At this time of the year the only time that we can walk the dogs in daylight is at weekends, and even then the afternoon walk is in gathering dusk. For much of the year the wildlife pond at dusk is as lively as during the day, with rustling of rushes, muted squawks and quacks of water birds among the reeds, and the occasional plop of fish catching an insect or frog jumping into the safety of water. In contrast at this time of the year, the pond is silent as darkness falls, even though I know that there is a pair of swans in residents, as well as ducks and moorhens.
