Tracks in the Snow

Aha! Oho! A trail in the snow, whose is this trail and where does it go?

 Those words will be instantly recognisable to those with children or grandchildren under five but for those people who only have civilised conversations with other adults they are from the Gruffalo's Child by Julia Donaldson and I have been saying them to myself constantly on my walk round the valley. It wasn't so much the tracks that caught my attention this morning, however as much as the bright orange rabbit pee:

 Keeping my eyes open in the wood, I spotted some branches that had had the bark stripped off revealing a bright orange underside. I'm guessing that as the grass is getting more difficult to access, the rabbits have resorted to eating bark, and it is having the same effect on their digestive system as eating too much beetroot has on humans.

 Walking on through the woods I hoped to see the jays again, without any luck, but approaching the pond from the other side than usual, from the top of a steep slope, I was thrilled to see the kingfisher perching on a bulrush. Obligingly it sat there long enough for me to focus on it with my binoculars and marvel at its beauty but when I risked life and limb slipping down the snowy slope, trying to get close enough to take a photograph, it flew off. I need a photograph to prove its existence to my birdwatching friend, who has claimed  I am hallucinating. The two of us walked to the pond yesterday and saw nothing of interest save a kestrel swooping overhead.
There was a different atmosphere on the valley this morning, as it has of course been invaded by children with sledges. This is as it should be, if there is snow on the ground and an accessible hill, it is a strange child that doesn't want to go sledging. I was also amused to come across on my walk,  the handiwork of some children from yesterday.

It is good to know, that the age old impulse of children to make a den, has not diminished.