Walked out under a bright crescent moon to see my first nightjar this season.

Silhouetted against a crystal clear cyan sky, sweeping over the meadow, jinking, twisting and turning -  out mothing in the gloaming.

Found another treasure this morning, attached to the old tin shed.

A perfectly formed paper thin abandoned hornets nest.

Crafted out of chewed wood; a pale brown, spun sphere

Double skinned with a tiny piece of hexagonal comb concealed in the roof.

No hornets spotted as yet this year.

Time to rescue the ancient Bramley Tree.

Layers of debris were removed from the base of the tree, leaving a protective barrier of mesh to avoid damage from sheep grazing.

Sitting there on the bark was a beautiful male stag beetle, brown and shiny like a glazed pretzel!

Seen my first fox in the garden just as the sky darkened and threatened rain.

She looked in perfect condition and definitely acted as if she owned this space.

May have to reconsider the idea of keeping chickens!

The starlings have arrived!

All was quiet in the hidden garden until the mob of rowdy youngsters barged in.

Shiny, iridescent green, chattering at the top of their scratchy voices.Full of raw energy.

Bullying each other for their favoured perch, the smaller birds long gone.

All rough and tumble around the feeder until suddenly they're off in a swirl of wings, leaving the garden strangely quiet!

A whole new project ahead....

First things first, we installed our two beehives in orchid paradise.

Timed perfectly for an explosion of blossom.

Prepared the first no dig vegetable bed to start things growing.

Sheep arrived yesterday to graze the meadows except the wildflower patch which is still full of bluebells, cuckoo flower and cow parsley.

Garden birds fill the trees. 2 casualties so far; one sparrow hawk & one perfect sparrow!

Must get blogging again!
Stopped in our tracks by a flying stag beetle.
Inelegant in the air but so amazing on the ground.
It struggled to pack away its delicate orange wings, like stuffing a parachute back in its bag.
Then trundled off to find a mate.

Autumn is truly upon us, disturbed a pipistrelle bat and a wren sharing sanctuary in the church porch

The lavender is heavy with bees. The bumble bees seem to be the first to rise in the morning, followed soon by the honey bees and finally any number of different butterflies.

Went swimming with newts. The lazy warm water was thick with living things. A single hawker made eye contact as he patrolled his territory.

Swallows chatter in conversation on the telegraph wires.

We have ducklings on our pond. Three dainty, speckled, fluffy chicks dabbling amongst the yellow flags.

Our Summer Solstice treat - watching the nightjars displaying at sunset over the heathland.

Stopped in our tracks by a large signal crayfish, standing his ground in the middle of the ford - pincers raised high, ready to take on any opponent!

Found a dead swan on the foreshore. So sad to see its solitary mate swimming alone in the shallows.

Cuckoo flowers mingle in the dark rushes like delicate lace.

The woodland air is heavy with the scent of bluebells.

The ponds are full again and brimming with tadpoles.

The apple trees have burst into beautiful pink blossom, attracting a good number of bullfinches to their tasty branches.

The ponds are in crisis through lack of rain.
Found a froglet sheltering in the path of the labyrinth where the grass is still moist.

What a treat! Two tiny goldcrests busy searching for food in the low hedge. Their crests flashing in the sunlight, completely oblivious to my presence.

Saw my first swallow skimming over the mirror-still waters at Andrew's Mare.

Caught the distant call of a cuckoo whilst walking the coastal path to Yarmouth, Isle of Wight.

Two red kites float overhead, moving ever closer to the New Forest.

We were surprised by two carefree stoats gambling together on the track.

A hare lolloped towards us, lazy in the Spring sunshine

The May has burst out in clouds along the hedgerows and is filled with butterflies.