A new lease of life.

Only two days since the beginning of the official Vernal Equinox and here we were, at Marton wood, experiencing the ‘greening’ of a wild place. We eagerly embraced this hitherto unknown wood, soaking up the sights and sounds and specialist knowledge passed on by our Guide Mark.

The synchronicity of our visit seemed to preoccupy me, especially since it was also most two years to the day that everywhere had been in Lockdown. Now it felt like the locks had been well and truly broken and a new clock had started ticking….. Actually it was the song of a newly arrived Chiffchaff - the rhythm of which mimicked the steady pace of a metronome. This visitor - probably a male bird - had just arrived (like us), flying in from its Mediterranean wintering home intent on staking its claim to a splendid Willow tree near the entrance to the wood. This thriving ecosystem would provide most of its needs for the coming breeding system . All he needed now was a mate…and I would soon be going back to check on his progress.