xpc316e
Veteran
- Location
- Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, UK
I laid out my cycling gear last night and set the alarm for 4.30 this morning, so that I could do what I had wanted to do all week - go for a ride in the early part of the day.
I was on the road at 5.00 am, and within a couple of miles I passed a recently dead mole on the grass verge. It must have dead for only a short while, as the birds had not got to it. It had a lovely black velvet coat and huge pink spades for feet. It was definitely dead as it was on its back and immobile.
In my 53 years I have never seen a mole, either dead or alive. It occurs to me that cycling is a great way to see wildlife: you approach them in near silence, but rather swiftly, and they are usually taken by complete surprise. I have seen herds of deer crossing yards in front of me on quiet lanes, scores of hares, but I need to see a live badger. Perhaps a night ride will yield some results.
What have you spotted on your rides?
I was on the road at 5.00 am, and within a couple of miles I passed a recently dead mole on the grass verge. It must have dead for only a short while, as the birds had not got to it. It had a lovely black velvet coat and huge pink spades for feet. It was definitely dead as it was on its back and immobile.
In my 53 years I have never seen a mole, either dead or alive. It occurs to me that cycling is a great way to see wildlife: you approach them in near silence, but rather swiftly, and they are usually taken by complete surprise. I have seen herds of deer crossing yards in front of me on quiet lanes, scores of hares, but I need to see a live badger. Perhaps a night ride will yield some results.
What have you spotted on your rides?