I was walking in the ancient forest of Wentwood recently and enjoying the morning air, despite the dampness of the mist. At this time of year there's little to see in the way of wildlife, but I did have the company of a robin who chittered and chattered as I walked my path.

My ramble was also blessed by the sight of a roe deer among the trees. For the briefest of whiles I watched him, watching me, watching him... then in the way of capreolus capreolus he was gone. I wished I'd had a long lens with me to capture the moment; this was the first roe I'd ever seen in Wentwood Forest.

I thought my treat for the day had come and gone, but lo and behold I was wrong. In a clearing, high in a tree, lounging on a branch and observing was one of the infamous big cats we keep hearing about that roam our wild places.

Sightings of cougars, pumas, leopards and lynxes abound, but there I was in the presence of the king of beasts... I was in the company of a lion!

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I've no idea what wag had lodged this stuffed animal on the branch, but it certainly made me smile... after all it's not every day you see a five foot stuffed lion in a Welsh tree is it?

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I wasn't able to do the toy justice without a long lens, but I hope you'll find these rather grainy images amusing anyway. As the old saying goes, the things you see when you haven't a gun!