Sunday 15th. May 2011

It was almost back to winter this morning , with a chilly NW wind blowing and very few glimpses of the sun . With no chance of butterflies or dragonflies , I headed back to the Common to see how the Great Spotted Woodpeckers were getting on . First of all , I dug out my thickest winter fleece . On arrival , the Chiffchaff was still singing his heart out , probably just to keep warm . The only advantage of the weather was that very few people were around , especially as the nest site is alongside one of the main tracks . I set up and waited , and before long , the male appeared with food , and , unlike last visit , I could hear the youngsters , probably fighting to get as high as possible in the hole . Today , the male was arriving more often than the female , but he must have been out on the razz last night , as quite often , he had difficulty remembering where the entrance hole was . The female was probably baby sitting last night , as she had no such problem . Several times , both adults seemed to be feeding at least one youngster at the entrance hole , whereas last visit , both were entering the hole fully on each visit . Even when they did enter the hole , their tail feathers could still be seen , only disappearing just before they came out again . I would also like to put on record that the male is doing his share of 'rear end duties' , this time making me cover my head as he flew directly over me with his package . Far from good light conditions for photographs today , but hopefully there will be better days before the youngsters fledge . Perhaps on one of those days I might get a chance of the dream shot , both adults at the nest hole together , with youngsters heads poking out , fingers crossed . Well I can dream .

And that's me up to date , let's hope Blogger gets things sorted , quickly .