Arriving on the meadow
Photo:Terry Slattery
Photo: Jacob Everitt
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In September 2010 Hebridean sheep were introduced into the meadow
at the Reserve to provide an economic alternative to the use of machine
mowing. This innovative idea was the suggestion of our warden, Jake.
Being quite naive in the matter of sheep, I thought it might be worth
doing some research.
The first thing I found was that here is a Hebridean Sheep Society.
This is apparently a society for people, not sheep, in case you were
wondering. You can find their website at www.hebrideansheep.org.uk,
and it is indeed most informative.
Apparently, these sheep may well be able to trace their ancestry back
to sheep introduced by the Vikings to the Western Isles and Highlands
of Scotland (my wife thought this is why they have those handsome horns,
but I had to disappoint her on this!). These early sheep would most
likely have been small, hardy and of varying colours, but over the years
have been deliberately selected for dark colouration. Later, these dark
sheep were introduced into estates and parkland in both Scotland and
England. Historically, selection of black sheep made sense because the
horn on the feet of black sheep grows slowly and is more resistant to
rot than that of other colour breeds. This is especially useful in wet
British pastures and is a characteristic that makes these sheep ideal
for the meadow at the Reserve.
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By the 20th century, Hebridean sheep were scarce and
in 1973 the Rare Breeds Survival Trust designated them as a breed in
danger of extinction. Fortunately, although none had survived in western
Scotland, some parkland flocks remained and provided the basis for re-establishment
of the breed, which has proved to be vigorous and hardy thanks to many
years of selection under harsh natural conditions.
Originally, it had been intended that there should be six sheep introduced
into the meadow at the Reserve, but in the event a total of eight arrived
on the 15th September 2010. They started chomping as soon as they were
released from the trailer, and seem to settle into their new home immediately!
The Friends were invited to name one of the newcomers and chose Hamish
(suggested by John Wilks, our Secretary). Other suggestions included
Baa-rnaby, Hector, Fernandes (don't ask), and Rodney. After spending
autumn at Warnham, our sheep moved on to Chesworth Farm, but we expect
that by September 2011 we should again have our sheep in residence (probably
six, but counting sheep before they hatch(?) is a by all accounts bit
risky).
Graham Matthews |
