brent goose mayhem

...the weather has got itself into a pattern which, if we are going to have to put up with ongoing rain, I am not too unhappy about - heavy rain all evening and overnight, followed by bright sunny days. This is the third such day in a row. The big difference between yesterday and today, though, is that yesterday there was no wind and the 3C temperature felt more like 9C. Today, it was blowing a gale and the 9C on the thermometer felt more like 3C.

There is a lovely spot near Middlebere Farm, on the way to Arne, that is a wonderful sun-trap and has the advantage of being sheltered by the trees. We often sit here and watch the foxes, goldcrests, little egrets and, more excitingly, the short-eared owls. This morning, the wicked wind had made the estuary almost sterile of activity, though the little egrets were about in good numbers. There is a field, close by, that is a favourite for our large flock of wintering Brent geese, Branta bernicla. I took a couple of shots of them on the ground but it wasn't a particularly inspiring composition until, suddenly, they were spooked into flight, quite probably by one of our illusive foxes...