A Pointer in the Rain

Oscar at full speed.

Worth posting this photograph of Oscar the pointer which my girlfriend took this afternoon in the miserable rain and high winds on the Chayne. The shepherd has been seeing a bird which I think can only be a greyhen on a totally different area of the hill, far away from the usual red grouse haunts and adjoining the woodcock strip. I’ve had my suspicions about this area for some time, and it was well worth a look with the dogs. Unfortunately, there was nothing to be seen aside from a merlin which sat and watched us from the top stones of one of the old grouse butts as we splashed through the moss. I will keep an eye on this patch over the next few weeks, because there is some good brood rearing habitat in this area, and it would be a good thing if there was a black grouse or two in there.

Walking back to the car again, the rain stopped, the wind paused and something like brightness passed through the clouds. Within a couple of minutes, the sky was filled with larks, each taking the opportunity to stake a claim to their own little patch of moor. It was easy to imagine, even for a moment, that Spring might be on its way again.