With lengthening days and warmer weather, the Easter break certainly felt like Spring was well and truly here!
The cherry blossom is alive with pollinators right now
A few weeks ago, staff discovered a resourceful Blackbird had built her nest inside one of our storage areas, high on a shelf next to some pots of paint! She laid 3 eggs and we tried to limit disturbance to give some peace to raise her brood. Her mate was often seen foraging for worms and other insects in the grassy areas in front of the aviaries, and he diligently provided her with some snacks while she incubated her eggs. The nest was checked mid April and we found three large chicks, being very demanding for food but still not fully feathered. Blackbird chicks are known to “explode” out of the nest before ready if disturbed, so we avoided the area for a few days. The following week, alerted by hungry chick noises in the trees, and both parents busily flying around carrying food, the nest was found to be empty, suggesting that the young successfully fledged. This nest was monitored as part of the BTO Nest Records Scheme, which helps collect data from across the UK on breeding birds.
Three baby Blackbirds in a nest
Our Woodland Walk has burst into colour, with a variety of wildlife friendly flowers now in bloom. Swathes of blue Forget-Me-Nots mingle with yellow Cowslips and pink Campion flowers, while the Bluebells are just starting to come out. Over the next few weeks, keep your eyes open for Bees and Butterflies, which will appreciate these beautiful blooms.
Lastly, a few days after Easter we discovered that the Easter Bunny had left us a special surprise, in the form of some baby bunnies! These little cuties are very good at darting under cover when people are around, but if you stay quiet and still, they might just come out to nibble on the grass.
Baby Bunny