The Birds, the Bees and Other Visitors

There was a bit of warmth in the sun this afternoon, the birds were singing and we allowed our thoughts to head to the promise of some brighter weather, greener grass and the glorious palette of colours the flowers bring. Thinking of the new season also reminded us that it's almost time to welcome back the sheep, accompanied by their ever hungry, frolicking lambs. Watching them run, play, and leap in the air will always provide a great source of entertainment on a spring afternoon - especially with a glass of prosecco on the go. After well over a year without a sighting in our garden, we appear to have a new pheasant scavenging under the bird feeders. Seeing him reminded us of the other visitors we've had over the years. Some are cheekier than others, like the squirrel who very quickly discovered how to unclip the lid of the birdfeeder and help himself to peanuts, or the escapee cows, one of which evidently made it safely over the cattle-grid without hurting her legs! Most of the visitors are generally of the feathered kind; the long-tail tits flit around in a gang of ten or so, the woodpecker family with their vivid markings or the owl, who we often hear but rarely see. I did see him recently though, sitting bold as brass on a fence post one afternoon. Unfortunately, I was driving up the track and couldn’t take a photo, but as I stopped the car and wound down the window, we looked at each other in stunned silence for a good few seconds before he turned and flew off. Maybe next time…