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.

Still enjoying the sun.

Another sunny day and the human has approached one of the field shelters pushing a barrow - that's enough activity to get any alpacas interested!  Faro leads his pals Fergus, Fyta and Fidget to see what is going on.

Faro can always be counted on to be first to check out any human or any activity going on in the paddocks.  He's a 'one-off' and has a totally different attitude to the other three boys.

Fergus (left) and Fyta with the strong morning sunshine getting in Fyta's eyes.  By now the boys suspect that they might just get into a closed off shelter for a roll in the dust as the human is working in there!

Here they are waiting outside the shelter, from the left Fidget, Fergus, Fyta and Faro.

Give these boys an inch and they'll take a mile!  All four get into the shelter and do what they love best - rolling in the dust.  Fidget and Faro are rolling with the other two about to start.  They really enjoy this activity.

For the earlier part of the week we had sharp overnight frosts but that meant clear, sunny days.  This long range shot is of the boys in the farthest away paddock enjoying the sun with the bulk of the snow capped Ben Wyvis in the distance.

And finally............ yesterday and today have produced gales for us and when this happens the boys tend to hit the ground in a hollow in a paddock and let the wind blow over their heads.  Clever 'pacas!

Seafield Alpacas and snow!

We paid a visit further north this week to see Alison and Brendan at Seafield Alpacas in Portmahomack, Ross Shire. This was a nice visit with lovely friends and very photogenic boys.  In front is Flynn, then Chocolate behind him and Echo (Wee Eck) at the rear.  The white boy at the rear is Gully and in front of him is Merlin.

This is Gully who is the tallest in the herd and just as good looking as always.  He's a lovely boy with a terrific 'top knot!'

And just look at these two cuties - Flynn on the left with Chocolate who has a piece of clover sticking from his mouth.  Aren't they lovely?

This is Merlin getting up close and personal with 'mum' Alison with Flynn behind.  Merlin is such a friendly character and not at all phased by humans in close proximity.  In fact this is a very laid back herd, obviously very happy with acres to run about in and being well looked after by the humans!

Isn't Flynn a really handsome boy?   Like all alpacas he's also very inquisitive. Thanks for being lovely hosts, Alison and Brendan - great to see the boys again and Milo & Jasper the dogs too.

Back home again and it's that time of year once more for Halloween and pumpkin soup.  Faro, Fyta and Fergus aren't sure whether to eat the pumpkin or run away from it!  Fidget is way back on the sky-line, he's not coming any closer!

As forecast, yesterday morning saw a dusting of snow around so the boys were keen to get more hay to eat for breakfast.  They had already emptied the four hay buckets.  We'll start giving them some haylage as well as their hay next week as we get into a winter feeding routine.

And finally.............. this was the scene viewed from our house early yesterday morning and before the sun had properly risen.  Winter's a-coming!

Fun in the sun

This is Fergus, out and about today with the other boys and enjoying a bit of sunshine after a blustery and wet week.

The four boys, from the left, Faro, Fidget in front, Fergus and Fyta at the rear.   They've just had apples and are ready for some fun.

Faro, Fyta and Fergus lining up near the water cans because the human sprayed the hose and they thought they would get a bit of that.

Fyta decides that if he can't get hosed down by a human then he might as well do his own thing in the water, starting with his feet.  Fergus had already been lying in the water tray before Fyta arrived.

Ah that's better.............!  This is the type of water activity we are used to seeing from the boys in the height of the summer but not at this time of year, although the temperature is still mild.

After the water comes the dusting down!  Fergus is at the back of the shelter, Fyta is at the front having rolled and Faro is just about to have a roll.  They love this activity.

And finally.............we are used to seeing large skeins of geese flying south at this time of year and occasionally swans, like these.  The were flying high so difficult to identify the type but probably Whooper Swans making their familiar "whoop-a-hoop" call as they fly.

Not the cleanest of boys..........

It's always obvious when Fidget wants his feed as he tends to stare directly at the human with the bowl - just like this!

You can see from this photo and the previous one that the boys are a bit damp and dirty looking.   We've had a fair amount of rain recently but thankfully, nothing like the amount some areas have had in Wales and parts of England.

When it rains, Fergus usually manages to get his wet nose into the dust of the field shelter - and this is the result!

At the end of a very wet day on Friday the boys were pleased to get into their shelter and the hay buckets.

All except Fidget that is who wanted a handful of hay outside before going into the shelter for his bucket.   Spoiled or what?! 

The boys on one of the sloping, rough paddocks, facing into quite a stiff breeze which was blowing at the time the photo was taken.   The leaves are all changing colour on the trees now and more and more are dropping.

And finally.............it can't all be bad when we are still getting roses blooming in the garden. Although it's been wet and windy this week it has also been very mild for the time of year so there are still flowers around.

An autumnal week

Looking down on the boss!  Faro interested as always in what the humans are up to, tail up and being macho.

The four boys, from the left Faro, Fergus, Fyta and Fidget.  It has been a week of very mixed weather from lovely sunny days to gales and lashing rain.  Must be Autumn.

Another picture this week of Fidget doing his own thing, lying down in one paddock whilst his pals are all grazing in the adjoining paddock.

Looking down on the boys again.  The undulating land around here means that the boys have plenty of opportunity to run up the slopes...........well, Faro and Fyta run up them whilst Fergus and Fidget tend to slowly walk up them!

Like everyone who has apple trees, this year has produced a bumper harvest for us.  We can't give them away as everyone has so many.  At least the boys benefit from the surplus as they are all getting an apple a day at present.  It's a change off the carrots!  This is Fergus, filling his face as always.

And Fyta also enjoys being hand fed with apples.  Faro will eat off the ground or from the hand - as long as there are apples, he is happy!  The boys have been having their Verm-X granules in their feed this week .

And finally.............whilst most of the other flowers and plants are dying off at this time of year, the Nerines come out to give great colour.

Windy weather

There's a certain amount of confusion amongst the boys in this picture, caused by the very windy weather we've been having. The photo doesn't convey this but the sun is shining brightly and the wind is blowing at near gale force.

When it gets very windy during daylight the boys tend to 'go to ground' in this spot which is lower then the surrounding paddock and the wind normally coming from the left of the picture (from the west), blows over their heads. Clever boys!

I've often mentioned that Fidget normally keeps himself slightly apart from the other three boys and this photo taken earlier in the week shows this quite dramatically.  Fidget is on the left of the picture, sunbathing at the side of the shelter whilst the other three are on the right of the picture, some distance away!

Looking uphill at the boys who are looking downhill at the human, watching what he is doing!  From the left Fyta, Faro, and Fergus and Fidget who are both lying down.

Time for a walk to another paddock to try some grass there, as well as a favourite rolling spot. Fidget will follow at his leisure............!

And here he comes, better late than never!  He mostly follows the other three but there are times when he strides out across the paddocks and the others follow him for a change.

And finally...................this is our neighbour's lovely Labradoodle, called 'Lexie' who is staying with us for a few days.  She and the boys all know each other well but that doesn't stop the boys from being wary when Lexie, or any other dog or cat for that matter, is around.  Incidentally, we were delighted to have our 'Reader's Story' about our wee herd printed in the current edition of the Alpaca magazine, on behalf of the British Alpaca Society (BAS) of which I am a member.  There is also a very interesting article about friends Carole and John's Auld Mill Alpaca business near Elgin, further along the Moray Firth coast from us here - well worth a read.