Listening to the Birds

We are lucky enough to have a field behind our house and every day during spring and summer the birds flit through the hedges and fly high in the sky singing their song.

Often we hear the birdsong and are annoyed by it waking us up, but having spent a week outside in the pod at Loveland Farm, it really hit home how loud this was but actually how soothing for the soul it is.

As I woke up an hour before everyone else, I would pop outside, make myself a warm drink and watch the sun come over the hill. I would watch the chickens slowly waking up too, stretching their wings and foraging for their breakfast of bugs and worms.

At home, on a clear day, I can hear the skylarks singing their song even though they a few hundred yards up in the air, the sound carries through the still air and it is so therapeutic. I often stand and listen to them when putting the washing out or sit with the door open at the kitchen table just to hear them sing.

So, early next month and until June, on those crisp mornings where the sun is shining and the sky is blue, I am going to wrap up warm, take my cup of coffee outside, sit on a chair and listen to the sounds of the birds as they try to find mates and search for food.

Soaking up this wonderful sound of nature soothes the soul whilst getting some fresh air first thing in the morning.

The RSPB website has this to say:

"If you want to listen to a dawn chorus, then the best days to choose are those with fine, clear weather and little wind. It can be cold early in the day, so remember to take warm clothes. Late April through to early June is the best period, when most species are singing well.

Dawn chorus peaks half-an-hour before to half-an-hour after sunrise, but the variety of song can prove too confusing at that time, so why not get into position a good hour before sunrise, and enjoy the arrival of the performers as each takes their turn on stage."

Do you have lots of birds in your garden? Will you be getting outside to listen to the birds and soak up some morning air?

Hello Spring...Out in the Garden

So unless you have been living under a stone or in a part of the country it isn't sunny you will have noticed that recent days have been truly wonderful, sun shining and blue skies with a little bit of a chill.

Perfect weather for being out and about and today as we went to hang out our Pinata Box Bird Feeder we also took the time to look at the garden, the bulbs sprouting, the moss and everything in between.

I think even just spending half an hour in the garden is good for the soul, there is so much to see and as it grew a little colder and darker it was nice to come in and have a lovely hot chocolate to warm those little hands.

First we found this bone, my son thought it was a dinosaur bone and although I hated to shatter his vision I told him it was probably from a lamb (we have a few neighbours who leave meat out for the cats/foxes)

We also found this nest that had fallen out of a tree, my sons face was a picture.

Looking under rocks for bugs we found some little roots from trees and seeds.

We had a look at the moss on the rocks and touched it to see how it felt....furry apparently ;)

I'm not sure how this got here, I am assuming someone made it for their children that used to live here with some fern leaves and concrete.

Next we had a look at the castor oil plant, these leaves are very Jurassic, they are huge so this thrilled my dino loving son.

We also  these found these 'helicoptors' from the ash tree, one had a little root growing from it so this was exciting to see.

And finally we found some gorgeous lichen on the apple tree and a beautiful pink heather which we think look like little bells.

There are some really wonderful things in the garden at the minute, coming into life as the sun starts to heat everything up.