Today we installed and cemented into place six gate-posts for where the new paddocks eventually shall be. The barn cats were enticed to come along, to some degree, although what interested them more at first was the ripped-open corpse of the possum shot the other week. While a scavenger has obviously been at it, it has yet to be muchly consumed or carried off.

Mitey is doing fairly well, but has a strange bald patch on his chest where it looks as if a strip might have been pulled off. We theorize either he got caught on something or it's from repeated beatings by Hercules and Bolivar.

We are having difficulties with the ducks and geese. A goose has been trying to nest right next to the silver duck; unfortunately, lately that has turned into trying to kick the silver duck off her nest and take over the nest for itself. We're monitoring the system but while it might end up with very confused muscovy ducklings, it obviously indicates a need for additional nest space. The silver duck has been on her nest for easily a month now, so we might get ducklings any day now - or we might have many goose and duck fights.