Even though it is much more difficult to spot the birds now with all the growth that has occurred in the last little while, I still have had a few sightings in early June on my early morning walks and at home.

I’ve seen the Little Egret in Netmead field recently and we quite often see him from Hayward’s bridge if we are passing over in the car, he is often feeding in the shallows.

There was also a collection of male Mallard ducks in Netmead.

Then going under Hambledon Hill another day I was lucky to see a pair of Jays in the old chalk pit feeding, a little distant but unmistakable.

Another unmistakable bird the Green woodpecker if not for its looks and lovely colouring and also it’s call, I’ve been lucky to see and hear quite a few around the village this year.

Then on my way back from the hill I spotted a family of Long Tailed Tits, the youngsters are very cute and as busy as the adults!

Going towards Bere Marsh and across the river there is always chance of seeing something different, there are always Birds chattering in the Reeds at this time of year, I try to spot them but they keep low. I haven’t been able to place their song yet, possibly Reed Buntings or Warblers, I just hope I see one, one day!

There are a pair of Swans that frequent our stretch of the river, unfortunately no Cygnets this year once again, last year the nest was washed out by the river rising, I’m not sure if the same has happened again.

Always an excitement to see a Barn Owl when I’m that way being early, I usually have a sighting if fleeting, recently he was hunting around the Orchard near the farm a little distant but he perched on a post for a while.

In the garden we have a mixture of birds but recently a Magpie has been coming in for a short time, we see them around the hedgerows in the lane but not often in the garden. When they are close you get to appreciate the colouring, they are not just black and white.

We also have Jackdaws, another striking bird but they come in on mass and eat the food I’ve put down, not giving the smaller birds much chance, I have a couple of feeding cages, a cage round the fat balls and now some grids around the bird table, they still get some but not as much as they used to!