Two by two

Yes, it’s that time of year again, and some of the fields around Cuddington are full of the bleating of new lambs, almost always in pairs. As a parent of twins, I find this rather endearing but it also reminds me of how many of the photos I take are based on things in twos. Sometimes it’s a twin thing, but Spring also means courtship and the pairing up of animals.

These goosanders were flying up the river above Nether Winchendon. They’re elegant animals with serrated bills for catching fish, and I have seen many of them up and down the Thame, including a larger group on the new backwater created near Eythrope by the Freshwater Habitats Trust in association with the River Thame Conservation Trust and the Waddesdon Estate.

March is associated with mad hares, and while I’ve only had a very distant view of them boxing, there are often pairs to be seen in the fields between Nether Winchendon and Eythrope.

Sometimes things that arrive in pairs are visually striking simply because of how they are aligned, and there are times when two passing birds create new and unexpected shapes. Geese seem to be particularly good at this.