It has been a busy week at the home of Robin Hood, as plans begin to take shape for the proposed new visitor centre, I instead spent my week wandering the beaten trails taking in the dappled sunlight as summer properly emerged.
Hidden among the trees, I found myself surrounded by butterflies for the first time this year as they fluttered in the afternoon sun. Although they were mainly common species like meadow browns and gatekeepers it was wonderful to see them in what is turning out to be a very poor year for butterflies across the country.
From the corner of my eye a flash of brilliant blue caught my attention, as a curious jay dropped to the floor to forage for nuts. These fantastic birds are always one of my favourites, full of charisma and a real sense of intelligence as they stare at you weighing up the risk of one last acorn before slowly hopping up branch by branch into the canopy where they allow their curiosity to run wild from a safe distance.
One of the biggest pleasures of a good forest is taking the time to just stop and let wildlife come to you, all that’s required is a bit of patience. However, Patience was not in the mind of my first visitor, a stoat. Because of their bouncy run and cute face, people constantly underestimate stoats, but they can be voracious predators when needed. Dashing between plants the stoat flushes out a young rabbit chasing it back among the undergrowth and out of sight again, a flurry of activity soon replaced by the still of the forest once again.
Just as the sun began to set I was treated to an elusive first for me, a close encounter with the stoats little cousin, the weasel. Much smaller than a stoat and without the characteristic black tip on its tail, weasels have always evaded me so the sight of this tiny brown ball of fluff plodding slowly out of the undergrowth was a fantastic surprise. At first wary of the stranger in its woodland home, it eyed me with suspicion as it slowly approached, nose twitching in the air it comes within inches of my feet until a twig snaps in the distance and it’s gone in a flash.
As the weather improves and you rush for fresh air, don’t forget to take the time to stop and let the wildlife come to you, you never know what you might find!
These photos were taken by Guy Rogers and Ray Kennedy respectively and come from our own photo library, RSPB Images. Browse to find more breathtaking photos like this (you can order a print or canvas if any takes your fancy).