Evening walk. Robins everywhere, very loud. The orchid path has become the devil's bit scabious path: it's a mass of blue. Blackberries starting to fruit: I picked really good ones up behind the barn.

We knew we had deer, foxes and pine martens. Visiting ecologist found evidence of badgers and otters too, which is very exciting. 😍 Good habitat here! Haven't seen hares or hedgehogs but presumably they're out there.

Helpful thread about hedge cutting.

My wildlife camera caught some bats.

m: look, a curlew!! me: oh wow!🤩😁 mr 12: oh wow!🤩😁 ms 9: oh wow! 🤩😁 ms 9: ... ms 9: what's a curlew?

There's a couple of huge willows near the bog path and today they were *covered* in birds. Happy to see some meadow pipits. Merlin heard water pipits too but I'm not sure-I haven't seen any. That said, I haven't seen crossbill either but Ms 9 described one she saw out the window.

It'll be quiet here for a few months. Hopefully back for tree planting season though!