Bluebells and lambs at Church Farm, Ardeley

What a great day at the farm, feeding the lambs! This is Tony, the first lamb born to Church Farm.  He's not in great shape, being blind and a little lame. But he's as happy as Larry(!) 

Here's why... .

And why.....

And why...

But he's not the only happy animal.  The pigs love digging for food.

And so do the hens.

 And who lives here, do you think?

 Could it be the weasel or the rabbit we saw scurrying across the path? 

This is where the hare lives, along with the cows, bulls and calves.

Bumble bees don't live here but this is their larder.

And what about human habitation?

The watering hole...

And another.

But to end on a serious note.  Last week's Chris Packham's guide to British animals looked specifically at grassland habitats.  (You can catch it again on  http://www.bbc.co.uk/i/b010mxm4/)  At the farm we saw grazing animals, hares, and bumble bees and much more besides.  The link between mixed farming and biodiversity is very clear and as Chris Packham emphasised in the programme, if that's what we want in the countryside, then that's the kind of farming we should be encouraging. We too can play our part by buying our food there and participating in the regular Farm Days. The next ones are:

Members' Farm Day Sunday 15 May

Members' Camping Weekend 28 and 29 May

Farm Festival 17-19 June.

To find out how you can join the Church Farm 'More than a Box' Scheme, come along to our regular drop off every Thursday between 6 and 7 at the Haberdashery Cafe, Middle Lane. Or go to the Church Farm Website here