November has it’s own charms, amidst the inevitable greyer skies. The Goldfinches are back on the teasel heads and on the lemon balm seeds. Nuthatches, Tree Creepers and parties of Long Tailed Tits, are easy to spot around Honeysuckle and Nuthatch Lodge. This Bluetit is living in Ian’s workshop (and accidentally flew into him, hence the dazed look – it recovered though), while the Kestrel can often be seen from Balebarn, sitting on the wires. And what looks like a bundle of wet grass is a dormouse’s summer breeding nest. We found it when clearing brambles from under the trees outside Otter Cottage. It was empty – the dormouse should be hibernating at ground level now so we’re careful to look out for those nests too. It’s a reassuring find. In March 2016 we found a worryingly-empty dormouse hibernation nest in the same sort of area, but this latest find suggests dormice are still doing well here.
