Pronking!

Two of our boys, Faro and Fyta, often take off 'pronking' across the paddocks.  For those readers who have never seen alpacas 'pronking', the animals seem to bounce on all four legs at once instead of running normally.  It's lovely to watch and we think the boys are happy when they are doing this.  In this photo, Fergus is in the background, watching - he doesn't pronk!

Faro and Fyta go pronking off, overtaking Fidget who is in front here, taking  a leisurely walk.  Fidget doesn't do pronking either!

In a couple of seconds Fyta and Faro are pronking in a far paddock with Fyta deciding to chase a crow on the ground!

After all the excitement, Faro decides to have a break and watch the others catch up.  Faro can outrun all the other boys, followed by Fyta, Fergus then Fidget (who normally doesn't do running either!)

The other three have now caught up with Faro - Fyta in front, Fergus and Fidget at the back (as usual!)

This week was Verm-X granules time for the boys but that is not why Fergus is putting on a face.  Yesterday we trimmed his and Fidget's nails and Fergus decided to spit in the air as a warning to alpacas and humans that he was not impressed by this activity!  The spitting produces this open mouthed, dripping scene which lasts about five minutes.  We give him a handful of hay which helps and he is eating normally after about ten minutes.

And finally............this was the scene at 8.00am today, Remembrance Sunday, as the sun was climbing and the boys were waiting for their haylage near their shelter.  The white in the middle of the photo is not water or the sea, but mist rising from the River Beauly below.