Oh! Deer!
Yesterday morning was cold and fresh. I woke up relatively early - for a Saturday, anyway - and took Glen for a walk across the road to his usual field.
As we turned the corner, Glen was already running ahead. In the wheat field which backs onto what shall forever be known as Glen's Field there were eight red deer, grazing in a long row.
Glen, ever the optimist, decided to give chase, but the deer were never in any danger. They were already too far away - and way too fast for our increasingly portly canine chum.
Before they bolted, though, off and over the stone wall dividing the fields, I had a good, long look at them. Beautiful animals - and big. It's always a surprise to be reminded we're sharing our country with such large creatures.
Our neighbourhood is semi-rural, but just off one of Scotland's main roads. It's odd to think wildlife can thrive and live, mostly hidden, in the heart of all this.
Rabbits are easy to spot - go into the back field at the right time of year and you'll find hundreds of the buggers. Foxes, too, aren't hard to find. I've even seen barn owls, martens and an otter. Several roe deer, too, but red deer are much more scarce around here. In the time we've lived here I've seen - or at least think I've seen - one other, further up in the back field, and only for a second.
This time, seven of the animals scattered across the wall and were gone in seconds. One, though, stopped a few hundred yards on the other side of the wall, like a sentry. We stared at each other for a long time before I went off after Glen, who'd gone rabbit-bothering further up the field.
It was a great way to start the day. It's just hard to explain the excitement and wonder of coming across something as beautiful as that.
As we turned the corner, Glen was already running ahead. In the wheat field which backs onto what shall forever be known as Glen's Field there were eight red deer, grazing in a long row.
Glen, ever the optimist, decided to give chase, but the deer were never in any danger. They were already too far away - and way too fast for our increasingly portly canine chum.
Before they bolted, though, off and over the stone wall dividing the fields, I had a good, long look at them. Beautiful animals - and big. It's always a surprise to be reminded we're sharing our country with such large creatures.
Our neighbourhood is semi-rural, but just off one of Scotland's main roads. It's odd to think wildlife can thrive and live, mostly hidden, in the heart of all this.
Rabbits are easy to spot - go into the back field at the right time of year and you'll find hundreds of the buggers. Foxes, too, aren't hard to find. I've even seen barn owls, martens and an otter. Several roe deer, too, but red deer are much more scarce around here. In the time we've lived here I've seen - or at least think I've seen - one other, further up in the back field, and only for a second.
This time, seven of the animals scattered across the wall and were gone in seconds. One, though, stopped a few hundred yards on the other side of the wall, like a sentry. We stared at each other for a long time before I went off after Glen, who'd gone rabbit-bothering further up the field.
It was a great way to start the day. It's just hard to explain the excitement and wonder of coming across something as beautiful as that.