First bluebell bud this Spring

Last weekend in the woods I spotted the first Bluebell bud! I guess it won't be long now before we get our first flowers...

The Wood Anemones are still struggling though, there's the odd one around:

Most don't have any sign of flowers, and a bit sparse this year:

There's been a lot of boar activity in the wood recently, but I think there must have been some deer around too, from the gnawing on this Ash tree, unless anyone has other ideas about what might have done it?

The rabbits have been at it too, grazing the Bluebell leaves:

Mike

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Gravity Light review

Some time ago I got a Gravity Light, having put some money into their crowd-funding project:

Well, I finally got round to testing it out, so here's a short video review:

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Spring flowers and a BBQ

OK, not quite a BBQ, but this weekend was the first time this year we've cooked a meal in the woods...

After lunch we went in search of wood anemone. We did find a few, but they are struggling up through the bluebells, which are well ahead this year, thanks to the warm December.

Here's what the bluebells are looking like, I think they're about 4-5 weeks ahead of normal in their growth - have to wait and see how much earlier they flower...

Over in Sweep Wood, there's a wild boar highway being established...

It looks as if some of them are pretty big, here's a hoof print next to Tracy's hand for comparison:

Back to the plants... Lords and Ladies is well into leaf now:

as is Elder:

The Sycamore that had come into leaf weeks ago is still struggling on - I wonder if the frosts made it regret the early start...

There's lots of Primroses out too, always nice to see these woodland flowers:

That's all for now...

Mike

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Signs of Spring and a Black Pheasant

I've seen black pheasants in the wood before, but only in the distance, and this is the first time I managed to get a photo of one, a female:

It's nice to see some signs of Spring approaching too, such as Dog's Mercury coming out...

...and Bluebell shoots getting steadily larger:

The area we coppiced in Sweep Wood is getting some sunshine now, it'll be interesting to see what grows there in the next couple of years while the trees start regrowing:

Mike

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Green woodpecker and GoPro chainsaw video

I made the most of the good weather today and cut up a couple of loads of logs with the chainsaw and Truncator in the woods, making a GoPro video while I was at it:

But before I even got that far I had a pleasant surprise when I saw a Green Woodpecker in the wayleave!

They are very shy, unlike those that visit bird feeders in gardens, and usually fly away, but this one stayed where it was. So I grabbed my camera and got a photo, albeit through the car windscreen:

Then a second one turned up!

It's a shame I couldn't get out of the car to take a clearer photo, but I know that if I did they'd have flown away immediately. I'm just glad I finally got to take a photo of these beautiful but shy woodland birds!

Mike

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