Creatures of the night

After a couple of days confined to the office, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to go for a walk in the woods as daylight faded to black. The Goldcrest invasion shows no sign of abating, with birds in nearly every tree and shrub that I passed. A real bonus was 5 Waxwings, flying in to roost on the old pit heap. If you haven’t caught up with any of these stunning birds yet then keep looking; there’s been a substantial influx in the last month. Wandering through the wood I found myself face-to-face with a Roe Deer, which looked curiously at me for a few seconds before bounding off through the trees. Bank Voles were scrabbling around in the fallen leaves at my feet and, right on cue, a Tawny Owl started it’s quavering song. Other owls responded from the trees around me and a Red Squirrel on it’s way to bed clucked angrily as it passed through the branches above my head. Canada Geese and Mallards were calling in flight as they passed over the wood and I was startled as a Woodcock burst from the ground just a few feet in front of me. Heading back along the footpath, my dark-adjusted eyes were just about enough to keep me out of the deep puddles…