This month is moving quickly and things are really growing in the fields and hedgerows, the first silage is being cut and the mowers in the gardens are out twice a week! It’s hard to keep up with gardening enjoying the spring and writing this blog!

The Bluebells have been stunning this year, I mangaged to get to Piddles Wood, Okeford Hill and Delcombe wood near Bulbarrow to see them, they are so beautiful and the smell of them is wonderful especially if it is damp. See my post on my Blog http://www.marilynjanephotography.co.uk/photo_blog/milton-abbey-and-delcombe/

There is plenty to see on my walks although now everything is filling in with leaves and the grass is getting higher it is more difficult to spot the birds and mammals, but the bird song is something to enjoy on a walk. The only thing missing is the Cuckoo it has been heard at Hammoon but not near home, such a shame as it doesn’t seem the same without that distinctive call at this time of the year. I see the Herons and Little Egrets regularly heading too and from the Heronry at New Cross and the Roe deer are around although the farmer has been out culling them recently.

The Oak trees have come into leaf early much quicker than the Ash so if the old saying is true:

Oak before the Ash we’ll have a splash,
Ash before the Oak we’ll have a soak

we are in for a dry summer.

The picture above is an Oak apple I took the picture on the trailway, but I have seen quite a few this year, they are formed by a parasitic wasp http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oak_apple

The House Sparrows have moved into the bird boxes in my friends house, chattering away and very busy. I took this picture when we were having a chat. The Starling nest is also close by and has taken residence in an electricity pole including a transformer. The Jackdaws keep trying to raid the nest but all is OK so far.

One morning when I walked the trailway early I decided to try and see into the old barn. I haven’t seen a Barn Owl since last year and they have done a lot of work on the barn, although there are plenty of gaps for owls to move in and out in the roof and sides. I managed to just see through an opening and I could see the box at the end and a Barn owl flew from the rafters and into the box. I was so pleased, I hope there is a pair, I will be keeping an eye and my ears open for them from now on.

All the birds are busy collecting nest materials, many collect the dead grass and dog hairs in our garden and we have a number of nests close by but they are well hidden. Some have already produced broods, when we were walking down the lane one evening there was a lot of noise and there was a brood of Long tailed Tits, the parents were frantically trying to keep them together, a difficult job and very hazardous for the new fledglings.

The pictures below show a Jackdaw pulling hair from a cow’s back, the cows are in the field below our garden so I just spotted what was happening and managed to get a couple of pictures. The cow was not worried at all.