There are new lambs appearing in the fields around Graemsay as lambing gets underway. I just love watching the peedie lambs (peedie = Orcadian for small), especially when they all start playing together like kids, racing around the field and 
jumping about.The kye (cows) are also appearing in the fields after wintering indoors, and again the calves all join together to race around.
The Starlings have hatchlings in nests at the top of the byre and I can hear the cheep cheep noises as the parent birds fly in with mouthfuls of worms to feed them.
The Arctic Terns are back too - it can make walking along the shore a bit hazardous as they dive bomb, at least they scream a warning! I got pecked on the head a few years ago as I didn't think they would actually hit me!
The Bonxies (Great Skua) are around too. I was watching fight in the sky when a Bonxie was chasing a gull to get it to drop it's catch.
The Black Back gulls are around too - especially during the lambing season. I'm not keen on these as they tend to attack the ewes as they are lambing and peck out the immobile ewes eyes, or attack young lambs.
And the sun is shining again after several days of a chill east wind. Thankfully my cloches and seed coverings survived the wind and everything is beginning to burst into life in the veggie patch - yes even *I* can now tell I have potatoes growing.........
Friday was the worst day weatherwise, and of course I had several appointments in town so just had to go across to town. The ride on the boat went via Hoy and was pretty rough - a combination of an east wind and a high tide. The boat picked up school-kids who had been spending a couple of days at the Outdoor Centre on Hoy, and I did feel sorry for some of the kids as some of them looked various shades of white or green. However most of them seemed to be enjoying the roller-coaster ride on the boat.
Here's another sunset from last week (sunrise is now at 04:39 (or so they tell me) and sunset at 21:39, and the other night it was light all night! OOooh I LOVE this time of year):
I love this time of year too. You're farther north than I am, but it's light enough here to wake me up without an alarm at 5 a.m. this time of year. SUCH a difference from winter, when I drag myself up from the depths at 7 as the alarm blares.
ReplyDeleteI could live in this light and sunshine all year long.
A bonxie ventured into our bottom field yesterday - big mistake as it was set upon by several curlews, a couple of oystercatchers and some common gulls.
ReplyDeleteDon't forget to earth up those tatties.
Oh you know how to tempt one...peedie lambs, kye, bonxies, arctic tern, tatties almost 24 hours daylight with sunsets. Am on my way up...
ReplyDeleteMary - yup me too. I just LOVE this time of year. I hibernate in the winter (which here is from October to about April, though I was the same in Kent).
ReplyDeleteMalc - tatties appearing above the ground now - keep checking but don't need earthing up just yet. Though how I persuade the hens to stop UNearthing them is another matter.....
Paula - Tapping feet - well you haven't arrived yet! LOL!