Country diary: The night-time farm is alive with unseen wildlife

‘By day, these mammals are just glimpsed, fleeting shapes, rather than grazing out in the open.’ A European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) backlit at night. Photograph: John Gooday/Alamy

We leave the farm track, the truck bumping into the open field. The headlights scan the dark expanse of grassland. For a moment, I’m 10 years old again – transported back to a night-time safari with Dad.

This evening, I’m helping with his podcast. And by helping, I mean saying as little as I can get away with, while he talks about the farm and wildlife. We both love communicating about nature, but I prefer the quieter, more introverted process of writing.