Another lazy morning at the cottage yesterday, then out for a walk after lunch to Grasspoint, about 3 miles away from here. With binoculars around our necks and cameras at the ready (Niall took six – yes, six! with him) we headed out of the cottage and walked up the road. Up ahead of us we noticed a little ball of fluff rolling along – a vole:
It was one of those days, as Niall said, when the wildlife was both too small and too far away. We saw a buzzard perching on a far away tree, flying off into the distance before we were near enough to take photos. Trees are easier to photograph, of course – like this uprooted one:
After a leisurely hour or so’s walk, stopping frequently to look at little birds in the bracken, we sat down and took out our flasks. In the distance we could see some brown specks – a herd of red deer:
As we walked along, trying ineffectually to photograph the small, brown birds, Niall “lost” a lens cap (yup, it was in his bag all along). As I waited for him to find it I stood under this spreading oak:
The ground on either side of the road is covered with bracken – standing so tall that the foxgloves have their work cut out if they are to be seen. Still, they are also copious, peeking out like periscopes:
And, finally, as we wandered down the hill towards the “main” road, a scarab beetle marching along:
Then home, with tired legs after a three hour round trip.
