Nestling between the two small hills near our house there is a spring which feeds a pond with fresh water all year round. Even when the main routes up Kinnoull Hill are very busy with walkers, dogs and mountain bikers, it' soften possible to sit by the pond and see or hear no human activity in the woods at all. The town rumbles away in the background, but here, wedged between the two hills, the air at the pond is often perfectly still.
When I am up there with my children in tow (and the inordinate volume at which they seem to function), the chances of seeing any wildlife are extremely limited. However, when on my own, I sometimes quietly wait. Within a few minutes of my noisy footsteps falling silent, the creatures of the wood resume their activity. On some Spring mornings I have seen young deer coming down to the pond to drink, while large Herons sometimes take a break from the Tay to fish the pond. Other large birds of prey stalk the woods too. I have seen Perigrines on the other side of the hill, but around the pond buzzards and a large owl are regular sights. Squirrels, usually large greys, but occasionally little reds, clatter up and down the trunks, and countless smaller birds chatter in the branches. On Friday, a new sight; a fox was lazily patrolling the margins of the pond.
It's not a piece of glamorous mountain scenery, but it is a place of delightful calm, and charm.
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