Nature Notes April 2022
Nature Notes April 2022
Wildlife often pops up unexpectedly, as Jane found when she heard a rustle in the vegetation and a Stoat popped its head out. It had a quick look round before disappearing back into the undergrowth. Susie had a wonderful sighting of a Kingfisher, only the second she had ever seen, when the family were staying in the Broads. My encounter with a Bank Vole was from the kitchen window. It was one of those cold days at the beginning of the month. A plant pot on garden staging below the window had a tussock of dead grass in it and I suddenly noticed the Bank Vole dash out onto the pot, chew off a few dead grass stalks and dash out of sight with them. It repeated this several times until there was nothing left in the pot. There was very little time between its forays, so it could only have been going as far as the adjacent tool shed. Within ten minutes it was snowing, but the vole had a nice grass lined nest!
The cold weather has slowed the arrival of our summer visiting birds. The Chiffchaffs arrived back on exactly the same date in March as last year, as did the Blackcap which sings across the lane from our garden, but as yet we have had no other migrants. We decided to walk to Sparham Pool to see if any were making use of the shelter from the north wind that the trees and bushes around gravel pit gave. We were delighted to find delicate Wood Anemones flowering along the streamside and Marsh Marigolds in the boggy places, at Whitwell Common on our way.
Walking round the gravel pit we were surprised to see a Great Crested Grebe sitting on a nest right out in the open, on the edge of a small island completely devoid of vegetation. Usually they build their weedy nests amongst reeds to hide them from predators, but perhaps this pair felt that with the Black-headed Gulls and Canada Geese also intending to nest on the island, there were plenty of neighbours to drive off unwanted visitors. As we watched, its mate brought it a beak full of weed to add to the structure. These are imposing birds with a ruff of chestnut feathers around a white face and neck, a large dark crest and a dagger-like bill which would deter any unwelcome visitors. In winter they lose their finery and become drab, grey and white birds that spend the season offshore, or on reservoirs, so it is always a treat to see them back on their nesting territory in full breeding plumage.
Do let me know if you see anything of interest rachel.42rr@btinternet.com