the wildlife

Ok, they're not so wild, but there are lots of fun creatures here...

Sheep. I know we've covered them, but look... brown and black ones!


With sheep come sheep dogs. We haven't personally seen them in action, but have seen their herding expertise on TV. This one was exceptionally friendly, coming up to us as we walked on a footpath through his turf.


Cows. There are the regular cows of course. I disturbed this herd during a siesta and was able to convince them I wasn't a threat. They weren't scared by an approaching dog either which was weird. What happens when cows and dogs play chicken? The cows win.






Then there's the Highland cattle and this weird Oreo cow. My Aunt Pat and Uncle Chuck saw more of these Oreo cows than we have on their trip and it seems to be more of a breed than an accident. They're jet black with a thick white band around their stomachs.


Check out this special Highland cow trick—they can lick the inside of their nostrils, no problem.


Horses. We've seen plenty of horses around here as riding is a popular past time and racing is a big deal. Even in the mild winters, every horse you pass is wearing a coat.


Check out those doe eyes. This guy is begging for something better tasting than grass. Little does he know the sign cautions against it. He reminds me of Puss in Boots from Shrek.


Pheasants. These little buggers are hard to catch on film (or digital media as the case may be). They're small, skittish, don't hold still, and can obviously fly away. We've zoomed past lots of them in the car (dead and alive) and can often here them squawking in fields. They're actually quite pretty birds. This is the best I could do—look for the small blob walking among the sheep.


Ducks & Swans. The River Ouse here in York, like many of the other rivers and waterways in the country, is full of them. Swans especially seem to be a part of the natural environment and aren't relegated to "managed" areas. Some ducks and mallards seem extra happy in some of the little man-made oases we've seen.






Seagulls. Some pretty, some in camouflage.




Squirrels on the other hand are rare and your attention is even called to their presence. We passed a road sign before one of the few "forests" we've seen warning you to watch out for them. I really wish I'd gotten a picture of that one—the icon looked like Chip & Dale, a happy little squirrel holding a nut. We haven't seen or heard of any raccoons or possums either. The public nuisance around here is pigeons.