Nature Watch

The weather during this period has been very mixed with persistent heavy rain followed by dry days with sunshine and cold frosty nights.

SIGHTINGS : Jackdaws, Crows, Gulls, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Buzzards, Magpies, Jays, Heron, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Blackcaps, Bullfinch, Siskin, Brambling, Stonechats, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Song Thrush, Goldcrests, Wrens, Dunnocks, House Sparrow, Blackbirds, Robins, Blue/Great/Coal/Long-tailed Tits, Roe Deer, Frog spawn.
A Heron has been seen collecting wet leaves and twigs for nest construction.
A large number of Snipe have been visiting the Reserve during this Winter period with 10 to 12 seen at any one time.
A pair of Bullfinch are resident in Hazelwood West hopefully to breed here in the Spring.
A pair of Blackcaps remained for the Winter in Hazelwood West, again, hopefully to breed in the Spring.
March will be the last chance to spot Redwing, Brambling, and the Winter resident Siskin before they depart for the North and Scandinavia.

Birds are now visiting the nest boxes on site to establish ownership for breeding. A Robin has already built a nest on the fence line of Hazelwood West and laid one egg in the second week of March. It is believed that birds will only lay as many eggs to produce chicks that they can provide food for. Obviously food is not plentiful enough at present to support a larger brood.

Nature Fact

The Bullfinch prefers a woodland habitat, especially coniferous forest. They rarely move more than a few miles from home territory. Adult Bullfinch with their short, stubby bill is ideally suited to eating buds of trees and shrubs although they feed their nestlings on large quantities of insects and spiders as well as seeds as the young grow. Many of these beautiful birds were trapped or shot to prevent damage to orchards in Southern England.