The Great Sheep Escape ... Or The Grass is Always

Living in the Dark Peak the change in the landscape from green farmland to unimproved grassland or moorland is very clear to see.

If you are a sheep its also clear to see when you are on the wrong side of the dividing wall. It must be like being stuck outside a sweetshop window.

When I first spotted them these two sheep were on top of the wall looking for a way across and the rest were in a tight mass ready to follow them over. They had obviously posted lookouts for the farmer in case he caught them at it. The two sheep in the middle of the picture spotted me taking this photograph and the guilty sheep on the wall soon climbed down on the correct side. I had to laugh.

The flock in these fields can often be seen moving in single file through an open gate to an adjoining field ( where the are supposed to go) with stragglers trotting to keep up with the Matriarch in charge of the flock. Sheep must be more intelligent than I thought.

This area is been home to Lapwings in the Summer. This year has been a breeding success thanks to work by the farmer and Peak District Wader Recovery Project. It was great to see flocks of juvenile Lapwings with adult in the fields before they migrated to the coast. So these fields aren't just home to wayward sheep.