Past week

Over the past week I have spent time at Ulgham meadows and woods doing my warden stuff and clearing flood debris, chiefly empty fertilizer bags as there was no other litter to pick up. The top pic was sent to me by John carpenter taken on April 26th of the river Lyne but the water levels have returned to normal now. Creeping Comfrey (Symphytum grandiflorum) has become naturalised along the wayside near Ulgham and the bottom pic is Hazel Woodwart (Hypoxylon fuscum).

At Ulgham the only birds of note were parties of fledgling Long tailed Tits, on Wednesday at Morpeth a flock of Terns flew over the town centre but I couldn't say for sure what kind as I was shopping at the time and didn't have my binoculars. Later I looked around Pegswood moor and on a cold Spring day it was bleaker here than on the summit of Cheviot. It was brightened up with a Common Tern and three Wheatears. On the way home at East Mill I came across Common Comfrey (Symphytum officinale), not so common in the county! but Swan (1993) has a few sites around Morpeth and the Wansbeck valley but I have looked around here for a few years without success. Amazing what you can find when your not looking for anything in particular.

On Saturday when I got up for work a Fox was in the garden and on my way to work I heard my first Cuckoo this year at Cottingwood common.