Agister

After breakfast, a fantastic walk across the heathland around Burley. Spring in the air - woodpeckers drumming, song thrushes singing, and a stock dove repeating it’s surprised “who who who” call. But a sighting of redwings reminding us that it is still winter.

Discovered a new word today - Agister.

The New Forest is divided into five areas, each the responsibility of one of the five Agisters, They keep an eye on all the stock. When the ponies are all rounded up at the annual pannage in November, their tails are given a cut - differently for each of the five areas, to help manage them.

Setting off, I was fascinated by the frontal line formed by the cloud. As I was the passenger for stage 1, I took a few phone snaps. And was surprised to see a pony, tail hidden, in this shot. So it had to be the blip.