Yesterday and this morning have brought rain after a prolonged period of sunshine and hot weather at the yurt camp. I walked over to the camp early this morning in the rain, and the gentle patter of drops on the river was musical and soothing. I stood at the gate and I could not help but wonder about all the multitude of wild birds that live in the surrounding fields and countryside. As I stood pondering I noticed a small flock of sky larks, in their courtship on the field, flitting and displaying. Then two herons took flight from our lake as my dog raced across to see them. Next came a glimpse of a female bull finch gathering fluff from the stable yard - still obviously looking for nesting material. Then the mandarin ducks were running across the lake field escorting their ducklings to the lake,- fortunately not spotted by the dog as they are vulnerable in the early days after hatching. Then as I walked slowly back to the farmhouse I was chorused by the blackbirds who have been singing since around 4am - their dawn chorus is divine, next came a fleeting glimpse of the little egret down on the river Hems, spotted as their stark white plumage stands out against the sea of green foliage on the river banks. Truly a stunning morning - so if you are coming to stay with us take some time to stand and watch - its amazing what you can see if you take a few moments to gaze upon the landscape!
Fox in our garden on the 1st June 2016
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