The Blackface

Wherever we walk on the hills of West Ardnamurchan, and whatever the time of year and the state of the weather, we come across blackface sheep. They're an amazingly hardy breed - they have their own website, here, which describes their 'survivability, adaptability and versatility'.

But this is a particularly hard time for the ewes as they give birth to their lambs. The long dry spell has been good weather for them, but they still face significant obstacles in bringing up their young.

For a start, they have to give birth untended. We recently came across this ewe which was having a difficult birth. Her lamb was dead, but the ewe survived through the prompt actions of her owners.

Most give birth successfully, but the chances of the lamb surviving depend heavily on its ability to get up onto its feet quickly, and thereafter keep up with its mother across what is often very steep and broken ground. We have come across lambs which have fallen down cliffs to their deaths, but a greater threat are the eagles - both golden and sea eagles take lambs - and the foxes.

We came upon these two lambs in the hills above Ormsaigbeg, relaxing in the sunshine. The colour of the vegetation suggests another problem their mother faces - the fine weather may have been good for lambing, but the low rainfall and cold winds mean that the new grass hasn't come on.