Bolt Hole

This is the view from the bedroom window of my bolt-hole ... our holiday home on the other side of Devon. It's a place where I relax the minute I walk in the door ... it's been a haven for us for nearly 13 years now.

This view looks north, across a field where there are remains of a Roman villa, so we have the assurance that it will never be built on (we are surrounded on three sides by housing). Which means that we have a wealth of wildlife around us and we are constantly surprised at the variety. This time we saw the usual range of birds (blackbird, great tit, blue tit, sparrow, pigeon and the inevitable gulls!) as well as fledglings (esp. great tit - they flock in the hedgerow and make such a lot of noise), swifts, swallows ... and the magnificent sight of a tawny owl, looping round and round the houses late one night, calling constantly ...

A neighbour told us that she nests in the oak tree that is part of the boundary between our garden and the field, and has been a successful mother, with chicks these past two years - a shame we won't be there this year to see them fledge.

We caught only a glimpse of another joy - the bats. We are used to seeing three or four flying round the garden at this time of year, but only had a good view of one this year.

We put up another bird feeder ... and our most regular visitor is the squirrel family ...


Not such good photo against the light - but you have to take your chances, they are such acrobats!