The forecast for Tuesday was dire and we expected to send the volunteers home before lunch, however, it stopped raining at 10 am and turned into a lovely day. We used the time to gather in most of our wheat sheaves and make stacks. There was a harvest mouse under every other stook, so perhaps 50 were present in the two fields. We also found a few wood-mice, shrews and voles, and, fortunately, no rats. Birdlife was spectacular too, with 2 buzzards, 2 sparrow-hawks and 2 skylarks overhead, dozens of yellowhammers and 5 grey partridges.
On Tuesday evening the heavens opened and the river rose, so that we had to remove the highland cattle. Geoff the farmer already had a movement order to allow him to take the cattle back to Southoe. (This was just before we heard about blue-tongue disease in Peterborough.)
The flooded grassland may well attract a few waders. Meanwhile redwings and fieldfares have been streaming in to feed on our berry crop.
Jim
