'Baby Crocodile' in the scrapyard
It's actually a Smooth Newt which we come across occasionally in the yard.
The scrapyard is teeming with wildlife. Apart from horses and a 'feral' herd of goats, there are on different occasions...
Water fowl...ducks, swans, water hens, snipe, European water rail and, on one occasion, a kingfisher.
Just the other day I observed a sparrow hawk picking up a frog which proved to be too heavy resulting in the bird having to land on several occasions in order to get it's 'dinner' to a safe place. On another occasion, while standing with another person, a sparrow hawk dived into a flock of swallows, just feet from our heads, and took one away in it's talons.
Under almost every car you will find rabbits and now and then 'El Zorro'...the fox can be seen skulking about. The odd hare also turns up occasionally.
The diggings of badgers can be seen all over the place.
On two occasions I spotted the dreaded mink.
Pheasants can be seen almost every day.
Butterflies, darters, dragonflies, moths and other summer insects are always in abundance.
Environmentalists will tell you the abundance of frogs is an indicator of the ecological health of an area. Well, if so, the scrapyard is 'alive' with frogs and the odd newt turns up occasionally.
As for wild plants... too numerous to mention. Plants which you won't see on 'clinical' farms thrive here.
AND, the best part of all!!! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) want the scrapyard closed up because it's a 'threat' to the environment?
Go to any 'regular' farm in Ireland and you will not see half of the wildlife that I have described here.
'Baby Crocodile' in the scrapyard
It's actually a Smooth Newt which we come across occasionally in the yard.
The scrapyard is teeming with wildlife. Apart from horses and a 'feral' herd of goats, there are on different occasions...
Water fowl...ducks, swans, water hens, snipe, European water rail and, on one occasion, a kingfisher.
Just the other day I observed a sparrow hawk picking up a frog which proved to be too heavy resulting in the bird having to land on several occasions in order to get it's 'dinner' to a safe place. On another occasion, while standing with another person, a sparrow hawk dived into a flock of swallows, just feet from our heads, and took one away in it's talons.
Under almost every car you will find rabbits and now and then 'El Zorro'...the fox can be seen skulking about. The odd hare also turns up occasionally.
The diggings of badgers can be seen all over the place.
On two occasions I spotted the dreaded mink.
Pheasants can be seen almost every day.
Butterflies, darters, dragonflies, moths and other summer insects are always in abundance.
Environmentalists will tell you the abundance of frogs is an indicator of the ecological health of an area. Well, if so, the scrapyard is 'alive' with frogs and the odd newt turns up occasionally.
As for wild plants... too numerous to mention. Plants which you won't see on 'clinical' farms thrive here.
AND, the best part of all!!! The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) want the scrapyard closed up because it's a 'threat' to the environment?
Go to any 'regular' farm in Ireland and you will not see half of the wildlife that I have described here.