The start of May was a whirlwind! The first calf of the year was born on the 25th of April, then the cows left us in suspense for a whole week until the 2nd of May until the next one came along. It was then a flurry of calves being born all over the place – we had 19 within one week! Calving then slowed down and things became a bit calmer with the last one found on the 28th. In general we’ve had a very successful month and the vast majority of the calves and their mums are already out free roaming in the hills – I can’t wait to head out to see them over the summer.
On top of this we’ve also had two Hill Trips a day and all the usual business in the office. So I’ll leave it there and just let you enjoy the cute pictures…
As a reminder, we won’t reveal the names of the new mothers until after we’ve let our adopters know in the June newsletter so I’ve tried to be deliberately vague.
1st of May: Brew bored of me talking on a Hill Trip and finding a comfy seat on my rucksack! I’m sure a lot of visitors would empathise with her – I do tend to go on a bit.1st of May: Sisters Zambezi and Juniper hanging out together.6th of May: A gorgeous newborn male calf.6th of May: Bordeaux and Turtle wondering what I’m up to on another beautiful day. I’m starting to forget what rain feels like!7th of May: Amazon looking beautiful whilst out free ranging in the hills!7th of May: Druid is a shy boy and doesn’t handfeed but he loves eating from the white bag at the end of the visit, as you can tell from the crumbs on his nose!9th of May: Choc-ice is a bold and rather cheeky fella! 12th of May: This gorgeous wee one is just over a week old and already very settled around us, so long as mum isn’t too far away!12th of May: A beutiful female calf.12th of May: Cameron walking a calf into the ‘nursery’ area of our enclosure, the mum is just ahead, off camera and this wee one is less than 12 hours old.13th of May: Andi feeding the main herd in the enclosure. Look at the size of Sherlock’s antlers next to everyone else! Busby closest to camera. 13th of May: A beautiful calf chilling out in a bog!14th of May: Another gorgeous calf!14th of May: Three ‘normal coloured’ calves in the wrong place on the other side of a fence to their (unconcerned) mums! Who do you belong to?! 14th of May: Another calf cooling down in a bog. Look at that row of bottom teeth! 17th of May: Spartan tapping his antlers encouraging their growth.18th of May: The first batch of calves getting walked out! Here’s Cameron walking with a mother and her calf following on behind. 18th of May: Free ranging mother and calf! A beautiful evening waving them off! 18th of May: Another calf now free ranging in the hills for the summer. Good luck wee one!19th of May: Kuksa yawning after a Hill Trip. Tiring work being this cute!21st of May: A really funky coloured calf! What a cutie.23rd of May: One year old Chai having a suckle from mum Cheer. Usually the calves stop suckling long before this but Cheer and Chai remain closely bonded.27th of May: How Jimmy spent the majority of my Hill Trip – at my side giving me the puppy dog eyes!28th of May: Another reindeer calf just for good measure!28th of May: Elbe, the twin brother to his more famous sister Alba, looking great.29th of May: Some of our gorgeous boys – Jester, Kulfi, Busby, Mivvi and Olmec.
It’s well known that I have soft spots for a lot of reindeer, often if I have worked closely with them during free range missions or out on Christmas tours etc. However, one cohort I’m particularly fond of is the ‘hats’- reindeer born in spring 2021. In May 2021, I returned to reindeer herding after three years of trying out something different. My return was wonderful, and I instantly got stuck into the busy calving season. Just like the reindeer born in 2017 (the Authors and Poets) which was my first ever calving season, I’m very fond of the 2021 cohort, particularly as it was a relatively small calving. The three remaining females, Beanie, Beret, and Trilby are all different in both looks and personality.
In spring 2024 all three of them had their own calves – another generation to become attached to! They’ve all done so well, especially as first-time mums. This blog is just an excuse to show lots of lovely photos of them!
Beanie and Beret together in March 2024.Beanie, Maisy wearing a beanie, and Trilby together in December 2024.
Beanie
Beanie was born on the 19th of May 2021 to mum Gloriana. She has an older brother called Butter and a younger brother called Rocket. When she was a bit younger and still finding her place in the herd Beanie would often be found towards the back and would get pushed around a bit by the older cows. For that reason I think some herders (not mentioning any names…) would spoil her with extra handfeed as we’d feel a little sorry for her! Beanie has now grown up to be a very friendly and greedy lass and is often found lurking behind after a Hill Trip fluttering her eyelashes for extra feed, ever hopeful. I have to use all my resolve not to cave – she definitely doesn’t need it! Beanie had her first calf in 2024, a large male who we named Coffee. He’s grown into one of the biggest calves of the year.
Beanie as a new born calf in May 2021. What a cutie! Beanie and her mum Gloriana in early 2022 free ranging in the hills.Beanie growing a new set of antlers and up to her usual antics – trying to break into a feed bag but looking like butter wouldn’t melt!In May 2024 Beanie had her first calf. A handsome lad called who we later named Coffee and who has grown into one of the biggest calves of the year – go Beanie! Beanie in November 2024 with her usual pleading eyes! It’s hard not to give in…
Beret
Beret is a great character! Her mum Brie is probably the smallest cow in the herd, but she has been a highly successful breeding female over the years so Beret has several siblings including Cicero, Sorbet, and Latte. Whilst Beret was growing up, herders would often come back from a Hill Trip reporting that “she doesn’t know how to be a reindeer”! It took her a while to learn how to hand feed from visitors and there was one memorable winter season where she would jump on visitors for no reason. It was always in a harmless and innocent way but understandably could be intimidating for our visitors! She’s now learnt “how to reindeer” and has matured into a lovely, friendly, dependable lass. In May 2024 she became a mother for the first time – a big female calf who we named Brew who has the tendency to be rather opinionated about everything!
Beret is a firm favourite of herder Lisette and has her own blog here.
Beret and her mum Brie free ranging in early August 2021.Beret and Brie looking very similar with their matching white noses – January 2023.Beret and her younger sister Sorbet behind in August 2023.Beret and her newborn calf Brew in May 2024.Brew a few months later in August looking beautiful amongst the heather!
Trilby
Trilby is a lovely lass! Her mum was a reindeer called Screel who sadly died very unexpectantly in November 2021, leaving Trilby as an orphan. However, by 6 months old Trilby was big and strong enough to not require any special care from us, so she remained in the hills with the herd. We obviously looked out for her and spoilt her where we could! She perhaps doesn’t stand out as much as Beanie and Beret, maybe it’s because she is ‘normal coloured’ and for a while didn’t have a particularly strong personality. But now she’s almost 4 years old her family genetics are kicking in and she’s becoming more confident. Last winter was often at the front of the herd – so I’m hoping she’ll be a future leader! She’s friendly and greedy so we can always catch her out making her easy to work with. Her big sister Scully has serious attitude so maybe Trilby will follow in Scully’s footsteps! This year Trilby had a wee female calf who we named Tetley, so far Tetley is generally sweet-natured but I think has some attitude lurking fairly close to the surface!
Trilby as a calf in October 2021.Trilby free ranging in March 2023.January 2024 – Trilby on the right leading the herd, alongside old girl Okapi. Trilby and her calf who we later named Tetley in June 2024.Trilby and Tetley a few months later in August 2024. Tetley’s antlers didn’t get much bigger than these tiny bumps, but she’s in good condition and I’m sure as a yearling will grow a bigger pair.
