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Freshly fallen, silent shrouded snow. |
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Written by Nigel
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Friday, 21 November 2008 |
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Today winter has arrived. The warm colours of autumn that were draped across the landscape only a few weeks ago have been replaced with the browns, greys, and tans of the winter landscape. Evergreens, out dressed most of the year by more flamboyant vegetation, feed eyes hungry for colour.
 The Alledal skies are dark and foreboding this morning. Odd sculptures of clouds, driven by winter storms, adorn the barren leaden grey skies. Occasional flashes of blue quickly covered by more cloud. The snow is falling quite heavily as I sit here in the study looking out of the window at a landscape transformed. The dry, brown marsh grasses that glisten with a covering of snow accent meandering Billabäck. For many, it is the season to stay indoors and sit in front of a warm fire. But in this winter starkness, nature reveals itself to us.
The trees that line the river now bare of leaves may look lifeless but, like other living creatures, they are merely in a dormant state. Twigs hold tightly packed buds that contain next spring’s foliage. The buds of each tree species are distinctive and, like the bark, can be used as an identification tool. Trees in winter no longer hide wildlife from our view. A red kite and hooded crows perched on bare branches are easily spotted. The grey heron that has just flown by and swooped to land in the river is no longer hidden by foliage. The crayfish are likely to be hibernating in the cold water. I think he’ll have slim pickings today.
Quiet and still as the winter months may be, wildlife still abounds. Steph has a passion for feeding birds and is treated to a daily performance as sparrows, blue tits, finches, great tits, blue throats, woodpeckers, crows, and redpolls vie for space at the bird table. The chickens and ducks busily search for any spilled nuts and seed dropped from the bird feeder.
Most of the more familiar mammals in this region do not actually hibernate. Deer, mice, foxes, squirrels, and rabbits are active throughout the winter. Many of us do not realize what wildlife lives nears us until a light snow blankets the ground. Take a quiet walk immediately after the snowfall. Look down for clues and telltale tracks in the snow. Begin by looking at familiar tracks. A dog’s track is different from a cat’s track in that the dog’s prints show claws while the cat’s do not because of its retractable claws. This is true for wild and domestic canines and felines. Because of the way a fox walks, its tracks form a single line while a dog’s gait leaves two pairs of tracks. A rabbit’s tracks, with its pair of large hind feet and smaller fore feet, are distinctive and easily identified.
So when winter brings the blues and cabin fever abounds, look to the outdoors for a new experience. Quietly wander and look up, down, and inward. The winter air is silent; snow muffles sounds. Listen hard for the rustling of birds and other wildlife seeking food and cover. Listen as the trees sway and groan in the wind. Allow your eyes to see the beautiful patterns created by icicles, cracks on a frozen pond, and tracks in the snow.
On a more practical note, the new satellite dish project is completed and we have been enjoying excellent quality English television for the last week. Even the high winds of the past week and today’s snow hasn’t affected the signal strength – truly a job well done. My advice to any expat trying to get a televisual reminder of home is do the job properly first time, learn from our mistakes. The cheap dishes available are a false economy. Never ever by anything badged as Fortecstar you’ll only have to replace it after the first high winds. The Andrews/Channel Master dish may have been more expensive but you’ll only have to buy it once. The difference in quality is immediately apparent and despite us changing from a 2.6 meter dish to a 1.8 meter dish signal quality has actually improved.
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