Five Fallow Deer

Walking along the river towards Chagford I was surprised to see a small group of Fallow deer grazing in the field near Rushford Mill, usually I see cows there but sadly for the moment these have all gone so the deer are enjoying the grass instead!

Male Goosander

There were several Goosanders on the river Teign near Chagford this morning. I managed to get a few pictures by sneeking up behind some trees but it was difficult as they are extremely wary birds. Here is a photo of the handsome male bird, they look quite similar to Mergansers & have serrated bills for catching fish.

Beautiful Sunset

It has been so grey and miserable recently with hardly a glimpse of the sun, making it really hard for me to paint and it is especially difficult as I am working on a very detailed picture of butterflies; today I have only managed to paint three wings in 5 hours! It is always nice to get out for a late afternoon walk, so was a real treat when the sky cleared just as I was finishing my walk and I managed to get this picture of the setting sun going down over the moors.

White Fallow Deer

There are three pure white Fallow deer living in the gorge near Castle Drogo. They are easy to spot from some distance especially in the winter when there are no leaves on the oak trees. They also give the game away for their dark & well camouflaged relations. This one was standing alone in the woods this morning watching me with my camera!

Signs of Spring

At long last it feels like Spring is just around the corner! I noticed a pair of Nuthatches investigating the hole in the tree that they have nested in for the past three years. It is right beside the river Teign and a super spot to watch their frequent comings and goings with beaks full of caterpillars.

Here is a watercolour of mine of a Nuthatch

Sunday the 6th of Febuary 2011

A Sunday walk in Dunsford woods where it was nice and sheltered from the winds and drizzle out on the Moors. I was hoping to see some signs of Spring but the walk was coloured by all the slaughtered Pheasants lying everywhere, even hung up in the trees where they fell after last weekends shoot. What a terrible waste and really bad management to have a shoot across the river from a beautiful nature reserve.