A walk atop the frosty ground while deeply lost in thought
Of birds there are no sight nor sound, there’s nothing to report
And whilst the feet do wander surely mind must wander too
Till dreams are ripped asunder by a grey bolt from the blue
The woodland paths were partially iced over as I traversed them this morning, the insulation provided by the tree canopy preventing them from freezing solid. A few sprouts of greenery were beginning to protrude from the earth, looking like the beginnings of Snowdrops. A few Wrens hopped about the undergrowth as I passed a lush patch of Winter Heliotrope and made my way to Long Meadow.
The sun was just about to emerge over the clouds as I admired Venus shining in the sky above, just faintly visible. I cast my eyes briefly downward to scan for fungi and when I turned back it was no longer visible, the warming rays of the sun now decidedly outshining it.
My first destination was the new land to check on the Hereford Cattle’s water supply. Passing through the Saxon Field I became lost in my own thoughts and was suddenly snapped back to reality when a Sparrowhawk flew right above me, visible only for a few seconds before disappearing over the hedge. Normally I have quite a lot of trouble sighing those things. Better to be lucky than good I say.
When I arrived at the water troughs a young calf was suckling enthusiastically a few meters away. Apparently not much of a water drinker. The cattle had already broken the ice and there was plenty of water remaining, so I left them to it and headed on to the downs.
A large group of around 30 Gannets were gathered on the sea below, some bobbing on the water with most circling and diving above. Evidently there must be a lot of fish around today.
Closer to home a Chaffinch was uttering its distinctive call and I passed a small patch of frozen Egghead Mottlegills on a patch of equally frozen dung. Also over the water I spied the odd Shag, Greater Black Backed Gull and a raft of 50 odd Guillemots.