Saturday 10 December 2011

Out for a Walk

 Today was the first real frost of the winter season.  Here in the Potteries the temperature dipped to -2 degrees Celsius overnight and by the time we were out walking over the city, the temperature had risen to +3 degrees.  Out came the winter boots, hat and gloves.
 Strolling around Fenton Park we came across a small flock of long tailed tits.  They are fast and difficult to photograph amongst the branches of trees, so I took a lot of snapshots.  These two are the best ones.
 Rosie always describes them as 'balls of fluff on a stick'.  They chatter a lot and refuse to remain still for more than  a second at a time.  We also saw bullfinch and goldfinch, but not when we had the cameras out.  Rosie photographed a sparrowhawk on a wooden fence post, which was a treat to see.
At the local garden centre there are some reindeer.  These two are Prancer and Dancer and this picture shows the unusually large splayed hooves that enable them to walk more easily on snow and ice.  Reindeer are well adapted to living in cold climates.

3 comments:

Diane said...

Hi Paul , It was so very cold this morning. Have you been watching Frozen Planet? Its been a truly amazing series.

Paul said...

Just the thing to watch on a cold winters day!

Rustic Vintage Country said...

Oh yes!! I've been watching this and it is amazing but I have to admit to now having to do myself a hot water bottle before I watch it!! Ha Ha