May Diary

Greater Spotted Woodpecker (m) Birds: A few of my favourites turned up at the beginning of the month - a pair of Bullfinches, Long-tailed Tits and a bird with a blackhead - not a Coal tit but larger, and it was making a lot of noise - a warbler. It was a Blackcap - a first for me in Furzefield. Oh, yes I saw the Greater Spotted Woodpecker, the one I've heard so many times, it was hanging around a hole in an old ash tree - it was a female, without the red on its head.

Red Campion Flowers: Well the Bluebells are in full flower, there's masses of Red Campion (left) and Greater Stitchwort just starting and I noticed the odd few Yellow Archangel. There's Garlic Mustard too and for the first time I found Germander Speedwell in the undergrowth by the brook - I thought it was more violets.

Second week of May and I saw a bevvy of Swifts circling overhead in a thermal, presumably gorging themselves on insects. I saw several Orange-tip butterflies too.

Late May Late and there's more Buttercups than usual in the meadow, lots of Cow Parsley and everywhere is green. There's Speedwell and Vetch now, too, in the grass. We've not had any really hot days so far this year - we just about hit 20C, I'd say.

|Home|