Fern

It's been very cold today! I was up at 5am to listen to the dawn chorus, as I do every year on May Day. Just before dawn, there were about 20 bats flying madly around at the back of the house.

Also back there is a nest box and I have been watching a male Pied flycatcher in the branches above it, wondering if its mate was in the box, incubating some eggs. I had read that while the female is on the nest, her mate may go in search of a second female, later leaving her to fend for herself and her brood...

Then I noticed these beautiful harts tongue ferns by the old Mill. A nice damp spot where they flourish.