Since I now live on the Isle of Wight with a dog that needs plenty of walking, I've spent significantly more time outside and particularly along what I think is the Eastern Yar River (or a tributary of). I've always liked the woods, fields, rivers and marshes behind my house so it's been great coming across the local wildlife on an almost daily basis. Normally I'd take mallards and pheasants for granted as they're common enough but really they're pretty interesting birds with beautiful feathers! Them, along with various other species that inhabit the Sandown/Alverstone area, make dog walking a lot more interesting.
Speaking of interesting, on a walk last week I came across an unfamiliar bird which turned out to be a 'Grey Peacock Pheasant'. This creature is also known as the 'Burmese Peacock' and it's the national bird of Burma/Myanmar, making it even more surprising to find it near my house on the Isle of Wight!
Images by KLV
