Blubells at dusk

After an early dinner, I went for an evening walk to Castor Hanglands. I heard my sixth cuckoo of the year and my first nightingale - they have such an amazingly rich song with a staggeringly varied repertoire of phrases, though usually they sing from the centre of dense scrub so are rarely seen. 

I was surprised to find bluebells and wood anemones still in flower - over two weeks since I last saw them. The unusually cool weather has kept them in good condition for an unusually long time. The bluebells always look so intensely blue at dusk.

On my drive home I was delighted to see a little owl sitting on top of a telegraph pole - my 134th bird of the year!