One of the good things about today was the clarity of the air on a warm and sunny day; the colours were really "zinging" everywhere; overnight the gorse seems to have burst into flower and the grass seems to be really getting going.
My walk today took me around some of the country lanes and minor roads almost devoid of traffic. Colours everywhere I looked - this Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) was really vivid against the pale shades of the sown fields. But the colours, fine as they might be, weren't the best thing about today......
Without doubt, the best thing about today was the privilege of being the only human witness to the emergence of new life. This lamb was born in a neighbouring farmer's in-bye field just as I was walking past. I stopped to watch from a distance which wouldn't disturb the ewe and was relieved to see that everything proceeded smoothly. This image was taken less than 20 minutes after the birth; the lamb on it's feet and cleaned by Mum and another ewe, herself heavily pregnant.
On Easter weekend, bombarded by the relentless 24 hour news cycle of death during the Covid-19 pandemic, here was a counterpoint as a new life took it's first steps in the world - and that's certainly "one good thing".
Another good thing is the reintroduced red kites swooping down for the afterbirth which is an increasingly common sight now. Beautiful spell of weather we're having at the moment. Great for wildlife.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely Bob, it's great to see these beautiful birds back in the sky. As a child I was a keen ornithologist and Red Kites were an almost mythical bird confined to a tiny part of mid-Wales. Lets hope their success continues!
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