We’re now in the depths of winter.

It’s a quiet time of the year when it comes to insects and other arthropods. Most of these animals are in their larval stages, hidden away in a myriad of places.

But there is a lot of activity of mammals and birds in the forest in winter. As homeotherms they can get out and about even when it’s cold.

Life on the river

I venture out of the forest occasionally to explore the adjacent river. It is currently in good health. I find a wide range of water birds in good numbers hunting for fish in its waters.

A surprise vertebrate on the river!

I encountered this pair of seals while paddling down the river in late July. They were lolling in the shallow waters, holding a flipper erect to soak up the warmth of the sun on this unseasonably mild day.