Our guests in Duill mentioned to me this morning that they had seen 14 species including a Sparrowhawk and Hen Harrier, while they were having their breakfast sitting in the Duill ‘sitooterie’. Just what we want to hear – makes all the building trauma over the winter worthwhile.
Then, I walked Coco down to Haunn and met guests, staying in the cottage within the Haunn field (Coronation Meadow), who had also enjoyed the Hen Harrier sighting this morning too. We quite often see them hunting over these fields in the winter.
As we stood in the meadow this morning the sun was out, the bluebells smelled wonderful and the meadow pipits were chasing each other. Sadly the sweet little nest we found by the side of the track had been raided – it lay forlorn and empty. Whether it had been ransacked by a feral cat or a passing dog we will never know, but the meadow pipits are all around that area, and hopefully they might try again.
It seems amazing to think that a year ago today I was heading south to Tetbury in order to go to Highgrove for the launch of the Coronation Meadow Project. It all felt a bit daunting, especially as my passport had to be renewed in a hurry in order to be able to attend the reception at all! I blogged the full story on the Haunnblackhouse blog. Our field is a donor site, which means that seed from the wild flowers may be collected and used to help create a new wild flower meadow in Argyll or restore one. If a recipient site is not found, I am hoping we can use seed on the field beyond Haunn, which already has some wonderful patches of wild flowers but could be better!
The wild flowers are blossoming. It hasn’t been overly hot, there has been a good mixture of sunshine and gentle rain so there are not the dried out verges and banks that there were last year. The Wood Bitter vetch is flowering abundantly.
A walk through the meadow last night, and down on to the shore.
And on the way back past the Haunn Cottages the foxgloves were catching the sun. Beautiful!
These heath spotted orchids are in the field beyond Haunn, right on the cliff edge!
After another evening walk at Haunn, we came home in time for the sunset.
For more about the Coronation Meadow project, please go to their website.
