The Barn Owl is Back!

Another beautiful day - sunny and 18 degrees mid-afternoon, and lots going on. Two chiffchaffs, my first of the year, singing away along the lane, where also a nuthatch busy walling up a hole in one of the horse chestnuts at the entrance to the hall. It was gathering mud from the side of the River Gadder near the bridge and I think must nest there every year, at least that's where one can always hear them calling from. Some nice groups of violets along the lane, very fragrant in the sun and with both dark and light varieties. Also celandines, and a couple of clumps of primroses opposite the pub - don't remember there before. At about 5pm, I saw the barn owl quartering the meadow and coming right up to the fence! So good to see him/her again - Andres saw it at the weekend, the first sighting since the heavy snow and epic low temperatures of early last month. Let's hope there are two of them!