First frost

Dallam Park, Milnthorpe, Cumbria

The sky stayed clear last night, the temperature dropped, and we had the first frost of the season. Here the frost lies on the shaded ground in Dallam Park, the first sunshine is shafting through adding a little colour to the scene. The thin wisps of mist are hanging over the river Bela as 4 Canada geese swim upstream disturbing the mirrored water.

The cold, beautiful morning gave way to a cloudy afternoon. But the wind and rain have held off.

At work the coal tits are busy collecting seeds from the feeder outside my window, and taking them away to stash for the winter. The feeder rapidly empties as they flit back and forth, with every visit, scattering sunflower seeds as they select one of the right size. The rain of seeds drops into the flower bed below. And today when I opened the window, beneath the feeder was a large albino rat and a more conventionally coloured one feeding on the cascading seeds. They didn't hang around long enough though for me to focus the camera.

We've had rats around the office a lot over the years. Working in a building full of wildlife enthusiasts, the attitude towards them tends towards one of enchanted curiosity rather than the usual fear and loathing. Alas, our neighbours are less keen, and the rat catchers were called in some years ago to deal with the vermin. But as we know, rats are never far from people, particularly when there's ready food to be had, and for all the control that's been done, we still have them, and now a large white one that could hardly be more conspicuous. Now that's another target blip for me.

WORTH VIEWING LARGE.