No sign of Spring yet

Despite the relatively mild Winter we’ve had here in the North East and the temperature in double figures during the last week, the woods look bare and empty, stripped of foliage and cover.  This can be an advantage when trying to photograph animals such as deer as there is less for them to hide behind – of course the same is true for me!  On this occasion my trip had little opportunity, probably because the deer were less willing to venture out during daylight hours because of the lack of cover.  The only photo opportunity was where a Roe Deer found me.  A loud barking sound to my rear alerted me to it and I sat using a tree as cover, just in time to see the deer running past.  I was able to take a couple of photos as it paused briefly before continuing to bark and disappear. I went to the spot where, only some three months ago there were numerous Red Squirrels, this time I saw only a fleeting glimpse.  Hopefully this was just because they were less active because of the Winter or maybe the circling Buzzard overhead, rather than the more frequent sights of the invading Grey Squirrels.

With the wind picking up and constantly changing direction, throwing me scent around and little chance of seeing any Red Squirrels, I decided to give up and headed lakeside.  Although a bit more lively as far as what was around, most of the collection of waterfowl – Coots, Moorhens, Swans, Wigeons and of course Mallards where on the opposite side of the lake from me being blown around by the gusting wind. I think Spring may be a while off yet.  I’ve been a bit disappointed that we have had little in the way of snow this year, as I was hoping to use it as an opportunity to better track what wildlife, particularly Foxes, were around at the moment.