[Closed] March on the hills 2010.

Firsty, sorry to make this long winded.

I'm struggling to get a writing head on, therefore my blog is not progressing as quick as i wish it to.

Therefore i've been looking back over the pages of my life. More specifically to last March. The month before i made my dramatic walk.

Up here in Scotland, it was still covered in snow. Whilst back in Somerset where i was back then, the hard winter had mostly cleared. Only a few frosts reminded us of the past harsh season.

I write and share this as am attempt to get some creative juices flowing and maybe act as a little chill out reading for you all.

All i have as reference to that March is the photo's i shared on FB.

And it's from there i recall some moments so special, that they were to play a significant part in saving a life.

Dated the 4th of March 2010. It's appears i walked or rode through a woodland on the lower eastern part of the hills. The floor was a carpet of snowdrops.
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Although just white and green, this new fresh colouring, was a pleasant change from how is was before. The rotting leaves and bare trees, gave the woodland a seemingly colourless look. Only to the keen eye, would the flashes of colour from berries and fungi, break up the patchwork of browns and greys.

Even the wildlife seems to lay in wait for the new season. The squirrels appear less active, birds less chirpy, deer harder to see as they blend into the gloom.

With the flash of colour that the flowers now bring, there's a brightness in the air. A freshness that has not only woken my senses, but it's also brought the once quiet wood into life.

A blackbird scratches away at the spread of dead leaves, it sounds like a creature much larger treading over the ground. Even though i've heard and seen this hundreds of times before. I still lookout half expecting it to be a man or an other large mammal crunching about nearby.

As the early morning haze filters through the trees, streaking beams of narrow light flow across the ground.

Soon high in the tree tops the harsh call of rooks and their hungry chicks will be a dominant sound.

I feel the winters over.

The photo's then, are from up on the main heathland.

A ewe stands staring at me, heavy with young, it's belly hanging almost to the ground. Soon all across the hills, the bleating and Baaing will be an all to common sound. As lambs and mothers call to each other.

I walk up to the ridge via one of the many natural springs, The frogs have laid their eggs here. A large clump of frogspawn lays in a pool of fresh water. It reminds me of school dinners and the tapioca puddings we'd be given. Not that i'd want to eat this..
Instead, i'd place my hands under the mass of jelly like eggs and gently feel it's texture, all that new life...There hundreds if not thousands of eggs here, why so many? You may ask. Very few will make it to full adult hood. It's a numbers game..
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The sky is so clear. This means the beauty of the hills and it's curves are clear to see and enjoy.
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Like many of my walks on the hills, i go in search of the Red deer there. I've learnt of their habits and favoured resting and grazing places. From the photo's i recall this next moment well.

Upon a shallow ridge and far away from any used tracks, a herd of stag often bask in the sun. They sit here to chew the cud and to bond again. It wasn't long ago they may of been locking antlers, sizing each other up and bellowing a warning to each other during the rut.
I'd spent many a November evening watching this, and at times found myself, perhaps a little to close to the action.
Though now it's march and they should be now back together as friends and family.

I know the lie of the land here well and use it to my advantage. The wind is in my face too, so the conditions are in my favour.
I head out ever alert, the red are easily alarmed and there are sheep nearby. They'll quite happily let out a baa to alert everything, that danger is present.

I'm nearing the place i know these stag like to hang out. My eyes scan the land around me as i slowly creep along.

I'm stood at present, but focused keenly on the far ground beyond my protective foreground.

Suddenly my muscles tense and i freeze on the spot. They're there, by the trees a hundred feet away. I slowly crouch and edge forward along a sheep worn path. Careful now, as the bracken is dead and dried and will be noisy under foot.

As i inch forward, i'm now heading down a slope loosing cover. I stop and survey things.

Most of the Stag are laying down, just chewing the cud. They look relaxed. However there are two that are not so, one of the sheep saw me and was looking at me, a single baaaa! made the lookout deer wary..

I stayed motionless for a few minutes till both deer and sheep resumed
a calmer stance.
Both deer looked into the wind, their big ears pointing in that way too. I could sense their noses twitching..

I lowered myself into a prone position and on elbows and knees advanced towards them. I made use of untrampled dead bracken and gorse bushes to conceal me and made my way in detected nearer.

At about 60ft from them, i ran out of cover, nothing stood between me and them.
1,2,3,4,5,6,7, i counted, then another 2, laying low and well camouflaged. Only the flick of the ears gave away their location.

I lay there in sheep mess and bugs, watching the deer rest and bond.
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They rubbed each other with their thick polished antlers. They seemed to take it in turns in keeping watch for danger. One or two would get up, letting the others lay down to rest.

I managed a few photo's from my awkward position on the ground.
And was there for around 30mins..

Then without a warning, they all stood up and slowly walked off down the hillside away from me. Nothing spooked them, they just moved on.

I got up and walked west. The sun was beginning to descend out of view, beyond the ridge line, but then shone brightly at me, once more, as i ascended in to it's beam.

I wanted to head over to a barrow on the far east of the hills, Thorncombe, it's known as.
From there i could watch it descend behind the distant Exmoor hill, Dunkery.

As i crossed the ridgeway track onto a path leading to the barrow, a herd of hinds and young, including a young stag watched me from the nearby hill.
The young stag has just a two short spikes for antlers. At this stage they are known a knobbers or prickett stags. He appears to be the only young stag there. Already his neck hair is thicker and his coat much redder than that of the hinds.
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They watch me pass by, my outline distinctive against the bright low sun. But unlike the great stags earlier, these take fright and run off out of sight.

I'd not get a good shot of the sunset here, so i walked down off the barrow towards a beech bank. The vale between the Quantocks and the brendon hills were just a haze.
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The sun was dropping fast, making the afternoon sky glow orange.
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As i reached the ancient beech hedgerow, the sun fell from sight.
Beyond the twisted branches, a red glow signalled the end of my day in the hills.
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Just one more deer was seen that night, cutting a dark shape against a pink sky.
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4 days later i yearned for that sunset again.
I didn't wander far that afternoon, so without the long walk, i only had a brief close encounter with deer.

They passed right by me, just metres away. I saw then coming so, knowing their passage, i sunk low into the heather. Letting them pass un alarmed.
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Nothing to note through the rest of March till on the 24th i wandered once more.

More close encounters and this time the most intimate one with deer.
I spotted a small herd of hinds grazing in a fenced of field, above Holford. I crept close along the banked hedge being careful to not crunch on the dry dead leaves all around.
I reached a slight opening in the dense beeched hedge and slowly looked over into the field.
There in front of me, just 3 metres away, were 4 hinds. They knew immediately i was there. However they did not run, they just moved slightly away and continued grazing. I managed a few poor photo's before realising i could video it all.
I needed to move so slowly, I was not wearing camouflage, only movement would scare them away.
Suddenly to my surprise, one of the deer looked towards me, then walked up to me. All it could see was my face and shoulders.

My shallow breath, and blinkless stare was well controlled and if i could've reached out to her, i'd of touched her nose.
But motionless i stood. She was not afraid and once she was content i wasn't a threat, she turned and walked away.
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I switched the setting on the camera to video and raised it up. Pressing record and as steady as i could, i filmed them.
They all knew i was there, well at least i thought it was me they were looking at. When above the chatter of the birds, i heard a crunching of footsteps behind me.

I dare not move to scare my subjects, but what could it be?

I was to intrigued to fight the urge and slowly i turned my head(that's the point the footage gets really wonky). To me left another deer came to join in the party.
Just a few metres from me it jumped over the bank and into the field with the others. Amazing!

[url] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Up1EDfhgnrY [/url]

They soon moved on and so did i. Through the hills i wandered till i found myself by the old water mill pond.

I've rarely studied the water on the hills, therefore knew little of what lurked in there.

I went to a place were the water ran from the pond and joined the old leat.
I stared at the water wondering what lurked in there. The more i stared the less i focused on anything in particular. It was then i saw movement under some weed.

At least, 8 maybe more Palmate newts, wriggling around under there.
It was soon apparent they had come out of hibernation to breed.
The male would turn slightly on it's side and wave it's tail in a manner to signal to the female it's willingness to mate.
I tried to capture this on film through the surface of the water. It sort of worked.

[url] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtW6lSQY8Yw&feature=related [/url]

These remarkable few experiences, now remind me of how much i want to know and learn about our wildlife.

Just 5 days after filming those, the torment and hatred i had for myself, overwhelmed my desire to see all these wondrous thing. I fell into a very dark place for several days and as i slowly lost all will.

However all around me were these amazing things. They gave me hope and the desire to live.

As i walked my lonely path, i saw more and more the beauty of nature.
It embraced me and made me open my eyes once more. The more i saw the more i wanted to see and learn about.

They may be small and insignificant to some, but for me, without these creatures we share this planet with. Be they great or small. I'd not be here to write this and share.