This is one of those years when thousands upon thousands of cicadas all leave the ground at once, climb out of their old skins with full wings, and all start calling  – no, not quite all, only the males make the sound, but that’s presumably  half the population, and quite enough to make an almost deafening din at times. I’m not seeing so many small birds as I would expect in some sites at the moment, and can’t help wondering if they have moved into more peaceful areas, especially if they rely on sound to some extend to find their insect prey.

The cicadas have their own fascination though, and Darren was able to video one in the process of emerging from its old skin last month. I enjoy their calls most of the time – although a few times have felt like calling out to ask them to give it a rest for just a few minutes.