This week has been very chilly, a bit of an understatement really as we have had temperatures well below freezing with an added wind chill bringing the temperatures down even more. I was hoping for some interesting landscape opportunities and on 11th February I decided to walk up Hambledon Hill.

I headed through Manor field and up the hill, I realised how cold it was as I walked up, the ground was frozen solid; no mud what a bonus, although the rutted tracks can be tricky. I took one picture as I climbed up with colour over Spread Eagle Hill but that soon went and the skies turned grey. So Tilly and myself just enjoyed a very bracing walk, it was even chillier on the top and all we saw were the Ravens flying in the wind.

The next couple of days were the same, a little colour at sunrise which soon disappeared so this time I headed for Bere Marsh. It was very quiet, even the birds were lying low. On my way back one of the days I was heading towards the footbridge when I saw what I thought was a blob on top of a fence post near the Owl barn, I suspected it could be an Owl, but it was a long way from me. I took a couple of images to study when I got home, the Owl took off just afterwards and disappeared behind Mill Ham island so I was correct. When I got home I was surprised that I even got a picture, the Owl was hunched up, I don’t think he was impressed with the cold!