Green shoots......

            It seems to have been a long winter but now it is surely on the way out. I heard my first Chiffchaff in the wood today and that is always a sign that Spring is nearly, if not actually here. These small brown birds are members of the Warbler family and are quite common in the UK. They have a distinctive and repetitive two note call....chiff chaff, chiff chaff....usually broadcast from the top of a tree and are one of the first warblers to be out and about, as most are resident, not migrants. On the ground the first Primroses are flowering, Bluebells are pushing through towards the light and there is a real sense that Crow Wood is coming back to life after months of dormancy. But winter does not give up easily. Strong winds and rain at the weekend brought down several trees including a whole chestnut stool. The tree was growing in an area which has suffered lots of wind damage over recent years as the ground there is very wet and the roots struggle to keep a grip. The chestnuts have very shallow root plates, which adds to their vulnerability. They are long in need of felling as the majority are over 60ft tall ....tall trees and wet ground are a dangerous combination. 

            Our tall Sequoia, Big Red, however survives everything the wind throws at it and has done so, we think, for over 150 years; it withstood the hurricane of 1987 which flattened everything around it. Unlike the chestnuts, its roots can penetrate though the sandstone under the wood and create a really firm anchor. It is just starting to flower now, with tiny florets on the ends of the branches. Long may it continue to flourish.

Not the most interesting bird to look at but one of the first to sing out....Spring !

Most Chiffchaffs are resident all year round, but some do migrate from Europe

The first Primroses are flowering

The wood is turning green again........Bluebell leaves and shoots

....and pushing through the layer of Autumn leaves

It looks like Snowdrops but this is a plant called Snowflake

storm damage

the shallow root plate of the windblown chestnut

Big Red in flower