In the first tangible evidence - at least from our island perspective - that winter isn't going to last for ever, this gaggle of Brent geese cruised past the cabin this morning. Until now, we haven't seen more than a dozen birds together, but every year, as the days lengthen and the feeding in the mudflats at the north end of Strangford Lough becomes poorer, the geese start to take hopeful exploratory excursions in search of eel grass, their favourite tipple - and the muddy foreshore in front of The Bue Cabin will in due course reward their efforts. They are a few weeks too early though - the first green shoots of eel grass, or 'slitch', won't appear until February.
Meantime, they are a happy reminder that spring is around the corner, and we'll see more of them in the coming weeks.
Having said that, we recorded overnight temperatures of -5, and the pipes were frozen this morning..
