Spring Update

The last couple of months have flown by, probably because they have been so busy.....

Thankfully this year we were blessed with good weather during lambing.  Most of the lambs are well grown by now, and experiencing some of the hazards of being raised on an island:

 This lamb ventured too close to an oystercatcher nest!

This ewe managed to get her head stuck in a bucket!

We have also had a couple of sheep "rescues" recently, just to add a bit more challenge to our usual pastoral duties..........

The first involved rescuing Susi (Jo's blind sheep!) who managed to escape onto the mountain and then fell down onto rocks below Pen Cristin.

The second involved rescuing a lamb who decided she didn't want to be rounded up with her friends but thought she would explore the Irish Sea instead. She ran out onto the rocks in Henllwyn, but with the tide coming in was soon stuck on her own little island and would probably have drowned......... Here are two short video clips capturing the rescue:

The cows have been much better behaved, although theyre taking their time with calving....still 7 to go!

During April, Steve also ploughed 8 fields which have been sown with either oats, barley or a grass/clover ley, and one has been sown with Borage, specifically to provide the bees with extra flowers to forage from.

 Rachel has been particularly busy preparing for her AS level exams.  This "dew art" was part of her project.

Despite the busy period, we have been able to enjoy some of the beauty of spring and appreciate the amazing colour and intricacy of creation.  Here are just a selection of some of the spring flowers on Enlli:

 Early Marsh Orchid

Bluebells with Cristin in the backround

Spring Squill

Thrift

March adventures...

With less than a week to go, we are all preparing for the start of lambing...which will be full-on untill the end of April, as well as calving, and then Ben and I start our exams. We had an unexpected calf two days ago, who is a little wobbly on his feet, but after some encouragement is now feeding well and growing stronger....despite a very bad-tempered mother.

Other signs of spring are also emerging on the island; pussy willows and catkins are thriving in the withies, the daffodils have sprung up near the abbey at the north end, and new arrivals such as sand martins have been flitting over the fields.

We have been quite adventurous in our free time; here are a few photos of what we have been up to...

 The view from the top of the lighthouse...

 Ben in 'Y Morlo Bach' with his first mate, Celyn...

 Dad and I in the kayaks in Ogof Hir..

 Celyn trying out a different type of sea vessel...

Trying out some climbs on small sea-cliffs...

January on Enlli

We started the year with some gorse burning on the mountain and the south end - this is part of a 6/7 year rotational gorse control programme.

 Last week the high pressure brought with it banks of thick fog which provided spectacular views from the mountain.

 For the first time in 4 years, the settled weather meant that the sheep scanner and team could come over to scan the lambing flock.  Knowing whether the sheep are carrying single lambs, twins or occasionaly triplets helps us to feed them appropriately prior to lambing.

 The low tides over the last few days have revealed lots of starfish!  Ben spotted one being carried away by a Herring Gull- captured on camera (see http://bbfo.blogspot.com/ for the 20th)

Happy New Year to everyone!! Here is a selection of some of Ben's best shots from 2010....

 Frozen ponds and frost on plants provided good opportunities for pictures in the cold snaps of January and December.

 Lighthouse with pink-lit clouds.

                                                     Redshanks feed in the wash of the waves in Solfach

 Curlew with the mainland at sunrise

                                   A Willow Warbler makes a good subject with the pink apple-blossom

 Marbled Coronet

 Orange Tip butterfly

 Yellowtail and Lackey catipillars

 Dunlin

Dried ground provides an interesting pattern.

                                                                    Marsh Marigold anthers

 Wheatear

 Water droplets on grass and Oak leaf

                                                                              Berries

 Lichens on a willow branch in the withies

                                 A Lapland Bunting takes a quick bath on the maririme heath pools.

 As well as finches such as Chaffinches(top), a Goldcrests(bottom) and a Yellow browed Warbler(bottom) amongst other birds appreciated the sunflower patches this autumn. For the seeds in the heads and insects that they attract.

                                      Dew droplets cling to grasses and spiderwebbs after a clear night

 An adult Swallow performes suberb aerodynamics giving food to it's young whilst in mid-flight.

                                                                               Fungi

         Sandwich Terns move south along with hundreds of other seabirds past the north hide in the autumn

Sanderling feeds on Solfach

                                                                Droplets stick to a magpie feather

Sycamore keys provide an incredible pattern when back-lit

                   Red sword Grass

                             A Grey Phalarope picks, for once, a calm day to visit the island this year.

    A Little Gull(top) and a Black headed Gull(bottom) feed in Solfach