Snowy Wanderings

I absolutely love early morning country walks in the snow. There is so much evidence of nocturnal wildlife with tracks going everywhere. I could spend all day just following tracks, finding hidden habitats and seeing how far the night time wanderers went.

As the footpaths on the SSSI land have been temporarily closed because of the ponies grazing, the animal tracks are undisturbed. This makes our daily fence check very interesting and rather time consuming.

In the woody area there are lots of rabbit tracks...

As well as fox tracks, badger tracks also criss-cross the whole field...

On the perimeters and edges of the woods there are lots of deer tracks...

They are all so busy with just surviving. I feel quite guilty for being disappointed when I couldn't have a take away the other evening when the roads out of the valley became too icy because of a sudden snow fall and also for complaining that I was too hot when I went to the Paul McCartney concert at the O2 Milleneum Dome last night.

Snowy Walks

As the blizzard raged on Thursday night, I lay awake, watching the horizontal lines of snow passing under the street light. I couldn't sleep because I knew my son was out in it. He and some friends had been to see the film Avatar and were driving back to Biggin Hill where my son would have to walk down into the valley as the hillside roads are too dodgy in heavy snow. He eventually got home at 12.30 am but then I couldn't sleep because I kept thinking about the ponies on the SSSI land. Dartmoor ponies are very hardy and there are plenty of sheltered areas in their field but it can't have been much fun for them.

Next morning I couldn't wait to see how they had fared and was pleased to see them in their usual position, looking rather wet and sporting a few icicle in their manes, but never the less looking happy. We broke up the ice in their water trough and then braved the slippery decent to check the fences. It was a beautiful walk with the sun coming out and lighting up the snow laden trees. I was amazed at the number of animal tracks (deer, badger, rabbit and fox). I'd have thought that most of the wildlife would have stayed 'at home' in such bad weather. This picture is of little Rufus...nothing stops him eating, even the snow, as you can see by his snowy muzzle.

My husband and I are really enjoying our stock checking duties, so much so we are now stock checkers for some sheep that the Old Surrey Downs Project have grazing at another site, fairly close to Biggin Hill. It is in a beautiful situation right on top of the North Downs. I don't have much experience of sheep so it will be interesting to find out more about them and I am really looking forward to seeing what wild flowers appear in the spring.

The Old Surrey Downs Project is such a good set up. It has animals grazing at about 15 sites around Surrey and surrounding areas. Britain has about 50% of all the chalk downland sites in the whole of Europe and a lot of those are in or near to Surrey. Their land management using animals to graze various areas, especially the recovering ones, makes so much sense.

Allusive Pot of Gold

The weather is certainly unpredictable at the moment but with the lure of a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow I decided to venture out for a walk in the field behind us.

By the time I got to the rainbow's end the sun was out and the gold had been replaced by a beautiful Red Admiral butterfly enjoying the sudden warmth. The birds started to sing and a group of at least 12 magpies flew out of the woods. I wonder what the collective name is for a lot of magpies?

Today I discovered where the gold had gone...a goat who is employed to eat the scrub on another nearby area of S.S.S.I. land must have gobbled it up...unless the goats name was Joseph, the amazing technicolour dream goat..ha, ha.

When I got back from my goat walk I decided that Gemma (my sick guinea pig), after eventually costing us £470 in vets bills, was well enough to be re-united with her guinea pig son, Ginger. It was a lovely reunion with lots of squeaks and whiskery kisses.

Sadly, yesterday, I had news that a beautiful horse I used to ride for a friend had had to be put to sleep following a collapse and paralysis. She was a very big horse but soooo gentle, both with other horses and humans. She was always friendly and always happy. I hope she will be just as happy in horsey heaven. RIP Izzy, I will miss you.

Fantastic Fungi

The mystery pony has gone. Apparently a dog walker recognised him and informed the owner who came and collected him. We still don't know how he got there though...perhaps he had very cleverly worked out how to climb stiles..ha,ha.

I am enjoying my daily trips to the ponies such a lot. I had begun to get a bit lazy and not go for walks much but now I am walking up and down hills every day and I am feeling much fitter and more energetic and never want to go home.

It is already interesting to compare the two areas of SSSI land. The area nearest to us is very open and exposed, whereas, the area with the ponies is quite sheltered and surrounded by trees so as a consequence it is a good place for fungi. Over the last few days I must have seen at least ten different types of fungi. I don't know much about fungi so I haven't a clue what they are. When I have time I will try to identifying them but at the moment I am just pleased to have started my photographic record of the land.

Mystery Pony

Yesterdays visit to the SSSI land to check on the ponies needed to be quick as we were due at a family celebration for my mother's 86th birthday. You can therefore imagine how we felt when, on walking through the woods towards the ponies enclosure, we came across some fresh pony sized droppings. Images of a lovely lunch were rapidly replaced with images of having to traipse up and down the valley, through mud and brambles, looking for our charges.

When we got to the enclosure both ponies were there (phew!) but so was another pony. Very odd as the area is really only accessible by stiles or kissing gates and I don't know of any ponies that have managed to negotiate either of these.

Shortly after our arrival a grazing officer form the Old Surrey Downs Project arrived. She had already been told about the extra pony and had been making enquiries with a local horse owner who unfortunately didn't recognise it. She then tried the police who said they could only act if the pony was on the road and then she tried the RSPCA who had no one that could come out as all their officer were in Cumbria helping with animals affected by the flood.

In the end we had no option but to leave him where he was... he was safe, had water and plenty of grass to eat so couldn't come to any harm but the mystery remains...who does this pony belong to and how did he get there?

Weather, Walks and Guinea Pig

The weather can't make up its mind just lately, one day wind and rain, the next warm and sunny (well nearly sunny). Last Saturday it was blowing a gale and the rain moved in sheets down the valley but Sunday was a lovely warm day so we went for a walk in the fields adjoining us which I hadn't had a chance to do for a few of weeks. I was really surprised to still see quite a few wild flowers, a Peacock Butterfly enjoying the sun and some leaves left on the trees.

My regular stomping ground is now a bit further down the valley, on the SSSI land being managed by The Old Surrey Downs Project. This is because my husband and I are now officially stock checkers for the two Dartmoor ponies they have grazing the land. Their job being to control the growth of various grasses so that the Orchids (and other flowers ) will have a better chance of coming up next year. It is very nice to have a reason to go for a walk, as now we don't have dogs anymore, we often lack motivation to go out especially in the winter.

To update on my guinea pig issue, Gemma had an operation today to remove a very large, knobbly stone from her bladder. She is back home again now and doing quite well. The total cost was £436 !!

Peril for Parakeets

I was saddened to read in my local paper that Natural England has put the Ring-Necked Parakeet on their hit-list. From Jan 2010 they can be killed, have their nests disturbed and the eggs destroyed by owners and occupiers of land, as long as they can prove justification and it is done humanely. It's a bit confusing though as the birds also seem to be protected by the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act...????

I personally really like Ring-Necked Parakeets even though they are not native to our country. They feed happily alongside the smaller birds on my feeder and unlike other birds don't touch any of our growing veg. or fruit and lets face it a lot of Britain's wildlife didn't originate in this country. However Natural England have outlawed them because they have had complaints from farmers saying they are ruining fruit crops and that they also act aggressively towards native species such as starlings, nuthatches and woodpeckers that have similar types of roosts.

Apparently they have long been regarded as a pest in their native India so, knowing that, what a shame that the 'powers that be' allowed them to get a hold in this country as there are now so many in the South of England, that by allowing their destruction, it is inevitably going to mean that some of these beautiful, intelligent birds will be subjected to abuse and suffering.

In addition, the Canada Goose, Egyptian Goose and Monk Parakeet have also been added to the list of undesirables:-(