It was a cold and windy morning as I made my way over to the Rock. King Puck was looking down the cliffs. I was missing a foxy coloured and white nanny, that I called Sarah. I knew she was about to give birth soon and wondered where she was. I searched in the small coves of the Rock, where there was shelter, but there was no sign of her. Then I went back to where I saw King Puck standing and there she was, grazing down the cliffs. On either side of her not far away, were two male yearlings.

I learned throughout the following days and weeks that whenever a nanny went down the cliffs to have their kids, King Puck always sent down two male yearlings to accompany them.  This was to protect the nanny at a vulnerable time against predators.

Their intelligence and caring attitude to one another amazed me.

Sarah had one kid, a little female who was the image of herself. She stayed down the cliff, nursing her kid for two weeks and then brought her up when she was strong enough, to introduce her to the herd.
​
Sarah was a 'direct line, true to type' nanny of the Bilberry Goat Herd.  

The Rut
All the goats were on Bilberry Rock today as I made the last check on them at around 4pm this evening. The wind was westerly, blowing my scent away from them so that I would not be detected. There was a lot of activity going on with the goats.. It was the ruting season. I stood behind a blackberry bush to observe them.

King Puck was with four junior pucks (his lieutenants). He was organizing a fight between the junior pucks to pick the strongest of the four.  Standing on one side, away from them was Queen Nanny, with the rest of the nannes and kids. One male yearling broke loose and ran to join the puck fight, but he was quickly ushered back to his place by Queen Nanny. King Puck bleated loudly. 

The junior pucks head butted with their heavy handlebar horns. Every head butt reverberated through the air. King Puck was the referee and each of the four pucks were put through their paces. At the end of the fights, each puck was pared off with a nanny. King Puck did not fight. As leader of the herd, he could choose a nanny of his choice. He went missing for three days and I wondered where he was. One of the senior nannies was also missing. Leo, security man in the brewery  contacted me to say that King Puck was with a nanny at the back of the brewery and both seemed to be ok.

It was a privilege to see this goat ruting ceremony taking place. It was fascinating to observe and it gave me a greater understanding of their social behaviour. 
​
The following spring, King Pucks offspring was a strong and  sturdy little brown and white male kid. A future leader of the Herd. 

​Bilberry Rock and environs has a microclimate. It is an elevated site, open to prevailing winds. It is also beside the River Suir. Wind speeds of 100mph have been recorded in the area.
 
The Bilberry goats down through the centuries have lived through these climatic conditions and adapted to them.
 
As a result of the weather conditions on Bilberry Rock and environs,  it means the vegetation in the area is greatly reduced, due to the severe cold winds/rain in the area.  The Bilberry goats habitate down through the centuries extended from the Brewery behind Bilberry Rock to the old Red Iron Bridge, which is two miles up river. This habitat is needed as it   includes a wider range of vegetation - herbs etc. even in wittertime, which has vital  noutrients for the Bilberry goats.