Nature Notes April 2019

Date Published: 01-05-2019

April was a month of mixed weather and temperatures with occasional heavy rain showers early in the month, several overnight frosts and some lovely warm sunny weeks.

SIGHTINGS
Birds: Carrion Crows, Magpies, Jays, Buzzards, Common Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Grey Heron, Tawny Owls, Sparrowhawk, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Wood Pigeons, Stock Doves, Collared Doves, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Siskins, Stonechats, Wrens, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Goldcrest, Dunnocks, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Chaffinches, Coal/Blue/Great/Long-tailed Tits.
Mammals: Grey Squirrels, Hedgehogs, Mole activity, Foxes, Badgers, Wood Mice, Roe Deer.
Insects: Midges, Buff-tailed Bees, Wasps, Hornets, Hover Flies.
Butterflies/Moths: Brimstone, Large White, Peacock, Comma, Holly Blue, Orange Tip, Species of night and day flying Moths.
Plants in Flower: Catkins, Common Gorse, Laurel, Flowering Currant, Amelanchier, Rowan (Mountain Ash), Cherry, Bluebell, Primrose.
Pond Life: Pond Skaters, Whirlygig Beetles, Backswimmers.
Reptiles: Slow Worm.

The song of both Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs heard throughout the month at several locations on site.
Holly Blue and Orange Tip were seen along the Hazelwood fence line.
Most of our resident birds are now sitting on eggs, or baby birds, with frantic feeding in progress.
One Blackbirds eggs were seen predated by Magpies.
Young Nuthatches were seen and recorded out of the nest by mid-April.

Recorder: C Wilcox

NATURE FACT
The Magpie is notorious for its habit of stealing other birds’ eggs and chicks. You are most likely to catch it in the act in early Summer, at other times it eats almost anything. When a small bird sitting on a nest sees a Magpie, it may ‘freeze’ until the last possible moment, hoping to avoid detection. Once the Magpie discovers it however, the other bird must retreat hastily as Magpies have even been seen catching small birds on the ground and in flight.

SITE MANAGEMENT
The work party repaired fencing along the boardwalk and began constructing a holding pen to assist the grazier in removing cattle from the Reserve.