wildlife – Jennifer Michie

November 30, 2017 / 0 Comments

Goodbye, Autumn

After the dipping temperatures this week in England, I think we might have truly kissed autumn goodbye. Tomorrow, the beginning of December definitely feels like it is ushering in winter with its very presence.

I came across an article today, while blog reading that seemed to capture the fleeting nature of autumn. The initial fleeting beauty that slowly ebbs away toward the bleakness and bareness of winter. It was produced by filmmaker Jan van IJken who captured a murmuration on film between 2014 and 2015 in the Netherlands.

I’m completely fascinated by murmurations and I hope that I am lucky enough to one day see one in person. I shared another video about them way, way back in 2011. The noise in Jan van IJken’s film is almost deafening in places. It is like the almighty roar of waves crashing onto a beach. Incredible!

{Found via This is Colossal}

November 29, 2017 / 0 Comments

A Woodland Offering

December is almost here. I’m elated to decorate our little cottage for the holidays, but at the same time, I feel that it is all happening so fast. I just want to slow down and enjoy the season we are coming in to. A large majority of stores have had their Christmas decorations out since the first of November. And although this is one of my favourite times of year, I want to savour it and not have it go by in a swirling rainbow blur.

I worked on taking all of our fall decorations down yesterday in preparation for Christmas decorating. I always bring our leftover pumpkins and gourds to the woods. This morning I headed into the woods on my run, which was really more of a swift walk at that point, because my pockets and hands were laden down with mini pumpkins.

I slowly moved off the path, after picking a good spot and nestled a few of them on a moss covered tree stump. I’ll keep my eye on them as I cut through the woods in the morning on my next couple of runs to see who has been feasting on them. Usually they are gobbled up by the muntjacs, squirrels and birds.

After leaving my little offering to the woods, I made my way back on to the main path, but not before a muntjac crossed in front of me a little ways further up. Maybe she was watching me? I hope she headed that way after I cleared out, she would have had quite a feast this morning if she did.

July 17, 2015 / 0 Comments

Muntjacs

I stood on the train platform yesterday heading into London and I heard rustling coming from the wooded embankment opposite me. I scanned the trees and noticed two then four little legs slowly come down the hill. Then I saw more little furry stick like legs. It was a group of muntjacs foraging.

I looked around to see if anyone else had noticed. They hadn’t. They were either on their phone, on their iPad, reading, talking to someone or staring at the clock on the platform and wishing for the train to appear. No one else had taken them in.

They stepped gingerly, yet gracefully down the hill, stopping here and there to sniff or munch. They were hidden pretty well by the canopy of leaves. But I knew what I was looking for. I treasure these interactions with nature. They are a gift.

{P.S. The image above is not of a muntjac, they are much smaller animals. I just liked this image and that someone in 1963, saw a deer in their yard and ran to get their camera. // Image found HERE}