Working from home yesterday afternoon, I couldn’t help but be tempted to go for a wander around my local patch at sunset.  It had been the first gloriously bright and almost cloudless day I could remember for a long time so I had to take advantage of the last bit of light.

The sky and light conditions were very springlike looking out of the window but as soon as I set foot outside, winter was in the air.  At around 5 degrees celsius, it certainly didn’t feel like spring and as I made my way out into the fields, the ground conditions showed it wasn’t either.  After recent rains, the fields were saturated and my wellies became heavier and heavier as more mud clung to them.

There were other signs that spring in the fields has yet appear – the trees were still skeletal in their lack of leaves and the collection of birds I saw had a wintry touch.  There was a large flock of redwings and fieldfares, our visitors from Scandinavia for the colder months of the year, noisily making it’s way through the trees and bushes as I wandered along the footpaths.

I took a few shots as I walked around the fields.  I wouldn’t say my local patch is particularly blessed with great beauty but in the fading light of last evening, it looked at its best.