Wild news from our reserves – 14 April 2023
Male orange tip having a rest - Michael Andrews
Catch up on the latest news from our reserves - this week there have been lots more uplifting signs of spring; with migrant birds returning, woodland wildflowers in bloom, basking reptiles, early butterflies and a moonlit hare.
Warden Joe was thrilled to spot swallows returning to Trimley Marshes this week. Swallows visit the UK from Africa, arriving in spring and leaving in autumn. They build mud and straw nests on ledges, often in farm buildings and outhouses, or under the eaves of houses. Swallows are agile fliers, feeding on flying insects while on the wing.
The illustration below shows the different features of swallows, swifts, sand martins and house martins:
Discover spring at Lackford Lakes
This Sunday will be Lackford Lakes Spring Discovery Day and we invite you to join us for fun activities around the reserve including; trails and spotter sheets, pond dipping, binocular hire, wildlife guides and spring crafts. Our team will also help visitors identify birds singing around the reserve - spring migrants returned so far include chiffchaff, blackcap, sedge warbler and reed warbler.
Comma butterfly with wings closed - Michael Andrews
Peacock butterfly - Michael Andrews
Bee-fly - Michael Andrews
Ladybird - Michael Andrews
Willow flowers - Michael Andrews
County flower
Reserves Intern Anneke snapped these gorgeous buttery yellow oxlips flowering in the coppice coup at Bradfield Woods. Oxlips are Suffolk’s County flower, a rare spring flower only found in ancient woodlands of East Anglia. Similar in appearance to the deeper yellow cowslip, you can tell them apart as oxlip flowers are paler yellow and tend to grow in clusters on one side of the stem, whereas cowslip flowers (and oxlip/cowslip hybrid flowers) grow around the stem.
Oxlips at Bradfield Woods – Anneke Emery
Oxlips at Bradfield Woods – Anneke Emery
Bradfield Woods is also famous for its carpets of bluebells, which are just starting to flower and will be spectacular in weeks to come – watch this space!
Bluebell starting to flower at Bradfield Woods – Anneke Emery
Hat-tip to our volunteers
The Knettishall Heath reserve volunteer team had a well-deserved guided walk around the reserve to see the impressive results of all their hard work and do some future planning. They were joined by Steve Rutherford of the British Naturalists Association to share some of his fantastic ID skills!
Finding honeysuckle growing all through a new dead hedge – Sam Norris
Inspecting great spotted woodpecker feeding holes – Sam Norris
Great diving beetle found in the moth trap, they are moving around a lot this time of year – Sam Norris
Looking through the results of a moth trap – Sam Norris
Hoof fungus, also known as tinder fungus as it has been used to fuel fires – Sam Norris
Spotting woodlark – Sam Norris
Reptiles basking
The recent warm spring sunshine has tempted some reptiles out sun-bathing, a common lizard was seen at Trimley Marshes and a grass snake at Snape Marshes.
Common lizard sunbathing at Trimley Marshes – Joe Underwood
Grass snake at Snape Marshes - Rachel Norman
Here are this week’s best clips from our trail cams...
Close-up footage of a male bittern - you can tell it is a male because of the blue cheek patch which develops for the breeding season.
Chinese water deer either side of the fence - listen to their chirpy vocal interaction, much different to their haunting bark more often heard on the marsh.
And finally a hare with a nearly full moon reflected in the dyke behind.