First Strawberry

First strawberry of the year!

Big, red, juicy...

and gone!

Dazed Nuthatch

Barrie startled a Nuthatch hoping to help itself to some bird food in the shed and it flew into the window.  He sat with it gripping his hand for about fifteen minutes as it gradually came round; it really did look like it was seeing stars, preferring to keep its eyes closed and occasionally squeaking. It managed a short flight to cling to the wall and after another short rest, flew off into the trees where another Nuthatch flew in to join it for a noisy reunion.

Just after it stunned itself.

Looking a lot brighter.

Spring Evening

Hard to credit the difference a month makes. Everywhere is green and lush and the garden is full of colour. We have fledgling Robins, Coal Tits, Goldfinches and Nuthatches and were pleases Blue Tits and Nuthatches used the boxes we put up in Februaary. And I think the rabbits are planning to expand their family (again).

Poplar Hawkmoths Laothoe populi

Wonderful surprise when opened the moth trap on Monday morning, two beautiful Poplar Hawkmoths.

Another 5am start as put the moth trap out overnight. It was cool and quite breezy so wasn't expecting much and didn't really get much but what we had was lovely. The Buff Tip looked like the tip of a twig on the ground near the light trap, I poked it on the off chance it was a moth and it moved.

Flame Shoulder

Green Arches

Pale Shouldered Brocade

Square Spot Rustic (?)

Buff Tip

Campion moth

Buff Ermine

May Moths

Up at 5am to bring the moth trap in before the pheasants arrived and the swallows got up. It had already attracted a  blackbird and Stumpy our tailess and friendly Robin who was attempting aerobatics  to catch any I disturbed and scolded me when I took the trap in. Please note I am not an expert and have identified these moths as best I can, if you know I've got any wrong, please tell me!

Brimstone Moth

Coxcomb Prominent

Early Thorn

Flame Carpet

Lesser Swallow Prominent

Lunar Thorn

Peppered Moth

Pine Beauty

Scalloped Hazel

White Ermine

It was a bit of a cliche but when a blonde pheasant with none of the usual brown markings arrived in the garden , all the males went nuts and it was a total free for all. Our resident females were not happy and pecked her on the head and chased her. The swallows arrived back mid April and we have at least three nests in the barn and the pied wagtails are nesting in a pipe in the back wall. Its light at 4am and it can be hard getting back to sleep, the dawn chorus is really loud and the robin sings from a bush just below the window. The blackbirds must have young as they rush around with beakfuls of worms. We still have a family of rabbits in the garden, two adults and two juvenile and they see off the other rabbits.

Male pheasant displaying

Blackbird breakfast

Old Scarface