Nature Watch

The end of March and early April provided cool and wet weather conditions. This changed in the second week of April to sunny days and cool nights. With the more favourable weather conditions, the creatures on site have been showing well and insects are more abundant.

SIGHTINGS : Pond Skaters, Buff-tailed Bumble Bees, Brimstone/Peacock/Red Admiral Butterflies, Ladybirds, Raft Spider, Wolf Spider, Common Lizard, Frog Spawn, Common Frog, Palmate Newt, Buzzards, Jays, Crows, Heron, Wood Pigeon, Great Spotted/Green Woodpeckers, Goldfinch, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Blackcap, Coal/Blue/Great/Long-tailed Tits, Nuthatch, Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Goldcrests, Siskin, Chiffchaff, Stonechats, Common Snipe, Woodcock, Pipistrelle Bats, Slow Worm, Roe Deer. Plants in flower included Common Field Speedwell, Hairy Bittercress, Lesser Celandine, Primrose, Gorse.

Song Thrushes are very evident along Hazelwood, delivering their distinctive song. Very early fledgling Blackbirds have been spotted in Hazelwood. Chiffchaffs have returned from their Winter feeding grounds. Generally, paired birds are busy with nest building.

The onset of warmer weather in early April saw the first reading of Pipistrelle Bats being active at dusk.

Nature Fact

Water has a surface film providing two great advantages as a habitat for Pond Skaters; relative freedom from predators and a superabundance of food in the form of innumerable small aerial insects that fall on to the water and cannot get off again. The Pond Skater, with its short front pair of legs, seizes its prey and sucks out the body fluids of its victim using its sharp rostrum or beak.

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.