Hard Frost at Sunrise, New Forest - 17th February, 2008

It was forecast to be a very cold night and morning, and the temperature dropped below freezing before 9 p.m the previous evening. Sure enough, when I rose at around 6 a.m, it was -4.5°C at home. By the time I got to the parking spot in the New Forest, the car thermo read -6.5°C, so the coldest of the winter so far. Not much white frost due to the dry, anticyclonic air, but some nice colours at sunrise:

The trees really glowed as the first rays of sun hit them::

The sunlight started began to filter down to the heather:

I've been trying to get the hang of backlit shots recently, I didn't think this one turned out too bad - the key is not to overexpose, losing detail:

Another tree, isolated in the frosty heather:

I came across some ponies soaking up the rays of the morning sun, grabbing what warmth they can. The temperature was still below freezing:

I also came across some deer. They're very nervous of people in the New Forest, due to centuries of hunting. Here I got out the telephoto lens, and caught the Red Deer grazing:

Another group of deer (not sure what the collective noun is), this time Fallow Deer, much smaller than the Reds: