As the mornings are now lighter I am out of the house to walk the dogs by just after 6am.  This morning I didn't wear a hat, or scarf, or gloves and I didn't even have my coat done up, it was a glorious morning.

I walk up the lane from my house into the fields and this morning we saw:

Pheasant
Duck
Two herons in flight (wow! what a noise)
Buzzard
Three roe deer (lower down the field than I have ever seen them before, could that be the time of year?)
Rabbit
one Hare (two foot in front of me)
Lesser spotted woodpecker (OK, I didn't see him but I have seen him before and I heard him in the tree!)

Not bad for a morning stroll!  What did you see?

We went for an epic walk yesterday afternoon and went on a different trail to the usual. It's amazing what you do see when you look. We saw loads of rabbits (nothing new for us) but also saw quite a few birds of prey. a kestrel, a sparrow hawk and others that we couldn't identify so we are going to get a book to swat up on them. We also saw a pheasant which gave us the fright of our lives. It was sitting very quietly in a field of long grass but our dogs sniffed it out and stalked up behind it, just as they were going in for the kill it squawked its head off and did a vertical take off just like a harrier jumpjet, frightening the lives out of all of us. So glad the dogs didn't get it though, it would have died just for the sake of it as there was no way I was going to pluck and draw it! Don't mind them getting rabbits because there are too many of those already and hubby skins, guts and cooks them for the dogs. All the trees and bushes have started to sprout too and everything looks lovely and green. Then when walking by a lake saw this weird thing enter the water on the far side, swim across, and emerge into bushes. I'm a bit of a townie so haven't the foggiest when it comes to knowing which animals are which, but hubby is countryman born and bred and he didn't know what it was either. It had short legs and a long body about the size of a weasle and lightish brown colour. Hubby thought it strange that it chose to swim across lake rather than walk around as all the animals that he thought it could be don't tend to go in water if they can help it, so we are puzzled. Any Ideas?

Could be a mink. Or a watervole if you're lucky.
:)

Well I suggested mink, but hubby reckons it was the wrong colour. It looked a bit like a sqirrell but only brown and without the tail.

Anything like this? Or this?

Thanks for them but no, neither of them. Did a search on that site for weasels and am pretty sure it's one of them, the reason hubs thinks it's not a weasel is because he didn't think they went into water. It doesn't say on that site if they like water or not, any idea?

Weasels are very very small - only about 5 inches from nose to tail-tip - so I'd be surprised if you noticed it. A stoat perhaps? It's got to be something on that list of mammals!
:)

Wow!  Luck you.  I didn't see anything today I'm afraid but did see a rat on Thursday morning on the way to the train station!  I will have to wait until next February when we next visit North York Moors to be in such beautiful surroundings.  I'm soooooo jealous.

By 'eck Jean you've got it!! just done a search and that fits description perfectly, it likes to hunt water voles that's why it was in the water!! Can't wait to show off my new found country knowledge to hubs. Thanks. :-)

Oh lucky you Maudilly, Yorkshire Moors I mean not the rat. :P

I think you are all so lucky having these wonderful walks to go on, I live in town and I take Dicksy to school with me and see Buses, cars, bikes, prams and a train on the way home!  I sometimes go to the riverbank but even that is a car ride away. How I envy you and when all my children have left home I'm going to retire to the country.  I am presuming you all live in the country and aren't driving to said places but either way it sounds  idyllic.

Have lived in the country for about 17 yrs now Craigles, but was brought up in the the city. There is no way I could ever go back to town life. Do you know, think I took it for granted a bit until reading through this thread, yes am very lucky, just hope it remains unbuilt on so my kids and grandkids- (if I get any) can enjoy it too. :-)

I saw fluffy clouds, lots of sweets, friendly giants, lots of dogs belonging to me.....No wait hat was the dream I was having at that silly time in the morning!!!!!

Rox

I saw the tail of a fox, i thought it was someone else with a dog but their was noone else about.when i opened the garage door to get the wellies i nearly threw up as when i reversed the car in last night, in the dark i had hit 2 frogs 1 with each wheel but i didnt know till this morning,boy were they flat ,it was even worse trying to dispose of them before the dogs did.

Ella.x.