally does!  After this they moved up a level and were much nearer the flats but he decided to leave them to find their own way up the next bit onto the level.   He will go back and check on them tomorrow.



Checking down to the raised beach on the north west side of the Point.


Remains of a kill.


A straggling ewe and her lambs give Farmer and the dogs a bit of a run around, but all ends well and they return to the others - eventually!






More of the Haunn field flowers...