The Woodcock

The Woodcock

She senses me before I sense her, of course, after all, this is a bird who hears worms. Both of us hunker, trying to disappear into earth she, a tessellation of feathers and I a tall shape in a woolly hat. Minutes pass but we stay rooted, the frosted grass cool on our...
Walnut and Ash

Walnut and Ash

Recently, I’ve been fortunate. I have been in the company of Owls. The first, a Barn Owl, took me by surprise as I planted out courgettes. I have plans to write a longer piece about that encounter, so for now I’ll leave you with a photograph I took that evening. The...
Strangled

Strangled

I hear a scream. I look out, expecting to see the last breaths of a dying rabbit. But instead of a rabbit, I see a stoat. It is hanging from an antiquated drain cover in our front garden, head wedged between the metal bars so that its body dangles below them like a...