Alpacas - and other wildlife!

This is Fidget (rear) and Fergus in the pen awaiting the arrival of the vet.  We have been concerned recently by Fidget's weight loss and going to the toilet is taking him a lot longer than it normally does.  He is eating and drinking well and he appears to behaving normally, apart from the toileting issues.

We left Fergus (left) in the pen with Fidget to keep him company and the other two boys wait in an adjoining paddock.

The vet gave Fidget a thorough examination and he was well behaved only 'kushing' on a couple of occasions.  Fidget is the most timid of the  4 boys and always hangs back from the group.  Faecal samples were obtained for the lab for a worm count as a first step whilst heart rate, digestive tract sounds and temperature were all normal.  Fidget and the other 3 boys are all 12 years old.

Faro (left) and Fyta wait in an adjoining paddock and keep an eye on the vet and other humans dealing with their pals.  We find that alpacas are very forgiving of humans examining them and shoving thermometers in strange places (!) so once the vet has finished the four boys continue grazing.

Dear oh deer, we could do without this chap wandering through our garden as if he owned it, nibbling bushes and shrubs at random!  When he saw the human taking the photo he scarpered!

The Grumpy Gardener is at the hair pulling stage again because not only are rabbits and the deer giving him extra work but one morning this week we discovered that a badger had been at work on an embankment/rockery at the back of the house.  He was clearly burrowing for wasps/bumble bee nests as is their habit but he certainly left a mess.

And finally...................the House Martin families have all now taken to the wing.  There are three nests at the top of the picture under the eaves and the birds enjoy sitting on the wood struts during the evenings.  We have nests all around the house and the garage so there are dozens of birds wheeling around in the air.  Great to watch but creating more work for me in cleaning their mess off the windows!