Nature Watch

Although the end of April into early May was a cold period with heavy rain and thunderstorms, the past few weeks have been fair with warm sunshine. This has given a much needed kick - start to the season. Insects are much in evidence now, providing food for the many species of birds which rely on them for feeding hungry young.

SIGHTINGS

Hazelwood - Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Chaffinches, Magpies, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Coal/Great/Blue/Long Tailed Tits, Song Thrush, Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, Jays, Slow Worms and Grass Snakes. Speckled Wood, Holly Blue, Orange Tip and Brimstone butterflies. Celandine. Thyme Leaved Speedwell, Garlic Mustard and Broom plants in flower.

Wet Wood - Song Thrush, Blackbirds, Robins, Coal/Great/Blue/Long Tailed Tits, Chiff Chaffs, Nuthatches, Jays, Sparrowhawk, Speckled Wood butterfly, Female Roe Deer, Bog Beacon fungi.

Heath - Buzzards, Stonechats, Dartford Warblers, Tree Pipits, Jays, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Wrens, Mistle Thrush, Marsh Harrier, Mallard Ducks, Small Heath and Brimstone butterflies, Lousewort plants in flower and a young Adder.

Boardwalk - Chiff Chaffs, Great Tits, Wrens, Heron, Swallow, Raft Spiders, Common Lizards, Newts, Great Diving Beetles, Pond Skaters.

A pair of Tree Pipits have returned from migration and can be seen and heard on the central heathland.

A Marsh Harrier flew over the site, South West to North East, on 20th April.

Mistle Thrushes have been observed in the Beaufoys Plantation, just to the left of the Redwood Drive entrance.

A pair of Chiff Chaffs have built a nest to the right of the East end bridge at the Boardwalk. Keep a look out for them when feeding of young commences.

The call of a Cookoo was heard from the North Woodland fringe on 11th May.

Many of the nesting boxes are in use with parent birds busy visiting with food for their young. Several early broods have already fledged..

The first Bat detection reading was taken on 25th April on a milder night. Pipistrelle Bats were also recorded visually.

Watch out for young Grass Snakes swimming in the stream bordering Hazelwood.


Recordings by Christine Wilcox

Nature Fact

Female Pipistrelle Bats will be actively looking for nursery sites during May to birth and raise their young. They selected a mate last September, hibernated from October to April delaying fertilisation until the warmer Spring weather. They give birth in the Summer.

Site Management

Encroaching aquatic plants were cleared from the Wet Wood stream at the East end bridge. Posts installed ahead of fencing off a small area adjacent to the Beaufoys Plantation fence line. This is to ensure the recently cropped gorse bushes are not trampled underfoot thereby enabling the young growth to flourish

Events

A Nature Observation walk led by George Dunkling took place on 27th April, just after a thunderstorm! Quiz poems and factual information featured. Fourteen people attended.

Nature Watch

Another period of changeable weather including warm sunny days, wet windy days, frosty mornings and a day of snow and sleet.

SIGHTINGS

Heathland - Buzzards in flight, Dartford Warblers, Stonechats, Green Woodpeckers, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Jays, Crows, Jackdaws in flight, Wrens, Goldcrest, Female Roe Deer and a pair of Mallard Ducks.

Hazel Wood - Brambling, Green Finch, Gold Finch, Chaffinch, Great/Coal/Blue/Long Tailed Tits, Jays, Crows, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Sparrowhawk, Blackbirds, Robins, Song Thrush, Holly Blue/Peacock/Brimstone butterflies.

Wet Wood - Song Thrush, Wrens, Blue/Great/Coal/Long Tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Blackbirds, Robins, Mallard Ducks.

The Mallards were seen taking advantage of the waterlogged paths on the central heath probing for worms on the soft earth.

The sighting of a male Brambling in Hazel Wood on the West boundary with Hazel Drive is the first recording since our records began four years ago. Probably passing through on its migration flight.

A pair of Nuthatch have been very vocal in Wet Wood. They are about to nest in a hole in a Cedar tree on the boundary of Beaufoys Avenue.

A pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been "drumming" at the West end of Hazel Wood path to declaring their nesting and feeding territory. They have been making regular visits to gardens in Hazel Drive for easy food from feeding stations.

Dartford Warblers and Stonechats are now selecting nest sites on the heath. A polite reminder to all dog owners, therefore, to keep their dogs on leads in the enclosed areas as requested by the signs on access gates.

We await arrival of Tree Pipits during April and Nightjars in May.

Adders, Grass Snakes and Slow Worms may be observed on warmer days in coming weeks as they bask in the sun after hibernation.


Recordings by Christine Wilcox

Nature Fact

Bramblings are seen mostly in large flocks during the Winter period. They usually return to Scandinavia and North East Europe in Summer to breed

Site Management

Cutting down old gorse bushes has continued along the enclosure fence line. Information rubbing plaques have been installed alongside various pathways. A listening post has been sited at the West end of the boardwalk enabling visitors to hear sounds of the wildlife found on the Reserve.

Nature Watch

The past four weeks have had a real mixture of weather conditions. Cold frosty mornings and nights, mild breezy days with sunshine and heavy rain with storm force winds. During this period the following sightings were recorded on monitoring visits:-

Birds in the woodland

Robins, Blackbirds, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Magpies, Crows, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatch, Tree Creeper, Wrens, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and a Goldcrest bathing in the stream. A Cock Pheasant recorded in Hazel Wood has also been seen in the gardens of Hazel Drive adjoining the Reserve. The drumming of a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers is very evident in Hazel Wood.

Birds on the open heathland

Green Woodpeckers, Jay, Dartford Warblers, Stonechat, Meadow Pipits, Female Reed Bunting and a Snipe in flight.

The air is full of bird song at present with many species already started nest construction or seeking out potential nest sites. Ground nesting birds will be looking for sites at the base of gorse and within the heather. During coming weeks listen out for the arrival of Nightjars which produce a unique call at around dusk on the open heathland. Also the Tree Pipit returns, singing from the tallest pine trees and performing it's parachuting flight to the ground.

Gorse is in full flower at the moment with the sweet scent of coconut. The first blooms of primroses are now showing in Wet Wood.

The resident foxes in Hazel Wood may have produced a litter of cubs in March. Watch out for them during April as they emerge from the Earth on a warm sunny day to sunbathe.

There has been no sign of frog spawn so far.


Recordings made by Christine Wilcox

Nature Fact

If you want to see foxes, you will need to watch the Earth from a safe distance. The best time is at dusk when they are more likely to emerge. Remember to sit downwind and to remain silent as fox's senses of hearing and smell are acute

Site Management

The February Guardian Work Party assisted the Rangers in cutting down Gorse bushes to ground level. This will encourage new growth to shoot from the base stem and develop into healthy young bushes. The clearance and tidying within the Hazel Wood area continues and is an ongoing project.

Nature Watch

The past month saw mixed weather of wind, rain, mist, frost and warm sunshine. Improving weather conditions during the latter part of the period increased the chances of wildlife sightings.

The following have been observed on monitoring visits:-

Birds.... Robins, Wrens, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Great Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Tree Creeper, Meadow Pipits and a female Reed Bunting.

Mammals... A pair of Roe deer and several female Roe deer.

Plants... Celandine and Hazel Catkins.

Fungi... Yellow Brain, Jelly and Blueing Bracket.

There were early sightings of Brimstone, Peacock butterflies and Bees on the boundaries adjoining gardens.

First sightings of Frog and Toad spawn in the stream and pools are awaited.

Comments: Christine Wilcox
Photographs: Christine and Keith Wilcox

Nature Fact

The Roe Deer male(Buck) have short antlers up to 30 centimetres long. The antlers drop off at the end of the year and grow back again in February. In this respect they are different from other species of deer who lose their antlers in Spring and grow them again in Summer. When the Roe deer's antlers first grow, they are soft and tender and covered with a thin velvety skin. This thin skin is rubbed off against the trunks of trees. Look out for markings on the bark approx 1 metre from the ground