Serendipity

8th January
Serendipity-
Today was to be an exercise walk, spurred on by the fact that I got exactly zero intensity minutes yesterday I was determined to make up for it. I chose the hilliest routes and strode forth, taking no prisoners. I barely hesitated to great neighbours but stomped upwards inexorably.

I reached the edge of the woods having gathered pace downhill when I suddenly stopped. I have no idea why, but as I took in my surroundings I realised that incredibly close to me, hiding in plain sight was a flock of long-tailed tits. We each maintained the silence as the birds tried to disguise themselves in leafless trees. There was an evident though subtle retreat, but still some of them couldn’t resist hanging upside down like tree baubles to feed, or maybe they were drinking the dew. Whilst so absorbed I was almost hit in the face by a couple of birds in chase. Fast and tiny, my first thought was wrens, but as they giddied around the tree, too intent on each other to notice me I was able to identify a coal tit in pursuit of what I would have said was a crested tit.

Birds were running up and down trunks of trees in the distance, I photographed them and looking at photo I think they were wood warblers. The wood seemed alive! I thought perhaps the whole woodland area was like this and maybe I just needed to stop and look more frequently but throughout the rest of my walk the woods were still and silent apart from the mournful cry of crows.