I can’t complain about the weather, I like it when it does interesting things. And it certainly has been interesting, if not challenging over the last two weeks.

But even so winter is definitely on the way out. The dawn chorus has started with a vengeance. For an hour now the air is full of the songs of the Blackbird the Song Thrush and the Mistle Thrush.

I have a habit of going out into the garden first thing to put out food for the birds. It is so cold that the birds are still dependant on all the food, but I so hate to disturb them I do it while it is still dark.

That way the birds can feed all they like from the moment it gets light. (except for when the neighbours cats put in an appearance) and of course I can watch them.

But now the cold dawn air is full of birdsong. Not many birds yet, this morning there were 5 different songs, the three I just mentioned and Robin and Wren.

This is now the time to start working out which bird sings which song. When there are just a few it isn’t too difficult. The Robin has been singing all winter, as has the Wren. But the other birds are starting now, so if you want to become expert you will need to start learning the different songs before there are so many it becomes impossible to separate one form another.

Being able to tell a bird by its song has many uses. When something new turns up you can tell even if you are on your knees weeding the garden. You can identify all the birds around you whilst looking for wildflowers. You can get very great pleasure just by listening and naming all the singing birds. Best of all you can impress your friends.

I have been practicing bird song identification for many years, but to be honest I am not all that good. I have a dreadful memory and I am not in the least bit musical. So I simply cannot recall what a bird sings like, and have to start again every spring. So if you and I start learning at the same time you are likely to be much better at it than I am by midsummer. But people think I am a real expert. Practice now and people will very soon think you are an expert too. 

I have had a lot less time to go for walks lately. Anne has had a week off work, so she has taken the dogs out. I have been very busy, and have been missing the wildlife that I normally keep tabs on when I walk the dogs. 

I was really looking forward to going for a long walk tomorrow, and being a fan of extreme weather, the forecast, for below freezing temperatures and snow had me getting my scarf and gloves ready for the morning.

We have three dogs,  Jinnie (which is an arabic word for Devil) is a little black Terrier of uncertain origin. She arrived on my birthday 4 years ago. She is very appropriately named, being one of the naughtiest dogs I have ever come across.

A few months after Jinnie arrived Chubby came along, as one of her offspring, after an accident in the park. He isn't chubby at all, but he was the biggest and boldest of them all, and he behaved badly enough that nobody else wanted him.

Anne took these two, and Barney, a Labrador cross, out for walks all week.

Now Jinnie has been suffering from a sore foot. She hurt it bounding through the undergrowth. It was nothing major, but she had to take it easy for a few days.

So imagine my dismay when I got home from a days slaving over a hot PC, planning to get out for a long walk the following day to find Jinnie had strained her paw again, but worse still Chubby had strained his paw too.

It was actually quite comical to see them both hopping along like mirror invalid images. But one thing is for sure, we wont be going for a long walk in the morning

Despite the difficulty and chaos brought about by the snow and ice, I am in my element. I simply love it.

I have been up well before dawn every day this week and headed out into the snow. I have been heading 25 miles to the south, and passing through the landscape as the sun rises. I have seen the sky shift from an amber colour as the snow reflects the street lighting, to blue as the daylight infuses the falling snow. I have seen a dark cloudless but bitterly cold morning change as a spectacular sunrise bursts over the horizon to reveal a landscape of incredible beauty.

It is amazing what snow does to soften the landscape, hide all the rubbish, and leave everything looking sparkling and fresh.

Admittedly the snow in Reading can only be described as disappointing but south of Bracknell it is a foot deep in the fields. The spectacular conifers by the side of the road are laden down with snow which has been so heavy it has snapped off the odd branch, so the ice cold air smells of pine resin. On the roads around Bagshot and Lightwater, and on towards Worplesden in deepest Surrey the snow on the back roads is hard packed but the verges are deep and untouched away from the houses. 

Untouched, that is, except for the prints of things that have wandered there since the last snow fell. Everywhere I looked I found signs of something, plentiful Fox and Badger and domestic cat prints, lots of trails of Blackbird and Robin and many other birds I couldn’t readily identify. The fields behind the hedgerows were stunningly beautiful in the sunlight, little groups of horses stood together against the cold, majestic Oak trees stood draped in snow. Snowdrops even poked through the snow in a few places where it wasn’t too deep.

By the busy roads the snow was clean and white at first but soon became soiled by the muck off the surface of the road, car tyres spewed black greasy muck over the pavements and soon this wonderful landscape will be gone.

How wise are our schools and train operators.

This is not time to go to school or work.

This is the time to get out and enjoy the countryside, to toboggan in the park, to track animals in the woods and to take pictures of splendid trees and people being happy outdoors.

 

My garden has become modeled on the Groundhogs song, Garden, where the singers garden returns to the days before agricultural land. Where a hundred birds nest in the trees.

Google earth shows a line of neatly tended gardens in a row of nice houses and there in the middle is this little patch of seeming neglect. That is where I live. 

But it isn't neglected, far from it, in fact it has more attention paid to it than most gardens. 

Presently it is home to a substantial flock of Reed Buntings, not normally a garden bird, but I get dozens of them. 

I get Stock Doves, in addition to Wood Pigeons and Collared doves

Stock Doves are easily overlooked, but they are a really nice bird to have in the garden. There are many other birds at this time of year, and it has become such an important source of food that I try not to go out there during the day so that I don't cause any disturbance.

All the food is of course put there by me, so it is relatively artificial.

Despite the trays of food and the feeders full of seed I almost never get House  Sparrows.

I went to Lousehill copse on Sunday, an interesting old woodland on the side of a steep hill between three housing estates.

It was raining and the numerous little streams bubbled down the hillsides, and one of them flows through a lovely little valley to end in a pond.

the dogs had a great time in the pond

Lots of wildlife especially high up in the trees, mostly small birds and the occasional Woodpecker, including the scarce Lesser Spotted. 

I enjoyed walking around in a woodland in one of the more densely populated bits of Reading for a couple of hours without seeing a soul all morning

One of the joys of Reading is getting about it by bike. Sure the cycle routes are crap. They are among the crappest anywhere. But if you use all the No cycling signs as a pointer to a good cycle route, and the "cyclist dismount signs" as an incitement to civil disobedience you can have a lot of fun. 

The roads aren't bad either. They are generally so clogged during the day that cyclists easily have the upper hand. 

But alongside the rivers there are some great

 paths. From the western side of town, right to the east you can ride all the way along the side of the River Thames. You can join the Kennet and Avon canal and cycle right alongside that until way beyond Reading.

Cycling with the river at your side is such a pleasure. On one side you have a changing land of industry housing greenery or shopping. On the other a ribbon of water with birds weeds and fish. As the river changes, sometimes flooded but never dry, you can keep a track of the seasons. You can watch all sorts of events, follow the life of the family of swans, spot the fist Sedge Warbler of spring, the first Sand Martin, see the angler catch a little fish, say hello to a boater cruising past. In Reading it is almost entirely traffic free. Within a hundred yards of most of it is a seething mass of cars and trucks. 

Despite their virtues many of the paths are neglected. While the council invests money in pedestrians bus lanes and car parks the riverside paths go uncared for and unloved. Except by cyclists, dog walkers fishermen and bird watchers. And a few graffiti artists (who I have never

 seen) and some odd fugitives from civilization in general.

In some ways I sort of like the paths being a bit run down, they are a bit like a secret part of Reading that most people don't know about. I have got to know a lot of people on these paths over the years, which is never going to happen on the roads.

But the big obvious paths, the ones alongside the Thames are popular and important. So it has come as a huge shock that Reading borough council have chosen to not designate part of it so that cyclists can use it, and this will soon lead to cyclists being banned from it. 

This shows again how unwilling the council are to do anything to help cyclists. I am sure they would rather have everyone driving.

A faithful friend

My trips into the countryside are either on foot or by bike. If on foot I have with me my dogs, a motley pack rescued from The Dogs Trust.

If I didn’t have dogs, and the discipline of taking them for a walk twice a day then I would to be honest see far less of the countryside.

There are no excuses, no options, and nobody in the house can stop me. The deal with a dog is that you take it for a walk in the morning and again in the evening.

It can be a chore, but once you accept that, it is pretty straight forward.

I delight in training them. To have a dog that will do what you want when required is pretty important too. If I want to stop and watch birds I want the dog to stop too. If I want to avoid disturbing something I want the dog to walk right next to me, without me having to call it.

For the last few years I have had the company of Jez, a thoroughbred dog, who

 was initially owned by someone irresponsible. She became the most well behaved and sweet natured dog who followed me like a shadow.

The rest of the family were not as enamoured with her as I was. She had a mischievous streak that took a bit of handling. So if I went away I had to take her with me, and we went far and wide together. She looked big and scary, and initially she was, but she gave me a sense of security. I would happily tackle someone dropping litter, racing around on a motorbike or otherwise spoiling the countryside.

She grew into a big softy, and even as she reached old age she was still very fit. Fit enough to chase a ball and occasionally beat the little terriers to it.

Above all else she was my loyal companion, and no matter what, we never argued. We were the very best of friends

But all good things come to an end and very suddenly she fell ill and almost before I realised what was happening the vet put her down.

Most of my walks cover the same ground, wherever I go I remember things that Jez and I did. The first place she swam, where we sat and watched the deer, where she first came face to face with a fox.

If you have ever had your shadow removed you might begin to know how I feel right now. 

Sleep well old girl