Al Woods Photo

The bees are very busy in the garden, especially in the warm weather. When this palm flowers, the bees go mad for it. The scent is very strong bordering on sickly. Lots of colour appearing in the garden now. Too many flowers to mention. (I don't know what most of them are!) This white Iris is particularly beautiful. Lilies look lovely, but I can't stand the smell of them! We are going to have a large crop of strawberries again. These Nigella are one of my favourites. The central seed pod will grow and die back, holding hundreds of seeds inside. Very photogenic. I took the time to clear out the Blue Tit box. The contents are surprisingly clean, and no dead chicks in the bottom!  

I've tried for so long to capture this owl, but this is the best I have been able to get. They make so much noise at night!. I'm guessing this is the male because I can hear the female calling in the distance. I think they are Tawny Owls, comparing their calls to ones I've listened to on websites.  

  During the course of Friday morning, two of the chicks left the nest and took cover on the ground nearby. There's plenty of cover from ferns and bamboo. I managed to snap them before they disappeared for good! That left this one on his own, a bit like Kevin in Home Alone. He managed to get out earlier this morning. He's about a day behind the others so has to do some catching up. The parents still come to feed them on the ground.

  I've been watching the parents taking food into the nest all day. I must admit, I had expected the chicks to have fledged by now. The detail on this photo shows the parent with a green spider. I don't think I have ever seen a green spider before! Video from the bird box cam shows how big the chicks are getting now, almost as large as the parents. They must be leaving in the next day or so.