It was almost three weeks since my last visit when I went this Tuesday and I was badly in need of some woodland therapy. I had been emotionally battered for a few days after hearing that someone I considered a very close friend, appears to have a different and unjust opinion of me now. No need to explain further but it reminded me how fickle humans can be and how easily the balance of a relationship can so easily swing the opposite way.

I arrived nice and early to a warm and sunny woodland. Low, dappled light was highlighting these delicate Wood Meadow-grasses which grow along the ride edges. It was very quiet, the birds are still around but now that breeding season is more or less over, they have no need to advertise themselves by singing and calling. They just quietly get on with their lives, foraging for food. I sat on my bench near the bird feeders. In no time, small birds appeared obviously noticing my presence and anticipating an easy meal but landing on empty feeders. A robin advanced toward me as if to say “Hello again, I’m still here. How about breakfast?” These particular friends are non-judgemental and it warmed my heart a little. I filled the feeders and left them to it.

I had no particular jobs in mind. I just wanted to be there and reinforce my connection to the woods. I still had some photos to take for the Woodland Trust but once that was done I was free to walk about at leisure, with an openness to nature and the gifts it had to offer. To bathe in the peace with innocence and intrigue and absorb it’s beauty and soul-healing qualities.

I am slowly compiling a list of anything growing or living in my four-acre patch that I can identify. This mushroom grows in a particular place under some oak trees. I think it is called a Suede Bolete.

I felt I should at least do some work, so set about pulling bramble and nettles which were taking over an area previously cleared. It’s hard work and somewhat painful but also immensely satisfying. I piled it up at the edge of the ride and it will slowly rot down but in the meantime, provide habitat for lots of small creatures. It was here that I spotted this gorgeous butterfly basking in the sun. I didn’t recognize it but I now know it as a Comma. During the mid 1800s they were in deep decline but are now making a big comeback, firstly in the South but as the climate warms up, are making their way North. They lay their eggs mainly on stinging nettles, hops and elm. I don’t have hops or elm but have plenty of nettles in one area, some of which are now in a pile rotting down. Oops! I’m learning all the time and although there are still lots growing nearby which I will leave for sure, maybe I should wait until later in the year to pull any in future, in case their are larvae still feeding on them.

Not much else to report, it was a very quiet day. I met no-one and did little but it what was needed, so I’ll finish with a few photos of the day. Below – Speckled Wood butterfly

Below – Crab Apples growing profusely, going to be a good year for them. Might have to have another go at making jelly though after the last attempt I swore I never would!

I went to the woods yesterday but hadn’t got around to writing about the previous visit which was Saturday the 29th June. It was a sunny and hot, we were experiencing a mini heatwave and the shelter of the trees was welcome. I met up with one of my pals who is going through a tough time and was in need of some woodland therapy. I have said it before but will repeat, that spending a day in the woods is a real tonic for one’s mental and physical well-being.

I had no jobs planned, just taking the day as it came. The usual walkabout and fresh coffee kicked the day off well. I checked the trail camera footage but it was disappointing, The night time shots were cutting off after 2 seconds so I need to find out why and try to fix it. I knew some of our neighbours were going that day, the ones who have made the bodgers’ shelter that I described last time. My pal knows them too now, so we headed around to their place to spend an hour chatting and looking at the workshop.

One thing I did want to do, was have a go at making a small useful, wooden item together. I recently bought a new book about green woodworking and as we both like crafting things from wood, decided we should have a go at making something from it – a coffee bag clip. It’s basically a big peg that holds the bag shut after it’s been opened. I cut a hazel rod down and cut two 6 inch pieces to make a clip each. It turned out to be more difficult than I thought and I didn’t quite finish mine. My pal’s clip did get finished and it’s here showing how it is used.

So onto my solo visit yesterday, another lovely sunny day. This time I had two missions – my Woodland Trust fixed point photography project, which needs no explanation as I have mentioned it many times before. But the other one filled me with excitement, an experiment in sound recording! But first, my walkabout revealed a gruesome find. A big bunch of feathers that used to be a Wood Pigeon. I am guessing a buzzard made a meal of it.

There was virtually no sign of the carcass, birds of prey make a good job of plucking the feathers first, then perhaps removing it to another place to consume. A few jewel-like flies were cleaning up the tiny remains of flesh and blood.

I heard voices in the plot next door and was pleased to see some neighbours I hadn’t seen for a while. They have a young boy who seems to have taken to me (and me to him). I showed them the bees in the owl box and let them use my binoculars. We discussed the new pond they have created and the little lad offered to show me “his” woodland pointing out the dormice boxes they have put up (no sign of any dormice yet though). He told me they had seen Muntjac and Roe deer. It’s so good to see him getting a woodland schooling from his parents and I really enjoyed his guided walk.

Now what about this sound recording thing? One of my hobbies is playing around with music and recording. I like to experiment with unconventional equipment and methods to produce music and soundscapes. Another pal had suggested trying to record the sound of the bees in the owl box and using the drone sound somehow to make some music.  I liked that and it led me onto another idea which quite excited me. To record various sounds around the woods – birdsong, movement in trees etc and to edit them together to make some sort of audio experience of my woods. Recording the bees was going to be the most difficult. The box is mounted about four metres high and there was no way I was going to scale a ladder and get close to them with a mic. A few years ago I made some experimental microphones that use a small component for the actual mic but it requires a power source. I had mounted a battery, sockets and switches in an old OXO cube tin. Why? Because  had one and it looked cool! This arrangement allowed me to fasten the mic to the end of a long hazel pole and attach a long lead via the OXO tin and then connect it to my digital recorder. If your head is spinning with technical mumbo jumbo then here’s the photos of it. Basically it allowed me to stand well below the hive and poke the microphone up to the hole where they enter and leave, then record the sounds.

Armed with the high tech recording gear (grin) I gently positioned the mic outside the hive hole. There was a low and continuous, gentle hum which I took to be the sum of all the bees inside. They vibrate their wings to create air flow around the colony to maintain a healthy temperature. Superimposed on the hum were the sporadic and shrill buzzes as worker bees came and went past the mic. What an amazing experience and one that deepened my admiration and respect for these little creatures.

I carried on recording birds songs (and what a lot there was) a tree creaking over my shelter and my own footsteps rustling the leaves and cracking the dead twigs as I walked about. Plenty of material for my project. It could be a while before I have a finished sound piece but I will put a link to it when it’s done. What a lovely and interesting day. woodland ownership never gets boring for me.