Nature Watch, with Ron Freethy

AFTER several weeks of dull, mild weather, a cold morning with the threat of snow and frost sent me hurrying for binoculars and off I went to the Lake District.

Derwentwater, with the town of Keswick huddled around it, looked a treat with snow on the hills above it and mist over the water.

I thought I had got up early enough but a group of birdwatchers had been there since dawn and their list of spottings was already impressive.

They did not, however, list mallards and, to be honest, they are so common that most people don't bother about them.

What struck me was how the male mallard had used every blade of reed to give him cover while he dabbled about for food.

I wrote recently that some of our most common species would be considered beautiful if they were rare.

We all know magpies are common but how lovely they would be if they were bordering on extinct.

My morning on Derwentwater produced close sightings of a female goosander which was diving for fish.

Goosanders are known as saw bills because of the serrated edges on their beaks.

No bird actually has teeth but the jagged edges of the saw bill's beak slopes backwards, helping the bird grip the fish.

Another beautiful member of the wildfowl tribe is the pintail and I watched a flock looking as if they had just arrived from migration. Pintails spend a lot of time at the coast but if there have been periods of high wind they often head inland to find a bit of shelter.

Male pintails are very graceful birds and, as their name implies, they have long pointed tails.

This also fits their scientific name, which is anas acuta.

Around Derwentwater there are some lovely walks and in winter plenty of parking.

Derwentwater is reached from East Lancashire via the M6, turning off at Junction 40. Keswick is directly on the A66.

It is not just wildfowl which adds interest to a Lakeland walk in winter.

There are red squirrels breeding around the pine trees and in really cold weather many local people come to feed them on peanuts, which they love.

It is amazing how often the story is repeated that squirrels hibernate.

Not only do they remain awake during the winter, their breeding season begins in February.

I also think that if they were going to hibernate why would squirrels bother storing food for the winter if they were fast asleep?

So why not see the Lake District in the peace and quiet of a morning in winter?

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