1st and it's sunny.
2nd 3 hedgehogs in the garden . 1female and two males I think. The female is circled by one of the males- she huffs at him when he gets too close. Both eat the food put out. A third hedgehog comes close and is chased off but stays in the garden eating , he keeps trying but is always chased away. This goes on for over 2 hours at which point they follow the female out of the garden .
3rd Just one hedgehog tonight.
During the day 2 male blackbirds fight continually during the day and they are not the only ones, sparrows also fight amongst themselves. Sadly more sparrows kill sparrows than anything else.
5th the blossom is just coming out on the tree.
9th We watch a collared dove chase off magpies. Dad said it's been happening all week. I think they must have a nest nearby. When I return home there is more fighting going on - blackbirds, sparrows, blue tits, robins all seem to be chasing each other all over the garden.
15th 2 hedgehogs in the garden, the female is making lots of angry noises.
16th and I'm awake up hear the dawn chorus -amazing.
"A BIRD DOES NOT SING BECAUSE IT HAS AN ANSWER
IT SINGS BECAUSE IT HAS A SONG".
Maya Angelou
Around at Dads we watch the sparrows collecting nesting material from the newly cut lawn.
23rd When putting out food for the hedgehog I disturbed a fox in the garden.
26th My first fledgling of the year -a robin.
27th Setthorns Caravan Park , New Forest
First birds to arrive at the bird feeder - nuthatches, blue tits, great tits, cole tit,and a willow tit . a new spot for me.
Willow Tit (Poecile montanus)
Lives in conifer woods and birch woods preferably close to rivers and streams. They eat invertebrates in summer and plant material in autumn and winter and will hoard food if they can.
Nests in mid April in anew nest every year usually close to the ground. Lays 6-8 eggs which are incubated by the female. The young are fed by both parents and will fly after 17 days.
We also heard a cuckoo and at 9pm a fallow deer walks through the site.
Fallow Deer(dama dama)
Herds of fallow deer have lived in ancient forests for centuries. Unusually for deer there are different colour varieties. Chestnut brown with white spots is typical for summer, but some maybe pale brown with spots, known as menil. Black and white varieties can also be found. They feed at anytime but dawn and dusk are usual. Rutting time is October - November.
28th A Jay briefly lands on a tree nearby. On a walk we see a blue tit using a hole in a tree for it's nest and heard lot's of beautiful bird song. Blue bells are in flower in the woods.
29th Male and female Greater Spotted Woodpecker on feeder are devastating the fat ball.
They stay in the woodland close to the caravan as we find them later in the day.
31st I've never seen so much Gorse in flower!
In amongst it a Brimstone butterfly.
Brimstone Butterfly (Gonepteryxrhamni (pceridae))An early sign of spring as it emerges from hibernation. It has a wing span of 6cm and can be see in flight from May - September. It is believed the word butterfly was first used to described this insect. It is widespread in North Africa and Europe. They lay eggs on buckthorn bushes when they come into leaf. The green caterpillar last from 3-7 weeks before it turns into a pupa.
I found the quote in a puzzle book and thought I'd share it with you.
"The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes."
Frank Lloyd Wright
