Sky shepherds: the farmers using drones to watch their flocks by flight

For some farmers in New Zealand, Britain and Australia, drones are not just a toy - they're an increasingly vital tool

A shepherd is out tending a flock when a presence appears above. It descends from the sky and communicates vital information. It may sound like a nativity scene, but for an increasing number of farmers it's a daily occurrence - and that celestial being is a drone.

Corey Lambeth, a New Zealand farmer, originally purchased a drone for photography, but he quickly realised the device had more practical applications. "I thought 'I'll just give it a nudge on the sheep and see what that goes like' and it actually worked out quite well," he says. Now, Lambeth has been using a drone "pretty much as another dog" to muster sheep for three years.