Winter Night Hike
If you’ve never taken your children out for a walk in the woods after dark, this is the perfect time of year to do so. There is a special magic in being out on a frosty or snowy night with the frozen stars above and the ground crunching underfoot. The night sky with its constellations can be explored. There is a good chance, if you stay fairly quiet, of seeing foxes, badgers and owls.
I recommend taking a map and a torch as well as something to sit on, perhaps a groundsheet. If you’re planning on an extended walk, snacks and thermos of something warming are a good idea. At the risk of being a bit of bore, please take any wrappers and food waste home with you.
Go to a wood that you know well at dusk, with enough light remaining to ensure everyone knows where they are. Have a predetermined route. For as long as possible avoid using a torch, for it is in the gradual visual adjustment to the dark that the magic can happen. At dusk notice the change in bird song. Wood pigeon and crows, rooks often settle in specific trees. Crows and rooks argue loudly as they settle for the night. The cawing of ravens in our local woods gives way to a curious ‘boing -boing’ sound as darkness descends.
If you are out on a moonlit night, the light can be almost as bright as day but still, everything looks new and strange. If there is no moon the adjustment is greater but equally worth experiencing. Take time to look about you at shadows, the way tree bark looks- birch bark can appear semi-luminous in moonlight. Once you are away from the sounds of modern life, gather together and listen. That silence you thought was all about you will most likely be punctured by screeches, scurrying, the creak of branches and the rustle of unseen creatures just beyond the path. As you walk on look for signs of animals; snow and even a thick frost present an excellent opportunity to find animal tracks. Look for the double tracks of deer (known as slots), or those of fox and badger.
If you’ve not star gazed before, once it’s fully dark, find spot with a clear view of the sky. Try to find The Plough, which is part of Ursa Major (also nick named the saucepan and known to our American friends as the Big Dipper). The Plough can be spotted to the north. The brightest star above the pan part of the saucepan shape is Polaris, the North Star. There’ll be whole blog on star gazing in the near future so I won’t add too much more here other than to say, the stars are brighter on a moonless night but moon gazing has its own delights. Look for the face of ‘the man in the moon’ or maybe you will see the hare in the moon known to many North American First Nations.
Settle for a bit to watch the woods. Creatures round and about will cease to be bothered by your presence if you are still and quiet. You may hear more than you see; foxes are a likely sighting. If the woods have a sett in them, badgers may be seen though they are much more wary than foxes. Deer are active all night; they are alert to unusual sounds so you’re more likely to spot one when sitting still than when wandering about. Listen for the calls of owls. In late winter the male Tawny owl’s "hoooo-ho-hoooo" is answered by the female's "kuvitt-kuvitt". This is also the time to hear the “hoooo” of the male Little Owl and the female’s responding sharp cry. You may see the ghostly form of a Barn Owl and perhaps hear their call, a sort of hiss and scream mixed together.
If you are with youngsters, it’s unusual for the still and quiet to last long so head off along your chosen path. Get the children to work out where they are and to notice how different everything appears compared to in the daylight. Can they find their way back? Make sure you can- that torch and map may be needed!