29th Two kestrel chicks visible in the church tower – look to be close to fledging. 30th  Hummingbird hawkmoth feeding on the red valerian in the garden.

At last saw the screaming swifts are back – lots in Barnes on 20 May and round Sydenham that week.  Saw tawny mining bee hole on 27 May.

After a week away, we returned to hear our first chiffchaff on 2 April.

Little finches are back.  A siskin on the feeder on Sun and a lone redpoll yesterday on the niger seed feeder. R and M saw a goldcrest in the garden on the 29th.    

Fruit, fruit and more fruit…    Picked plums, damsons and bullaces this morning in S Norwood Country Park and rosehips from the garden.  Hedgerow jelly bubbling gently on the stove. Kestrel and sparrowhawk hunting in the park.

Overwhelmed this morning on the way to school by the scent of sweet chestnut flowers.

What an amazing start to the month with… – three of our four baby blue tits fledging successfully on the last day of May – a buzzard and sparrowhawk flying over the garden on 6th June – a hummingbird hawkmoth feeding on the red valerian in our garden on 7th June – and a hedgehog […]

Saw my first local swift on 7 May… 24 May our baby blue tits fledged – even with a bit of assistance the smallest one of the brood wasn’t strong enough to make it into the trees.

I’m contributing to the Great Spring Watch – and looking out for first sightings of: – oak leaves (17 April 2015) – hawthorn blossom – 7 spot ladybirds (12 April 2015) – orange tip butterfly – swallows (although I haven’t ever seen them here). My spring indicators list for Sydenham Hill woods would include: – […]

R and I saw our first honey bees on the first day of the month in a neighbours’ crocus patch.  Our local bird expert D told me not to worry that we haven’t had any lesser red polls in the garden this month.  As they’re passing through, this may not reflect population numbers but simply […]