I can't believe I am more than half way through my time here already! How quickly it has gone. My general tiredness and achey legs are telling me it hasn't all been in my imagiination though!
Today started with a quick feeding trip up the hill. I went up with Kate- but three other herders travelled up a little after us, bringing the 6 reindeer from the visitor centre paddocks with them to the hill enclosure- it was their time to return to the mountainside, and to be replaced with some others.
The food carrying method!
A very noticable mushroom we have been walking past all week
Kate and I fed some of the reindeer to make the hillside reindeer juggling a bit easier for the other three, but then we headed back ot the visitor centre to get it ready for opening. She manned the shop and the office while I did poop-scooping, lights on and general visitor centre tidying. Below is a snap of the elf house in the visitor centre!
Dave returned from the mountainside without the other two- they were staying back to treat Fergus, the lively breeding bull I wrote of yesterday, as he has contracted a virus that needed urgent attention- Red Water Fever. I was told early on in my placement to keep an eye of for any reindeer with red urine- as it is a sign of the virus, which is contracted from ticks, and can kill a reindeer very quickly. Fergus has now been injected (he was not at all his usual self today, which made this process a lot easier than it normally would have been on him!), and he is staying overnight in a sheltered pen.
Meanwhile, at the centre I met Dave on his return, and helped to unload the four new reindeer for the paddocks (no calves this time). At 11 o clock I went up with Kate to lead the tour. It was a larger group than yesterday, but went well- except for one of the reindeer (Scrabble) being disgruntled that a lady moved her handfeed away from him, and giving her a bit of a bop! She was fine though thankfully.
Feeding Svalbard a handful of leftover food at the end of the hill trip.
In the afternoon there was time for a few jobs again, so I was set to tidying up the rockery outside, which has the dates 1952-2018 arranged in white rocks- except that the rocks has slid out of place a bit so it wasn't reading very clearly. (1952 was the year reindeer were first re-introduced to the Cairngorms from Sweden, having been eradicated from Scotland 1000 years ago through hunting and climate change). There were plenty of pine needles to shift from the rocks too. I had the company of the lovely dogs Tiree and Sookie, who watched me intently for the best part of an hour, hoping I would throw their ball! Unfortunately Sookie is a bit arthritic now so we are discouraged from throwing things too much as it isn't great for her joints to be lurching around. She still happily sat waiting anyway though just in case!
Before tidying!
An interesting caterpillar among the pine needles.
Then it was time to return to the hill for the late afternoon feed with Manuke and Chris. First we visited Fergus, who was still looking a little wobbly and docile, but gave me the strongest of head nudges he could manage as he passed (which was somewhat pathetic!), showing he would still like to throw his weight around! I can't remember if I said yesterday, but he has had his antlers removed, for the safety of everyone. On becoming familiar with his reputation, I'd say this was a good idea! Fingers crossed that tomorrow he is feeling better.
I fed various groups of reindeer with Manuke, while Chris went round the outside to feed Fergus's group of females, and to check if there were any free-range reindeer that had come down to the outside of the enclosure again. When we met back up at the end, we heard from Chris that Sookie had caught the scent of a reindeer, and had run off- refusing to return when called, and didn't come back! Chris ran a long way calling her back, but had to give up and come back down the hill in the end. A couple of weeks ago a similar thing happened (though this was entirely out of character), and it was a few days until she was found- let's hope this time she fnds her way back, or is found, soon!
Feeding time with the calves!
Time for an evening stroll before tea (even though I was really hungry, owing to the shortening daylight hours, one has to go straight away in order to have time to explore!).
I used 'Sport' setting for this photo, as the berries were moving quickly in the wind. Seems to have worked, I should use it more on the reindeer!
Craigellachie Nature Reserve! This is right behind the hostel I'm staying in.
Lichen- a favourite reindeer food!
Lovely views through the trees. Tonight ther was an incredible pink sunset. Photos never do it justice though!
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