Predators week!

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This last week has obviously been the week for predators as we have been visited by several.
A fortnight ago our peacocks and the two guinea fowl were creating such a racket that I went to investigate down on the field. The chickens which have the free range of the field during the day were mostly huddled near the field gate, two of the peacocks perched high and hooting like mad and the guinea fowl cackling and dashing about. As I got to the gate the g.f. dashed up the field and stood together facing the hawthorn hedge so that I knew there was a fox about! I walked up the field peering under the hedge as I went as you can sometimes see it the other side of the fencing, along the ditch edge. One lone chicken (the largest of course) was standing in the field and as I got towards her the fox ran from under the hedge towards her. He got to within three feet of her before seeing me and dashing back. The chicken of course took off running for the field gate and the rest of the chickens – bit late I thought! Couldn’t find where the fox got in or out!
Back to last week which started with being woken by a terrible screaming outside, close to the bedroom window, which went on and on. Eventually I got up at 2.45am to see if I could see anything, but of course not! I think this was the stoat catching one of the baby rabbits which visit and munch my garden, only rabbits scream like that!
The next night I was again woken at about 4am but screeching noises which sounded like something fighting, animal not bird.
The following day the Blackbirds were giving their alarm call, so out I go to see what the problem was and the Sparrowhawk took off from the hedge, closely chased by the Blackbird. It obviously came back as a couple of days later there were grey feathers on the lawn. Panicing that they could be from the baby Little owls from the nest box in the garden, I got the tall ladder to go up and look. Luckily on opening the little door gingerly there are two Little owl babies (or three) inside perched on a heap of sticks and the stench from the slime,excrement and left-overs was almost over-powering! Still, good they are still OK and the parents have been seen since.

To top that, first thing the next day looking out of the kitchen window while waiting for the kettle to boil, I discovered that we had three Heron’s on the side of the pond, two plastic and one real! He took off when I moved and hopefully before he helped himself. A few plant pots might now discourage him from trying to land.
Friday came with another visit from the fox, this time taking one of the old battery hens and tucking it under one of the trees. I walking the field boundary outside and the only small space I found was where a piece of the wire had been bent making a hole about 5″ × 7″, so having wired that up again, hopefully that will be it.
The chickens had been visited by a rat which every night burrowed under the chicken food tray and fed on the scattered food which ended up there. One morning I lifted the tray and found the rat lying there! So it was dig the space a bit bigger, bait the trap, put the heavy tin tray back and yippee! caught him!
How many more predators can this bit of ground support? I know they all have to live, but a break would be good!

• 22 Jun, 2015
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