Dogs ready for their morning run.
I cheated and looked to see where the sheep were yesterday evening when I ran the dogs, so I'm assuming I know where they'll be this morning. There's lots more forage in the Back Gully Reserve, so we'll take another trip there today, unless the flock completely fools me and ends up on the northeastern end of the Grazing Area, in which case we'll go for the Lucerne Reserve. We got a lovely 12.5 mm (exactly ½ inch) of rain on Thursday, though it was just as wild and cold as predicted. I was SO glad I wasn't out on the hill with sheep. Even my good gear wouldn't have kept me warm. And I did get the April accounts done ;-)
Oh, yesterday morning I saw a pair of swans taking wing from Swan Lake (which now has a bit of water in it) over my house. They normally start nesting in July, so I presume this was a trip to check out likely waterholes. I rather doubt that mine will be able to compete with some of the more desirable waterfronts nearby, but I'll keep my fingers crossed. Here are a couple of swan photos from earlier years.
END OF THE DAY NOTES: Yep, fooled big time. Have you noticed that often when the forecast is N or NW wind, I end up with an easterly in the morning? Not something I'd noticed before the process of writing down the forecast and then checking it against reality. And east instead of NW makes a big difference in where the sheep are likely to be and also to want to go. So, after hiking halfway to the Back Gully Reserve this morning, only to see no sheep on any horizon, I finally paid proper attention to the wind direction and headed east to Old Cabin. Found them on the hill above, and then took a leisurely tour of the paddock, going widdershins (anti-clockwise in fairy tale parlance) and allowing the flock to take all the time it wanted. We just made it into Waterfall Gully (lower) at the end of the circuit. They stayed there, munching contentedly on the lucerne until about 2 pm, then made their way back (dashed red line) to the NE corner of Old Cabin (where the ruins of a small, old sandstone building can be found). They were still there at 4 pm, and the wind was still easterly. Although the breeze had a distinct chill to it, the sunny day offset the cold and it was a most pleasant circuit.
P1: Not a sheep in sight. And what I thought was southerly is actually easterly. So I'm taking a chance they'll be in Old Cabin. I'll be less than happy if I get there and I'm wrong!
P2: Yep, guessed right. On the slope above Old Cabin. Phew.
I hope you're starting to recognise faces: that's Elf and Horatio at the beginning of the video above.
P3: Worked sandstone foundation of what I call the Old Cabin. Sheep had a good, slow graze up to this corner. Now moving NW in the general direction of the lucerne.
P4: Prince, one of Vicki's many swains, with the flock behind him heading down into the lower end of Waterfall Gully. We're out of time for an excursion into the lucerne proper, but there's a patch of it down there. Then they're free to come back into the main grazing area when they're ready. Home for lunch now for me and the dogs.
The same clutch, all grown up and ready to fly in January 2013.