Walk On The Wild Side - Sunday 19.12.10

We took a stroll along NEWMARKET and on to the lakes just beyond.

The MALLARD

and a couple of TEAL slithered about on the ice. It's hard to imagine how any animal can survive in this weather.

Last years summer plants are no more than skeletons

supporting tufts of snow.

At first I thought this was BURDOCK, but now I'm not so sure.

IVY and SNOW sculpt this ASH tree trunk into a WORK OF ART.

MOLES are very busy at the moment, or perhaps it's just that their dark, muddy, hills stand out in contrast to the snow.

RABBITS are getting out and looking for food, despite the frigid environment,

as are FOXES

who have left some really sharp spore today.

Lastly, there was a clear trail left by the WIRE FOOTED BOOBY. Big specimen, which we tracked for a while, but never got a glimpse of it with its' startling GORTEX PLUMAGE and strange PAIR BONDING RITUALS.

Shame, they're a rarity in the BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE. I'd like to see more of them, preferably without their CLEANER FISH zipping about - pet dogs.

REEDS tuft their way through the soft, wet soil in the valley bottom.

HAZEL CATKINS are beginning to develop now and will grow at a great rate, in no time at all, taking on the look of cats tails. 

Some trees have held onto their leaves up until now . Every now and again a leaf will be allowed to drop to the ground and it will lie there, reminding us of the glorious autumn Nailsworth has recently enjoyed. These OAK LEAVES look so delicate hudled together on the snow.

Clearly the base of this tree doesn't look much, but look at the bare soil around it; hungry BADGERS! I love-em!!

HAWTHORN/MAY BERRIES are amongst the last ones to be eaten by the birds. Even the REDWING and FIELDFARE we've had sweeping through, leave them and clean up every last HOLLY BERRY.

Sadly, for us, there has been no sign of the WAXWINGS that have been in the area for the past 3 weeks, despite ME heading to CHALFORD' TESCO where a good size flock were feeding for several days. I went several times as it is more, or less, on the way to the Turn Around House.