Nature Watch

The past 4/5 weeks have seen very mixed weather conditions. Two weeks of fine, warm weather turned to overcast days with cold winds, scattered showers and night frosts.

SIGHTINGS: Brimstone/Peacock/Speckled Wood butterflies, Great Spotted/Green Woodpeckers, Jackdaws, Common Snipe, Buzzards, Magpies, Wood Pigeons, Chaffinches, Green/Goldfinches, Siskin, Wrens, Coal/Blue/Great/Long Tailed Tits, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Tree Pipits, Grey Heron, Canada Geese in flight, Whirlygig Beetle, Green Tiger Beetle, Water Boatman, Pond Skater, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Wool Spider, Ant Beetle, Mirid Bugs, Pine Cone Bug, Crab Spider, Wolf Spider, Bark Beetles, Leaf-hoppers, Gorse Shield bugs, Grey Squirrels, Common Lizards, Grass Snakes, Slow Worms. Plants in flower include Cornsalad, Ground Ivy, Common Field Speedwell, Hair Bittercress, Lesser Celandine, Gorse.

Nature Fact

Wolf Spiders are common on dry sunny ground where they jump on their prey. The female attaches her bundle of eggs to her spinneretes and carries it with her

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.