There have been some truly spectacular sunsets in the Wee County over the past few weeks, and whenever possible, I venture out late in the afternoon to one of my favourite vantage points by the edge of the Ochils to watch the glowing orb of the sun gently slip below the horizon.
On one occasion, when walking near Vicar’s Bridge, the sky to the west turned orange over distant Stirling with the Wallace Monument etched against the horizon.
Dawn is equally magical, and whenever I am down by the River Devon at that time, the water shimmers and dances under the breaking morning light.
Dawn and dusk are always good times to spot wildlife, with roe deer often seen bounding in fields, and if one is lucky, a fox might be glimpsed skirting around a woodland edge.
One winter, I was lucky enough to stumble upon a long-eared owl perched on the fence post of a pasture in the Ochils.
On the days that followed, I often encountered the same owl as it quartered nearby fields in a slow, bat-like flight in search of field voles scurrying in the grass below.
On the River Devon, virtually all my otter sightings come early in the morning when the light is slowly gaining in intensity.
Dawn is also a productive time to spot beavers.
There is hardly any vegetation for beavers to feed on at this time of year, so they rely almost entirely on eating bark, especially the nutrient-rich inner cambium layer, using specialised gut microbes to break down the tough cellulose during digestion.
Dawn and dusk are special times to connect with nature and one wonders what our ancestors in prehistoric times must have thought as they watched the sky glowing blood-orange – was their fear or reverence, or perhaps a mixture of the two?
Whatever the case, we do know our forebears were keenly attuned to the seasons and the cycle of the sun as evidenced by how stone circles are sited.
Another joy of dusk at this time of year is watching the large flocks of rooks and jackdaws descend upon the woodland at Sheardale to roost for the night.
The air is filled with a cacophony of excited noise as they swirl about the treetops before eventually alighting in the trees.
There is continual calling for several more minutes, but as darkness descends, the wood falls quiet and the owls and other creatures of the night begin to emerge.
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