Singer Returns

Lots of warbling to look forward to.

But don't forget those who have kept the music going when others have been on their travels.

 

Other Worlds

Not far from the predictable features of suburbia and the comforts of Dore Village lie other worlds that might be inhabited by aliens. Some might prefer the sea bed in tropical zones, Here we have the otherness attributes of  rain forest.

Haves and Have Nots

 

Once they've gone there's a lot of work to be done to rebuild. Hence the oldest and biggest stags drop first giving them more time to reconstruct. Meanwhile others can afford to delay a little longer.

Exclusive Eatery

Exclusive in not just the superior venue and its unbeatable surroundings but also in its choice clientele, the Old Wall Caff has so far resisted moving upmarket and changing its name. But pressure is mounting. Where else could you find a finer place to break fast in the first hours of the day?

Just one of our classy customers. Also present on this morning were several each of robins, blue tits, coal tits, blackbirds and great tits. Only one dunnock but others may simply have been on the other side admiring the view.

Arrivals

The constant chattering and twitterings now in the trees is joined by more than usual melodious phrases from Blackbirds even in the higher parts of Blacka. Plus the first chiffchaffs in good voice for all the airmiles covered to get here. Meanwhile Blacka's native trees are still reluctant to put out spring leaves.

A good opportunity for lichens to show what they can do before the new greenery overwhelms them.

Luxury Flooring

Beautiful walking on beautiful paths. Deer tracks are the finest surfaces and a privilege to walk on. Often they are so perfect that your eyes are constantly down rather than looking round for other features. This is the time of year when you're most likely to find them at their best. Already mentioned are these examples, here and here.  Walking on a luxury carpet hardly compares.

The more that managers and their biker friends penetrate into these semi-secret places destroying their beauty the more precious are the ones that are left. As the bracken litter warms up in the sun we may be lucky enough to come across an adder.

Wolf's Haul

That the top predator has at last been seen on Blacka Moor is perhaps less remarkable than that it turned up its nose at the sheep on the enclosure. The suspicion must be that the quality of lamb and mutton in England is not worth the effort taken to swim over from the continent.

That is disappointing for two reasons; first for those of us who are fed up with the woolly pestilence and their baleful impact on the landscape, and second that the message will inevitably find its way back to others contemplating the crossing. It's known that traffickers were hoping to move into this market intending to diversify their business currently focused in the Med.

It may be better news however for dog walkers as information received suggests several smaller canines were carried off in the early hours of yesterday.

A spokesman from the AAP* reported one of his members was disappointed not so much by the lack of flavour in UK sheep as by the lack of challenge. "They're just so boring. All they do is lie down and look stupid. Just looking at them kills one's appetite. We need some excitement in our lives. That's what we're here for.

"Conservation managers look more promising but they're hardly ever here and when they do come they're unfairly armed with lethal looking chain-saws."

*AAP = Association of Apex Predators.