Devon, I'm in Devon

A pair of buzzards live in one of our oak trees, and as I type this I'm watching them through my bedroom window, rising on the thermals. They spiral round and round to get to a good height for hunting. It reminds me of the Fatboy Slim track, Bird of Prey, though the video for that has a different sort of bird of prey.

In the paddock a week-old baby alpaca is trying to get some starlings to play with her while her mother grazes. She should have some better playmates within a few days because the other two alpacas in the field are both heavily pregnant. I saw one being born once. It was bizarre; it just sort of slid out in a long thin sausage shape, mostly made of legs. After a moment's rest it unfolded, and in less than an hour she was on her feet and exploring with the whole herd following behind her. The mother didn't seem particularly bothered by the experience, and continued to graze for most of it. A couple of hours later she produced a bulging purple afterbirth which, contrary to EU regulations, my parents buried.