Taking a walk yesterday it was striking how we seem to have gone from an extended autumn to spring without any proper winter in between.
Living on a hill top the ground around here mostly dries out very quickly so a lot of my walk through Cowcroft yesterday was on hard ground. Even where the thick mud remains it has turned from liquid to the consistency of modelling clay. As I wrote those two sentences the room darkened and it started raining again!
The jackdaws were making a lot of noise in the woods and I saw one trying to fish something out of a hollow tree. Clinging to the side of the trunk with the sun behind it my first reaction was that it was a woodpecker but changing the angle slightly revealed the truth. I did wonder if there were eggs in the hole. I didn't see any woodpeckers but, as so often happens, I could hear the rather mocking call of a green.
While walking along the bridleway at the edge of the wood I saw a pair of muntjac among the trees. One looked at me and then continued on its way totally unconcerned. That's something that I have noticed about muntjacs before, they seem to be aware of roads and paths and anything using that routeway is just ignored. Step off the path and they run.
Driving between Bovingdon and Ley Hill a little after midnight on Friday a badger scuttled across the road in front of us. It was remarkable how the silver fur on the flanks shone in the headlights.
In the garden the feeders only seem to be visited by a handful of birds. One of the robins is getting very territorial and not only chases off its rival but also any blue tits. A party of long tailed tits visits from time to time and a pair of blackbirds are probably nesting in my neighbour's leylandii.
Living on a hill top the ground around here mostly dries out very quickly so a lot of my walk through Cowcroft yesterday was on hard ground. Even where the thick mud remains it has turned from liquid to the consistency of modelling clay. As I wrote those two sentences the room darkened and it started raining again!
The jackdaws were making a lot of noise in the woods and I saw one trying to fish something out of a hollow tree. Clinging to the side of the trunk with the sun behind it my first reaction was that it was a woodpecker but changing the angle slightly revealed the truth. I did wonder if there were eggs in the hole. I didn't see any woodpeckers but, as so often happens, I could hear the rather mocking call of a green.
While walking along the bridleway at the edge of the wood I saw a pair of muntjac among the trees. One looked at me and then continued on its way totally unconcerned. That's something that I have noticed about muntjacs before, they seem to be aware of roads and paths and anything using that routeway is just ignored. Step off the path and they run.
Driving between Bovingdon and Ley Hill a little after midnight on Friday a badger scuttled across the road in front of us. It was remarkable how the silver fur on the flanks shone in the headlights.
In the garden the feeders only seem to be visited by a handful of birds. One of the robins is getting very territorial and not only chases off its rival but also any blue tits. A party of long tailed tits visits from time to time and a pair of blackbirds are probably nesting in my neighbour's leylandii.
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