Nature Notes

I heard my first hoopoe today. I haven't heard a cuckoo yet but they won't be far behind! Spring is here... The birds are nesting...

And some rather interesting eggs have been observed. This first one came back from Edinburgh with us. Note the distinctive purple and yellow markings.

The birds which lay them seem to have developed a form of colourful, protective packaging.

More followed - these birds are clearly prolific breeders.Here are the eggs of a bird which hangs them from trees, rather than in the more traditional nest. Decorative, but perhaps rather less safe than the protective packaging. Maybe that's because these birds lay soft, cloth eggs, in charming patterned fabrics?

This delightful item, found with eggs in a nest, may come from a similar, as yet unknown, bird.Once again, we find some protective packaging.Inside, the mother bird has carefully wrapped her eggs in green tisue paper before depositing them in the safety of the package. Observe the similarity to the first eggs - the same purple and yellow, but with different markings. We can assume that these birds are from the same family as those who laid the first.Once again the purple and yellow, but this time much smaller eggs, laid in a different sort of protection. It may be that the parent birds lay so many knowing that most will be eaten by predators and only a few will survive...Meanwhile, in the undergrowth, rabbits are also celebrating the coming of spring.OK, that's enough David Attenborough. I challenge any bird to lay the protective packaging below!I need to tell you where these lovely gifts have come from. The bird, nests and realistic eggs came from Ele at A Bit of Heaven, and were part of her wonderful Sweet Tweet Swap last year. The first Creme Eggs were bought by me as an Easter treat for us ex-pat Brits languishing in the Cadbury-free zone that is the south of France. Someone else then had the same idea and brought more Creme Eggs for the boys when they came to visit our friends! Sweet of them. And then Vintage Vicki and I did a little mini swap, after various chats about chocolate... I sent her some traditional French Easter chocolates, which are wonderfully different to British ones, and she sent me the Cadbury's goodies we craved, AND MORE! Thanks so much Vicki - that was a great swap and I love your crafted gifts. I shall be hanging up the fabric eggs indoors soon.So we say goodbye to the distinctive purple and yellow eggs, leaving them in the safety of their nest.

There they will remain until Easter Day...