Where did the last month go?

I had intended to write something for my blog at least once a month, but it's now over a month since I last visited and I really don't know where that month has gone!

Spring has well and truly arrived and, with it, the wildlife has returned. I suppose it never really goes away, but is just more noticeable in the better weather.



Paul and I have been walking over to the heath, which is near us, a couple of times a week. We've been watching a pair of Egyptian Geese with their babies. They had 5 to begin with, but 1 disappeared fairly soon after it hatched. Maybe a Pike got it? Lots of people walk their dogs on the heath and they're not all well behaved, so it could have been a dog which got it - we'll never know!

Anyway, there are 4 goslings left and they're growing up so quickly. The whole family are quite friendly and will come close to us so we've been able to get some photos of them. The Canada Geese try to chase them away and fly in as soon as they see us. They're so used to people feeding them that they assume we'll do the same.


In the garden we've had lots of birds. On our feeders we get goldfinches, great tits, blue tits, chaffinches, starlings and pigeons (yes, pigeons - they're such a pain as they can eat their way through a lot of seeds in a very short time). We've had sparrows in the garden this year, after a few years when we haven't seen any - maybe their numbers are increasing again at last.

Last week we saw a young hedgehog for the first time. He was drinking from a bowl under the bird feeders and stayed there, really still, when we went outside, so I managed to get a few photos and then let him wander off. I saw him/her again this weekend - this time he was 'running' across the garden past the wild rabbits and I didn't have time to get my camera before he disappeared into the shrubs.Yesterday I saw a Green Woodpecker in the front field. When I first moved here there were a pair with 3 young and I watched them every day. They don't come so often now, or maybe they just visit when I'm not looking out of the window. The Greater Spotted Woodpecker also visits, but not so often, and occasionally feeds from the feeders.