Very quiet here for the last few days as we've had continuous minus figures reaching -12c with thick snow cover.
Wet areas which did not freeze last Jan, and where I saw snipe gathered, have been frozen solid. Today has seen a melt but the bog has been shrouded in a cold grey mist. Along the river on the NW bog were a line of shooters waiting for duck seeking the safety of the river and the ponds( where they are fed) at night. About 20 shots and I could just see duck flying fast and high away to the south in the gathering dusk. Something stirred in one of my spaniel's two brain cells and she was then on full alert, sniffing the air and examining every bush along the track. I just hoped she wouldn't find a wounded duck.
Toffy did find a casualty huddled under a willow beside the railway: a grey heron. Not shot, just dead.