Cutting It

Shot of the Day

I think Spring has arrived at last, the sun appeared about mid morning and stayed with us for the rest of the day and for once it was nice and warm. When I arrived home from work I put some frozen fish and chips in the oven, Whilst my tea was cooking I set about cutting the front lawn before it got out of hand. 

After tea I connected the nestcam to the TV to see if there was any action. Lately the Blue Tits have roosting at night but there has been little activity in the box through the day. I was just about to disconnect and head up the hill to see if there was any  sign of the Hen Harriers when I noticed the female was sitting and was moving around quite busily, hopefully laying eggs. I set my camera on movie mode and recorded the following clip.

Eventually I managed to drag myself away. When I arrived at the usual viewing spot I discovered I had left my binoculars behind and with my eyes it would be a waste of time attempting to see any Hen Harrier activity, but it wasn't a wasted journey by any means. A short distance along the road there were a group of people cutting peat and I thought this was an excellent photo opportunity. As busy as they were they made me very welcome and were quite chatty.  

everyone gets mucked in

With lots of effort and teamwork there seems to be a good system operating

The peat is laid out to dry over the summer months 

A future cutter perhaps

This traditional activity has changed little over the centuries and provides an excellent source of heat during the winter months. Click here to find out more about peat cutting.