Spring
Spring is a magical season with its sights, sounds and smells. Plants flower and bloom in the woods; fields and hedgerows quite literally spring to life - the joy of Spring is very literal. As the sun breaks through, its warmth brings back renewed life after the long winter months.
The first to show are the snowdrops and wild daffodils, followed by bluebells and campion. You might see queen bumblebees and the first of the butterflies. The white blossom of the blackthorn marks the most visible change to the dormant countryside, as it offers itself as an extremely protective nest site to the smaller birds.
All around, you can hear the chorus of birdsong. Song thrush and blackbird sit up high and mark out territories to attract their mates. Wrens, robins and finches make more noise than you would think possible for such small birds, as the countryside comes to life. Often, the most difficult of tasks is identifying birds' individual and characteristic songs. If you can identify the bird from its song, you are far more likely to be able to spot the bird and identify what you see. We are confident of our ability to increase your knowledge in this area.
Migration, well on its way, brings swallows, warblers, cuckoos, ospreys, swifts, house martins, pied flycatchers, stonechats and many others from their summer retreats, followed a little later by a lovely little falcon from Africa, the hobby.
Broadleaf woodland, with its diverse plant life, provides a habitat for primroses, violets, celandines and ferns. Trees, such as oak, hazel, beech, birch, horse chestnut and sycamore provide an ecosystem for insects, birds and animals. Male songbirds display with song and flight from dawn until dusk to attract females.
Fox and badger cubs come out to play in the warm sunshine, exploring their territories for the first time.
The Peregrine falcons set out their territory and return to their eyre, from which they will have unsurpassed views of their domain.
Riverside and Streams
The warmth and extra daylight bring a rush of life to the rivers, streams and ponds. Spring is the busiest time of the year as nature unfurls, stretches and renews itself. The riverbank is full of life and we cannot wait to explore it with you. You may see the flash of blue and orange as a kingfisher races by (particularly tricky to see!) or the heron, which is very easy to see fishing in the shallows. If you are lucky, you might see the adorable water vole making its v-shape wave on the water's surface. Walking beside a river or stream is an uplifting experience and a pleasure: our guides can help make the most out of such a visit.
Within the water, fish feed on aquatic insects and invertebrate. This is the start of their breeding season. As the domain of Badger, Ratty, Mole and Toad comes to life, the willows and alder trees are triggered into growth by the longer days and the adventure begins for yet another year.
The Higher Ground
On the moors and higher ground in April and May, Spring moves slowly into place as a patchwork of heathers, bilberries and mosses of various ages peek out from the late snows. Red grouse call near their territory looking for a mate, with reverberating calls of "bak bak bak bak go bak go bak". Peregrines soar on thermals over their nest sites and are particularly vocal at this time of the year. Harriers quarter over the moorland looking for nest sites. Ravens dive and tumble with deep croaks as they display to their mates. Roe deer venture onto the forest's edge to catch the new warmth of the Spring sun. The smallest of the falcons becomes more active, and you may witness the exciting, dashing flight of the merlin. Listen for the brown linnet's sweet tittering on the yellow gorse bushes, where they will be looking to nest, and look up to see the magnificent flight of the skylark as it spirals upward with its chorus.