Happy new year from everyone at Butser! We’re hoping we’ve left the drizzle behind us in 2015 as the new year has so far been cold and crisp, just how we like it! Over the festive break we were forced to shut the goats inside the piggery building to keep them warm, dry and away from their waterlogged paddock, and when they were finally released back into the fresh air they were full of joy. Here’s Bella eating a cantaloupe melon:Elsewhere on the site our Saxon building is almost completed, with just the flooring and doors to finish in time for the warmer weather. Our barn owl is still making full use of the cosy rafters to eat her food, and had kindly left a mountain of pellets for us over the holidays. We are now hoping to invest in a trail camera to catch her on film and see what she’s up to!We will now also be gearing up for our Beltain festival over the next few months, with a huge wicker man to build, catering and music to organise and a whole farm to prepare. The oddly warm weather seems to have forced the wildlife into an early spring, and we’ve been enjoying listening to the song thrush singing in the conifer trees by the car park.We’re looking forward to what the new year will bring, and hope to see many new visitors among the familiar faces we welcome each year.