Pizza Sunday

At the risk of jumping on the weekend weather toboggan, but with no apologies, this post features a snowy reserve where to put it punditly it was deep pan, crisp and even.

View from Near Hide













I was delighted on arrival at HESC to find I was the only car to have entered the car park and had great hopes of lots of virgin snow to photograph and spot tracks in. As it turned out, unless I can add Yeti, to the fox, rabbit, muntjac and what I think were mink tracks I encountered, another brave sole had footed it round part of the reserve before me.

Robin posing for Xmas card












The morning started well; as soon as I got out of the car two hungry robins appeared, one of which flew up to my shoulder, before sitting on my hand to eat some seed (this is now a regular occurence and it seems we have several robins that will do this), whilst his/her accomplice grabbed the seeds he/she spilled.



In the bleak mid-winter











As you will imagine the main lake was frozen and mainly devoid of birdlife, apart from a flock of lapwing standing forlornly out on the ice.  




Yet again I don't fancy crossing this










At the woodland hide all the usual suspects (marsh/willow, blue and great tits, dunnock, blackbirds,chaffinch and many robins) soon arrived, once I had brushed the snow off the tables and put some seed out.




Dunnock looking imperious









Our recent new residents the bank voles also ventured out of the woodpile and I guess, given their short life span, were encountering snow for the first time. Although keeping their distance, I also saw a G S woodpecker, treecreeper, jays and several inelegant tree climing moorhen?

BV Discovering snow on the Woodpile












A walk down to the far meadow resulted in a close encounter with a muntjac, who had been sheltering under some bushes. As usual I was far to slow to get a picture as it shot off down the track in a series of leaps, which the snow showed, must have been two to three metres apart between each touchdown.

My usual view of muntjack (gone)

On my arrival back at the car park the feeding scenario was repeated with the two robins before I returned home for some welcome hot soup.

 

Low sun over frozen pond (bit atmospheric I thought)