I was so excited this morning to hear a Cuckoo in Musbury. It has been years since I last heard one locally, so my morning walk with Pepper was greatly extended whilst I hunted for the elusive bird amongst the trees.
My patience was rewarded with several glimpses of it, although the pictures are not the best. I will be heading out again over the weekend to have another look and try to improve on these.
Elsewhere in the valley, the deer are active. I have been seeing the same doe every day but she has still not shown her babies whilst I have been there; I will keep trying to photograph them!
Further down the valley, the smaller birds are less visible as they tend to their young, but a few have taken a short rest and posed for me.
The lapwing are also active. These ground nesting birds distract predators by performing acrobatic displays, with loud calls, drawing danger away from the young.
However, this one did not seem to be to perturbed to be joined by this horse!
Along the Riverside Walk, the bluebells are dying off and being replaced by an abundance of summer wild flowers
The willows have been shedding their seeds, leaving a fluffy carpet along the pathways and providing a feast for the seed eating birds. I spotted a chiffchaff on Thursday singing loudly in the branches.
The warm weather is also bringing out many butterflies. This red admiral rested in the willows, whilst a wall brown lived up to its name and rested among the lichen covered stone.
I’ll be back out on the hills over the weekend hunting for cuckoos and roe deer kids; I’ll let you know how I get on!
A Dull Woman's Van Life 
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