Early Days

It's worth remembering that most of winter still lies ahead. The harshness of the extended period of bitter temperatures must affect wildlife badly. Prints of deer, fox and hare can be seen in the snow. Some of the birds that come to meet us, hoping for seeds and cheddar, are still around, though robin and chaffinch have not been seen for more than a week.

The jackdaws and rooks were returning back from Derbyshire across the full moon as the land darkened at 3.30.

In the early morning sheep on the hill were moving about in single file, something that seems to happen more when they are under stress.