Imagination Required

Friday, November 18th 2016

I started this morning by scraping my car of the thick ice coating the windows. It seemed a little unfair somehow, as otherwise where I live it appeared a cold but clear morning. However, on my drive in to Foxglove the closer I got the more snow there was on the ground and I arrived to a sparkling and beautiful morning, a thin crust of ice on the snow.

The ponies seemed at home in the snow with their thick coats and were still finding vegetation to tuck into.

Colin came in and filled our bird feeders – thank you very much!

With our newly-improved (with more upgrading to come) camera system I discovered live-action bird feeder filling was available in fairly good definition in the Field Centre!

The snow can be handy for showing us which animals have been around – here we can see that a rabbit has been using our boardwalk.

There were, on the other hand, downsides to today’s snow: The thin crust of ice made moving quietly difficult, so as I headed back to the Field Centre through the scrapes the kingfisher heard me coming and all I saw was it flying away…but I went back to the scrapes later, to collect some materials for a children’s event tomorrow. This time I was extra careful and quiet. I got lucky! It had returned and I got close enough to see it perched on the rail by the dipping platform, looking intently for (presumably) our stickleback. I even got my first ever photo of a kingfisher before it spotted me and departed. However, my camera was not on board with my plan to focus on the kingfisher, so please use your imagination - it’s the blue/orange out-of-focus blur in the middle of the picture!

(1) Comments:

Beth responded on 18th Nov 2016 with...

Love the Kingfisher photo!

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Upcoming Events

Access to the Reserve: CLOSED Except for Organised Events & Groups

Monday 20th May 2024 |

The reserve is temporarily closed to the public except for organised events or groups. This is due to faults with the Foxglove Covert access gate. Entry and exit must be coordinated and at set times due to these faults.

Please see below for organised events. Booking is essential, as attendees will be contacted with access arrangements ahead of the events.

If you would like to arrange a group visit to the reserve please contact reserve staff.

September Wildlife Wander

Monday 16th September 2024 | 2pm-4pm

Join reserve staff for a guided walk around Foxglove Covert as the reserve transitions from summer to autumn. Spot late flying dragonflies, early emerging fungi, the last of the blooming wildflowers, and more!

2pm-4pm.

Donation of £3 per person. Free for Friends of Foxglove. Booking essential.

Due to faults with the Foxglove Covert access gate, entry and exit will be coordinated and at set times. Booked attendees will be sent access arrangements via email prior to the event.

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