Wild horses...

or as near as we get in the UK.

I was at Wicken Fen today, walking and relaxing, while Pete and Alex spent the day in a very hot reed-bed suction sampling for invertebrates and collecting a set of traps.I could have blipped one of the many butterflies or dragonflies that were around, but I couldn't resist these Konik's ponies, which live in a largely natural herd, and are just fascinating to watch, as they interact and move around the site.

The Konik horse is a direct descendant of the now extinct European horse, the Tarpan. They are wetland specialists with a hardy, robust and placid character. The coat is a soft greyish-brown, with the occasional sandy coloured individual, and they are characterised by a large head, broad body and strong legs.They love to graze on weeds, reeds and grass, so helping to stimulate wildlife diversity in their fenland habitat.

I think I'd been spotted by the leading horse, though I was lurking in some reeds on the far side of a fen drain. These horses are curious and inquisitive and the National Trust does not graze them in areas where there is full public access, so they're best viewed through binoculars.