The drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker echoed around the woodland, where we are in the final throws of clearance and tidying after the winter’s work, if you want to see heavy horses at work pop up today or tomorrow when Celine and Fleur will be moving logs using traditional, non-damaging techniques.
With the sun shining through the canopy the newly emerging leaves of Hazel and Hawthorn looked a lovely bright green. Perched on the end of one of the branches was a Chiffchaff, the fairly dull colouration livened by the paler stripe above the eye, as it called ‘chiff-chaff-chiff-chaff-chiff-chaff-chiff’ its identity could be in no doubt!
More and more of the hedgerows are now covered in the delicate pinky-white blossom of Blackthorn, amongst which Great Tits were churring and Dunnocks skulking.
In the meadows a Song Thrush was spurting forth its song, as I scanned the bushes for the bird it was highlighted against the blue sky, the speckled front perfectly framed.
Under the hedgerow a few patches of Greater Periwinkle provide a splash of purple colour, with Honesty an deeper pinky-purple. Nearby the Primroses and Daffodils show how many different varieties of yellow there are.
High in the sky a small dark dot, pouring out its beautiful song, while another Skylark rose from amongst the grasses of the meadow to begin a quick burst before returning to the ground.
Across the car parks the Grape Hyacinths are showing well, the deep blue flower heads easy to spot.
The slow-slow-quick-quick-slow song of a Chaffinch drifted down from the top of the Cherry Plum, always the first to burst into blossom in the year.
Calling from the woods a Green Woodpecker, as I turned to look it flew ahead of my rising and falling through the air the yellow rump easily seen, while travelling in the opposite direction was a Jay, flashing its white rump.