It hasn't been above freezing for over a week, well, not if you include the wind chill. And I very do.
The upside to this coldness is that there has also been plenty of low Winter sunlight, which adds a little magic and vibrancy to subdued colours or gently highlights subtle contours in the landscape. Making the time to notice these things is part of surviving the dark hyperborean months.
Yesterday, in a nearby field, a mixed flock of Golden Plover and Lapwing (or Teeick, Peewit, Pyewipe or Green Plover) spent some time foraging amongst the sheltered, sunlit, southerly-sloping sward.
It is comforting to realise that a few moments of wildlife watching with just a hint of warmth can ease the travails of a northerly Winter.
As a child growing up in Lincolnshire, the sound of the Plover was part of life but hasn't been for many decades. Good to see they're thriving in some parts at least. Hyperborea - a possible allusion to a Tangerine Dream album?
ReplyDeleteAye, there's been huge declines in their numbers, see https://app.bto.org/birdtrends/species.jsp?&s=lapwi
DeleteAnd I just knew you would ask that question 😊 but no, it is simply that sometimes I really do feel that I live in a land beyond the north wind.