In a few short days the ewes on the moor have all started to drop their little wriggly-giggly bundles of fluff, otherwise known as lambs. Whereas a week ago, most of the ewes were pregnant, now most of them have their little dots trailing round behind them, giving them the appearance of woolly exclamation marks.

This lady is an exception, she’s still waiting for her little bundle of joy to pop out. She’s watching her friends, with their new and ferocious responsibility, waiting for her baby to come along. The mothers guard their offspring with the intensity of their extraordinary maternal instinct and it’s a beautiful sight to behold. They cajole, nuzzle, prod and poke when they need to move their offspring on.

We walk among them with the dogs, taking good care not to frighten either mothers or babies. Mostly the mums nudge the lambs and they all move off to watch us from what has been judged a safe distance. Weirdly though, there is an odd pattern. As we approach, the mother urinates and the lamb suckles before they move away. I have observed this ritual many, many times but am no closer to working out what the evolutionary needs are that are being displayed. My “best guess” is that the urination is a scent-marking thing and the suckling is to give strength for the journey but who knows?

This ewe is waiting for her baby and for her hormonal and evolutionary responses to kick in.