Bog Myrtle & Peat

The last few days have brought with them a new feeling. Despite the continued frosts and icy fog, the very first signs of spring are in the air. Walking around my traps on the Chayne this morning, the sky above the farm was alive with croaking and cackling. Ravens are some of the first birds to pair off and mate each year, and their eggs will be laid over the next few weeks. Stopping for a moment by the broken dyke across the grouse moor, I watched five ravens turning and flipping in the frozen stillness. Despite their huge size, they are remarkably agile in the air, and when they turn over onto their backs, you find yourself wondering whether or not they will ever be able to turn back again in time. Jackdaws and rooks are also becoming more active, and as the days go by, it looks like there’s yet another change in the air.

Down on the inbye fields, the female hen harrier was hunting through the rushes, and I watched her for a while through the binoculars. She’s a stunning beast, and it’s a great treat to watch a bird of prey flying with poise and balance. You get so used to seeing buzzards lumbering through the sky like freight aircraft that the delicate turns and neat movements of her owl-like head are a real pleasure to see.