The entrance to Bluebell Wood in Bounds Green

Dear Readers, I was 65 years old on Monday (don’t ask me how that happened, last time I looked I was in my thirties), so what nicer way to spend the morning than with a walk in Bluebell Wood, followed by coffee and cake at the Sunshine Garden Centre? The wood was looking particularly lovely today, and was full of birdsong, though as we’ll see the delightful squawks of one bird somewhat dominated the sound scape.

There were Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming, a Green Woodpecker yaffling away on the adjacent golf course, Blue Tits peeping, Great Tits singing ‘Teacher, teacher’, and even some Coal Tits and Long-tailed Tits with their high-pitched squeaks. And of course there was the inevitable sound of leaf blowers, also from the golf course. I don’t know if anyone saw Wallace and Gromit at Christmas, but the mechanical gnomes ‘pointlessly blowing leaves from place to place’ certainly made me laugh. How did we ever cope when all we had were rakes, I wonder? When I am in charge, leaf blowers will be banned for sure.

Anyhow, one Great Tit was combing over a dead tree, though whether looking for insects under the bark or a possible nest site I’m not sure.

And there were the usual squirrels sitting around, pretending  not to up to mischief…

But then there was this pair of parakeets. I mentioned yesterday that they nest early, and here is the evidence. They had found a tree hole, and were cheerfully doing some housekeeping, which mostly seemed to involve enlarging the entrance. I am hoping to have new windows this year, so I can relate.

And what’s the point of building a love-nest if you can’t have a little kiss?

And then  sometimes you just need to stretch your legs and admire your handiwork…

Well I think they’ve done a very fine job, and I’ll be interested to see if there is the patter of tiny claws later in the year.

And so we walked on, and admired the sweet woodruff and the daffodils and  the bluebells that are just starting to show their faces. And then it was time for cake (blueberry and lemon since you ask). What a nice way to start my birthday!