Last blast...

As promised we had one more dump of snow, though it was only two or three centimetres deep. It fell overnight and some of it was actually more like tiny balls of ice. We stood outside in it around midnight and listened to the rather eerie rustling as it fell, like a million tiny scrabbling insects.

Alex was working at Orton Pit this morning, so we had a relatively early drive along our icy street and on to the slushy parkway to drop him off. Not that many people had ventured out by then. Pete and I then went on to Ring Haw to enjoy the sunshine and the dazzling whiteness of the virgin snow.

Only one other person had been around ahead of us, and through much of the reserve the snow was still perfect. It was interesting to see the various mammal tracks - quite a few badger prints, lots of rabbit and fox tracks, a few fallow deer slots and a small unidentified mammal, possibly a stoat or even polecat (which have been recorded locally in recent years).

The snow in this particular field was really quite deep, having drifted into a gentle hollow. In places it was higher than my snow-boots and Rosie had a bit of a struggle making her way through.I loved the gentle undulations which are highlighted by the sun. And I can't believe how much more cheerful and optimistic I feel now that I've seen the sun at last :)

We did the Big Garden Birdwatch in the afternoon, but the numbers were lower than usual. I think some of the birds were unsettled by the thaw, which was proceeding quite rapidly by that time. Highlights of the day were a greater spotted woodpecker on our willow tree, a single fieldfare on the very few remaining cotoneaster berries and the ever present blackcap.

PS Thanks for all the stars and hearts for yesterday's swan - I nearly didn't post that one!!