March

From the chapter on March:

'The great spotted woodpecker - a completely medieval bird, like a joker, or a jester with mask, cap and bells. The black and white skullcap, the deep red velvet tail. the barred, flamboyant costume and the outsized conk of a beak, absurdly vigorous in its hammering. How on earth does it stabilize its brain?

from 'Notes from Walnut Tree Farm'
by Roger Deakin