Feeding frenzy

The bird feeders are a hive of activity with a constant stream of visitor including some birds I haven't seen on the feeders before. For the first time we have three separate feeders which helps capacity and species wise but it surprises me to see Blackcaps for example as regular visitors. I have just totted up the species seen in the last week and it comes to fifteen, namely - Great Tit, Blue Tit, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Marsh Tit, Blackbird, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow, Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Siskin and Blackcap. Pictured above is the agile Siskin enjoying some Sunflower Hearts.

Wood Forget-me-not close up

I am sometimes unsure of the extent to which some of the wildflowers I record on site are either deliberately planted in the past or are garden escapes. Perhaps it doesn't matter. One of those species is the Wood Forget-me-not (Myosotis sylvatica). Whatever it is easy to characterize the Forget-me-nots, particularly the tiny-flowered ones as 'small blue flowers' but up close they are surprisingly colourful.

Fallow Deer

This is the first deer I have seen this year at The Beeches and she has been around for a couple of days - hopefully leaving the apple trees alone! Various other deer species are seen in the Wye Valley but nothing other than Fallow Deer so far here.