Walking in the woods

 

Walking in the woods

 Crow preparing to pick up treat from the water

Many of the pleasures of walking in the forest or the woods are the sounds. There are the birds. The raucous cranking of the crows accompanies many a dog walker, who follow in the expectation of receiving a treat. Wood larks spiral into the air, their song diminishing as they rise higher. Great tits and blue tits tseep at each other from branch to branch. 

Red kite, scavenger more than predator

Maybe a red kite will be spotted, its high eery whistle echoing across the sky. 

Mallards quack in alarm before taking off from the water.

The wind soughs through the tall trees, and rattles the dry grasses at the water’s edge.

The tin whistle man was very private and we never managed to take a photograph of him playing his whistle.

Years ago, we would occasionally come across the tin whistle man. We would hear his music before we saw him. He would stride along the rough paths, playing his tunes. We wondered why he came outdoors to play. Had his wife banished him from the house? Was he summoning up nymphs and sylvans? Did he simply enjoy playing his tin whistle in the open air, the notes free to escape into the wild?

We have not seen him for a few years now and suspect his spirit has moved on. We thought it always a privilege to see and hear him.