Aptly enough our first calf of the season was born on Mothering Sunday this year. Little Ling was born early on Sunday Morning in our fields at Shottermill.
Our herd of Belted Galloway Cattle are vital for our Conservation work, they help keep the scrub at bay and provide the diversity of habitat that is needed by so much of the special wildlife we are trying to look after. We are all really proud of our cattle here, and therefore very biased, but even with that in mind Ling does look a lovely calf, great markings and a very cute face. Fingers crossed she does well and takes her place with the rest of the grazing force out on the heath later in the year.
Below is a video of Sarah Fisk, Seasonal Ranger at Black Down, with Ling and her Dam when the calf was only a day old:
The cattle are a key part of the jigsaw that makes up the landscape, as well as the pattern of the cycle of the changing seasons of the year. Having them here is one of the real pleasures of our work. Without them our local landscape would be much the poorer.
Speckled Wood 
Such is the cycle of life. I watched as the first three cows were released into the field. That was an occasion.