With the fine weather and a holiday it seemed a good idea to take advantage of the fact that I live in some very beautiful countryside. A walk in the Ley Hill area took me up Broomstick Lane, where escaped cultivated bluebells were mixing with the wild. Then into Cowcroft Wood where a substantial badger set seems to have had somebody digging. (I won't add my thoughts on that as Blogspot has rules about bad language).
Although birds were audible there was nothing to be seen and the walk continued out onto Ley Hill Common and along the side of the golf course towards the community wood, now named Crabtree Plantation. One tree had several hollow sections where branches had fallen and a nuthatch was taking advantage of the previous night's rain to plaster mud around one of these. Its mate was on the next branch. A little nearer the road was a recently discarded pair of bright red knickers, I did wonder if the cloudburst had cooled somebody's ardour rather precipitately.
In the plantation wild flowers were in evidence in the cleared areas particularly veronica and buttercups and there were fine displays of bluebells in the adjacent woodland. Orange tip butterflies were very much in evidence.
Studying the oak trees along the boundary did not produce the hoped for tree creepers but I did see both a red kite and a kestrel. I was taunted by a green woodpecker which called repeatedly but stayed out of site as did a very vocal pheasant.
Returning the nutchatches were still in evidence and a pied wagtail was running around a green on the golf course taking advantage of the insects.
Although birds were audible there was nothing to be seen and the walk continued out onto Ley Hill Common and along the side of the golf course towards the community wood, now named Crabtree Plantation. One tree had several hollow sections where branches had fallen and a nuthatch was taking advantage of the previous night's rain to plaster mud around one of these. Its mate was on the next branch. A little nearer the road was a recently discarded pair of bright red knickers, I did wonder if the cloudburst had cooled somebody's ardour rather precipitately.
In the plantation wild flowers were in evidence in the cleared areas particularly veronica and buttercups and there were fine displays of bluebells in the adjacent woodland. Orange tip butterflies were very much in evidence.
Studying the oak trees along the boundary did not produce the hoped for tree creepers but I did see both a red kite and a kestrel. I was taunted by a green woodpecker which called repeatedly but stayed out of site as did a very vocal pheasant.
Returning the nutchatches were still in evidence and a pied wagtail was running around a green on the golf course taking advantage of the insects.
Comments