At about 4.30 in the afternoon a tawny owl called loudly from the tall incense cedar, Calocedrus decurrens, maybe 10 metres from TSM. The call was almost piercing and must have carried far. This owl, and maybe its mate, have been hooting since last autumn and could be nesting in Churchland Wood, but today was the closest I have known one.
The new, strong rose shoot that I spotted a short while ago has been bitten off about 15cm above the ground. I suspect it is a rabbit and its teeth have gone straight through the stalk but it has not eaten any of the shoot: the upper part was still hanging to the stick I used to try and protect it.
I noticed that the lower part of the ash tree, where the bark is several years old, has thin grey lichen growing on it.
