Our first trip out in May came with a forecast of light showers but a downpour in Sidmouth at departure time put off a couple of members but thankfully we didn’t meet many downpours or showers whilst out.

Our morning was in Yarner Wood near Bovey Tracey hopefully seeing the Pied Flycatcher, Redstart and maybe the Lesser Spotted Woodpecker.....but we saw none of them this year although some members joining us a little later heard PF song which was confirmed by ‘Merlin’.

Leaving Yarner Wood a little disappointed having seen ‘not a lot’ we had a very nice lunch at Ullacombe Farm before some of us went on to nearby DWT Emsworthy Mire to see if the Cuckoos were about.

We got out of the car and immediately put on another layer of clothes, hats scarves and pulled up our hoods as it was blowing a hooley.

No sign of the Cuckoos and doubtful they would be heard, if about, for the noise of the wind. But what we did see first of all across the valley were ‘violet blue fields’. Wow! They must be bluebells as we came across them on our side as we walked down to the barn. First a few scattered patches then bigger patches until there were full fields of them just like those blue ones across the valley. What beauty, we had never seen such a spectacle; some compensation for not seeing our birds we came for.

The bird list told the story with a total of only 21 which included the ones we had heard in Yarner Wood. A couple of us were pretty sure we saw a Redstart fly into a tree and we did see a Stonechat but they were the only notables’ we saw.

We can’t have bird lists of 50 every time like last time...can we?

Janet