Life and Death on a Sunday Afternoon.

For a blog about the River Ock, it has hardly featured as a subject since May last year.  So a gap in rain and gales on Sunday afternoon provided the opportunity for a walk along the river to see if anything had changed in the previous few months.
As it's winter, it's perhaps not surprising to see that the river is high, although it will take a lot more rain before it bursts it's banks.
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As per normal for a dark cold day this there of year, there isn't much to see.  But along the side of the river, there are signs of an animal which is very seldom seen - fresh water muscles.
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Maybe the muscles died a natural death and then were washed up the last time the river burst it's banks. Although muscles are a favourite food of otters, so maybe this is circumstantial evidence that they are still active on the Ock.
Perhaps the most likely explanation is they were washed up and an opportunist corvid took advantage of their unfortunate situation.
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Another animal which met an unfortunate demise is this rabbit, quite what  set of circumstances caused it be squashed on a footpath will probably be never be known.
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Yet it's not just signs of death along the river, a buttercup is starting to flower in the flood meadow, even though Meadow Buttercup doesn't normally flower till April.
Perhaps another symptom of our mixed up winter?
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