So, we now have a loo with a view thanks to Angus’ skills with a saw and a shovel.  We spent the morning in the woods helping to erect the lav. serenaded by the persistent call of the cuckoo and then left Angus to fit a sink and water butt while we headed home for lunch.

On the way we spotted a freshly killed pigeon, the recent lunch of a sparrow-hawk, which had had its breasts neatly removed (I’ll spare you the picture we took for our woodland diary)!  Seb thought this was very wasteful of the hawk but declined my offer to take the legs and head home to knock up a soup.  This was only the most recently spotted kill in a wood where untimely deaths seem commonplace.   Last year we found a clutch of duck eggs deserted on the pond island, so when we spotted a duck patiently sitting in the cover this year, we were hopeful that we might have some ducklings on the pond.  Sadly, Unlucky Ducky fell victim to a predator.  Hawk, fox or badger?  We’re not sure who got to her – apparently badgers will swim to retrieve a duck egg, shells of which were scattered about the wood – perhaps all three had a part in it, but we were all uncommonly sad to see her go.  We also found a deserted nest of pheasant eggs the other day  – hope the mother got away.

On a cheerier note, with this great weather we’ve been having, the May has burst  into flower  and the hedgerows are looking stunning.  According to the saying ‘n’ere cast a clout till May is out’, I guess we can say it’s official, put away the woollies, winter is properly over.