Farms all over the island are well into the swing of lambing.

At the Creer family farm in Crosby they have been celebrating the arrival of some very special lambs.

Cotton Eye Joe, the Creer’s Texel ram who won the Supreme Championship at last years’s Royal Agricultural show, had been put to 40 of their ewes last year and the resulting progeny have been making their appearance.

‘Joe’, as he is known at home, is in his second year of being put to ewes and has fathered 186 lambs so far.

Some of them are in the UK as Joe is part owned by another farming family and spends part of his time running with ewes there.

Now three years old, Joe was originally bought by the Creers as a lamb and Paula Creer says: ‘He was always special.’

He has now fathered a whole new generation and there may very well be some more champions among them.

Will we see Joe himself back for this year’s Royal Manx Show?

There are no firm plans so far but Paula, who showed him herself with daughter Aalish last year, says: ‘It would be very nice to show him again this year.’