flocking to church

Attendances are up at our church, standing room only!

laurel Cottage

It not only looks nice it smells heavenly! 

meadow life

for the first time this year the butterflies are stirring in the meadows. There were dozens of meadow browns (top) and skippers (middle) and the occasional ringlet (bottom), but no sign yet of the bigger and more colourful species, and no painted ladies.

Harriet's house

Our martins continue to do well behind the sparrow barrier. Meanwhile swallows have built a nest in the porch of our neighbours and it is now full of hungry mouths. The nest is very similar to a martin's nest but more coarsely built and with much wider access making it much easier for the adults to fly in and out.

parliament convenes

A great gathering of rooks over the village, maybe to introduce the young to the old.

Flutters and flies

A juvenile chaffinch showing the subtle colouration in the feathers. Unfortunately this juvenile is injured in some way and is unable to do more than flutter away. Below is a hoverfly, one of 276 species identified in Britain but impossible to identify (I think) on the wing.