March seems to have gone in the blink of an eye I haven’t had too much time to update my diary so I though I would just do a round up of what I’ve seen on my walks near to home in the second half of March, from Netmead to Bere Marsh and in between and I hope April will turn out to be a less hectic month!
The weather has been challenging at times with plenty of rain and then at last a little drier when the paths were less muddy, which made walking much easier.
We’ve been seeing a solitary Little Egret for some time at Hayward’s bridge and in he field where I cross to go over the footbridge to Bere Marsh, the wet area hasn’t dried up for quite sometime so it attracts birds like Mallards, Herons, Canada Geese and the Egret. On one particular morning I spotted seven Little Egrets in the field, I couldn’t get them all in one picture. I expect some of them will be nesting with the Herons up on New Cross.
I did walk to the Heronry one morning and there was a bit of in and out movement of Herons although difficult to see even with no leaves on the trees. There are three in the picture below I must walk up there again when it’s a bit brighter as it was quite early in the morning.
The Skylarks are active up on New Cross now, rising high in the sky with their beautiful song.
It’s great to hear the Chiffchaffs again, I hear them everywhere I walk at the moment there certainly appears to be quite a few around our area I even managed to spot some and get a couple of images, they don’t stay still for long! Of course I hear Greater Spotted Woodpeckers and Green Woodpeckers all the time and spot them too although they seem to go to the other side of the tree when I try a photograph. I saw a pair of Tree Creepers at the bottom of Legal Lane, low down and close to me but they never stayed still either, but great to see. The Song Thrushes are still singing from the tops of the trees as have the Robins while the Blackbirds and Robins compete for the early morning spot for walking me up!
I spotted something white in the distance flying into Netmead field, at first I thought it was a Barn Owl until I realised it was a Little Egret.
Below is selection of some of the wildlife I’ve seen in the last little while, of course I have missed quite a few, like Bullfinches I’ve seen them over at Bere Marsh but they are always behind a branch or twig. There are a pair of Jays nesting around Greenway lane and I’m sure there are Buzzards possibly nesting in the small woodland nearby, I quite often hear them calling although I don’t often see them at the moment.
We have a few birds coming into the garden to feed mainly House Sparrows, Jackdaws and even Rooks at the moment. I have a cage to stop the bigger birds from eating all the food. Plenty of Blackbirds, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Pied Wagtails, Dunnocks and Wrens to name a few! I’m looking forward to warmer days when we can sit in our conservatory and watch over the fields and hedges beyond.
Of course I still see Roe deer although they are not in such large groups now, I expect the does will soon be having their young.
