It’s been another really interesting week here at Portmore, the marsh harrier is still showing herself in the reedbed and there are great numbers of pochard on the Lough.
There are primroses and snow drops sprouting up along the new boardwalk and in the undergrowth of the wildlife garden. The wet meadows are certainly living up to their name; it is very wet and muddy in the fields. This has put a delay on our rush topping operations and made walking through the fields a real workout.
We had a visit from the vet yesterday to microchip some of the konik ponies. All together 5 foals were micro-chipped and are now awaiting their passports, although they aren't off on holiday! Every horse/pony in the UK needs to have its own unique microchip and passport for identification and transport purposes. I like to say a big thank you to all those who gave a helping hand yesterday, Donnell, Peter and Nigel who helped erecting the horse pens and handling the horses throughout the vets visit.
The contractors who have been working on the predator fence packed up tools yesterday after having worked for the last two weeks making major repairs to breaks in the fence and strengthening it a few weak areas. The lapwing seem to approve of their good work as a flock of 62 birds appeared on Wednesday. Are they our breeding birds back already?
The tree sparrows are in high spirits, flitting back and forth between the seed feeders and the cereal fields. We have noticed they have been prospecting nest boxes near the office. A sure sign spring is on its way!