ON THE FARM Pasture Farm is a working farm, with sheep, cattle, hens, and ponies.  We also grow potatoes, turnips, carrots, and leeks. There is an abundance of wildlife on the farm and in our area.

We have a flock of around 40 free range hens.
The hens are always particularly pleased to see anybody, and will come running to meet you at any time of the day.
If you have small children, don't worry, the hens are all fenced in for their own protection against the local foxes, apart from one or two escapees, who have decided that the grass is greener on our side of the fence.

Deer.
Occasionally, we see deer on our property.  They are bold enough to venture within sight of the farmhouse, but generally during the day they prefer plenty of cover, so they usually pay us a visit during the evenings.

	We first spotted "Bambi" from our tractor whilst we were working the fields. He was  obviously struggling to get around. The next day, we kept an eye out for him.  He looked in such a bad way, that we decided to pick him up and bring him indoors. He had badly injured his rear-left ankle. A call to the RSPA and a visit from the vet put him on the road to recovery, and here, just one week later, he is on his feet again, and posing for the cameras. Bambi enjoys a selection of our home grown vegetables, plus of course, plenty of hay, grass, and vegetation from our hedgerows. We also give him some horse mix for protien. He is a very unusual Roe deer.. He is almost an albino, but doesn't have red eyes. A rare animal indeed ! After just one week, he is amazingly tame. We hope he will stay with us, but if he chooses to leave, we will of course be looking out for him around the farm. Left, visitor Evelyn (18 months), feeds Bambi (probably about 7 or 8 months) a slice of carrot.

Fell Ponies.
Have some fun with Jester and Jack our two Fell ponies.
Jack (on the right), is ridden regularly, and has won many rosettes for show jumping and his good looks at local shows.
Jester is still too young for such exertions.  He's still a big baby.
Both have very gentle and pleasant temperaments, and are very friendly.
They are always glad to see you, especially if you pick them some grass, and love to have their photograph taken with our visitors.

Shetlands.
Our two Shetlands, Mermaid and Tasha, are mother and daughter.
Tasha, shown here, arrived rather unexpectedly after a Miniature Shetland stayed with us for a while.
We still haven't worked out what he must have been standing on, but ............  where there's a will  ........ !!

Wildlife

Whalewatching, and seal spotting.
Although you can't see the sea from Pasture Farm even on a clear day, you can whalewatch at the nearby small coastal town of Silloth.
Pilot whales have been seen quite often close to the shore.
Drive along the front in a northerly direction towards Skinburness, and park in the "overflow" car park, just past the tennis courts.  (We've never seen enough traffic in Silloth to warrant this extra parking).
Park facing the sea, of course, and if you are lucky, you may spot a whale or three 50 to 100 yards out or more..
They surface quite regularly, but do not blow spray.
They are black, and slightly bigger than a dolphin.  Make sure you take your binoculars, and maybe some fish and chips !
The occasional Atlantic Grey seal has been spotted in this same area.  They certainly live around the opposite coast on the Scottish side, towards the western end of the penninsular. 

Foxes
There are plenty of foxes in our area, but to see them, you don't necessarily have to get up early, or be out around dusk.
Our fox has been spotted during breakfast on the patio and also in the afternoon.
We see him quite regularly from our kitchen window, probably checking our poultry for any escapees !

Otters and Badgers.  Though very elusive, both have been seen in the area.

Hares.  There are quite a number of hares in our fields and the surrounding countryside.  They are easily distinguished from rabbits by their greater size and their larger upright ears.  Also you will probably view them for a longer time as they are confident in open spaces and will settle down rather than immediately run for cover, as rabbits do. If you are really lucky, you may spot them "boxing" in the fields. All part of the "boy meets girl" scene here in the countryside.

Curlews
These birds are shoreline waders, but they often lay their eggs in open ground in fields.  Curlews used to be very plentiful, but now their numbers are in decline.
They have a very distinctive flight display, which they do to the accompaniment of their "Curlewing" warbling call.  You can't miss them when they are around.
Whilst we were ploughing this spring, one pair of curlews laid their eggs in a furrow towards the middle of our field.
So that we could proceed with planting, we moved the eggs just a few yards each day, until the "nest" was close to the field edge.
The curlews didn't seem to notice, and continued to rear their young as normal, despite our assistance with helping them to move house.

	Wild flowers The Countryside Stewardship Scheme comes to Pasture Farm. Under the scheme, we have been  planting  wide headlands round designated fields with wild seeds, thus several acres fallow each year. The seeds are known in the trade as "Birdseed", but the wild flower seeds cover a wide selection of varieties to encourage all wildlife - plants, insects, mammals, etc., not just birds.
Wildlife Pond.  See our wildlife pond on our Pasture Farm walk. Wild ducks, and the occasional Coot or Moorhen can be seen here.  This is a small wetland area, and the pond includes a small island.  We are looking forward to seeing a wide variety of pond life once again this summer. This will include the usual selection of water beetles, water boatmen and pond skaters, turquoise, red, and brown dragon flies and damsel flies.
We look forward to meeting you.  Ian and Yvonne Harrison Pasture Farm West Newton Aspatria Cumbria CA7 3JU Tel.  01697 320 340 (+44) 1697 320 340 E-mail info@cottages-withaview.co.uk