On the small lake, Sylvie, our female swan, has already started laying eggs; although she’s not incubating them yet, that won’t happen until she’s finished laying her clutch.
We’ve had some unusual garden visitors, the most noticeable being a muntjac deer in early March. Although an introduced species, they are very beautiful and we have an extensive population in this area.
Our reed bunting appeared looking for food, a distinctive bird with a black head and call. It’s my dear hope that one day they will breed here, especially now we’ve increased the habitat around the Beefayre barn!
Our most impressive visitors by far though, were a pair of ravens flying low over the land and calling. Evocative and special, it’s certainly a treat to see these birds at such close range. We have a pair of ravens breeding locally in recent years but they are still an unusual occurrence. Red kites are a daily sight, I think they are magnificent birds of prey and an emblem of conservation success.
Our bees are out flying on sunny days and they’re loving the early greengage blossom.
I feel that April will be such an exciting month, as spring reveals her secrets and the land really comes to life!
Sam, my son, has just had a paper released on the lynx, which has been well received and we’ll pop it up here this week. Extinct from our shores for many years, there is currently a large debate regarding their reintroduction. Have a read, give us your thoughts, we’d love to hear from you.
Finally, watch out for bumbles, many species will appear in April, send me your photos!
Happy nature watching,
Sharon x
