April 1st

The blackthorn archway

promised enchantment, a door

distant bells ring out

 

What a beautiful walk this morning. One of the blackthorn trees on the edge of the moors, bathed in the warming sun of early spring, was flowering. It must sit in a sun trap, as the other blackthorns nearby were not as magnificently decked out as this beauty. The sky was a clear blue, the morning chill was ebbing away. There were birds everywhere. Woodpeckers (Green and Great Spotted), Buzzards, Chiff-Chaffs, Treecreepers to name some of the more unusual ones.

Managed to get some (I say this humbly!) wonderful photos. Here are four, two of the blackthorn tree in question, one of a feisty wren who took exception to my presence and sat above my head singing loudly at me (I assume telling me in musical terms to “piss off”). And finally a teeny baby frog Debbie found on the moors. It is very early for a juvenile frog, when most of the new brood seem to have only just hatched into tadpoles, seething in the shallow ponds and stagnant parts of the river, not sure how it emerged so quickly as I doubt something this small crawled up onto land last spring.

February 29th

Mischievous voices,

The laughter of woodpeckers,

Spun through the grasses.

 

Went for a run with my neighbour and friend Bob, we both needed an incentive. The winter has been so dry the moors were fine to run on. It seemed at every turn a Green Woodpecker would make that very distinctive laughing call. Laughing at our efforts no doubt. Well Mr Yaffle, we’re getting faster, so there!

Here’s a couple of photos I took, from only a couple of weeks ago, when we had our cold snap and our snow. The weather is so mild now so it feels like a sudden transition. Green Woodpeckers are one of my favourite birds, that exotic green in a bird so large. And that red flash on its neck. I remember the excitement I felt the first time I saw one, it’s just such a good looking bird.

We were lucky to see this one, I assume it was digging for food at the time.