I was wondering, and to be honest quietly hoping, that my winter walks into the edge of the Somerset countryside would bring more revelations from nature during the ongoing pandemic.
Despite the first lock-down, and the fear of the unknown implications of the plague that still enwraps the planet, Spring brought a series of small blessings (many of which I have shared here): the baby badgers, the unexpected roe-deer, the butterflies and beetles and many interesting plants and birds.
My expectations for autumn and winter are lower, but I have certainly relished the changing colours in the trees and little local woodlands, especially where there are mighty beeches and along the canal, where low November light brought beautiful fiery reflections.
And now I find a new species! Attracted by their gentle twittering song, I recognised something new, a small flock (maybe forty or so) of finches; small brown birds that favour an old ash tree along the narrow margin of an unworked field. These proved to be linnets, Linaria cannabina, and are on the UK's Red List, having suffered a calamitous population crash.
I hope they will do well here in the fields just beyond my home. Here are some images of them.
