March Winds and April Showers

"March winds and April showers

bring forth May flowers"

So says the old folk rhyme, and it's a couplet that has double meaning as I write this. March did indeed deliver some fairly ferocious winds, especially at the end of the Easter weekend, which sadly did a great deal of damage in the arboretum. Now we are halfway through April and enjoying our fair share of showers but also some beautiful warm sunshine and temperatures in the high teens celsius in recent days. April this year also brings with it new opportunity as I am leaving Winkworth and moving on to pastures new. It's been a great experience getting to know the arboretum and its wildlife these past couple of years, and I hope you've enjoyed reading my ramblings about the things I've seen when I've been out and about.

So, for the final time - from me at least - here's a round-up of what's been happening at Winkworth in the past few weeks...

Oak leaves emerging - Matt Phelps

In the three weeks since my previous blog post winter has well and truly given way to spring and everything is bursting in to life around the arboretum. Birdsong is increasing all the time, with more and more Chiffchaffs each day since late March, while the first Blackcaps and Willow Warblers were heard on 30th March and 4th April respectively - both exactly a year to the day since their arrivals in 2015. The winter visitors have more or less all departed now, with just the odd Brambling still around in the first week of April. My first Winkworth Swallows of the year were two flying purposefully north high above the gardeners' yard on 3rd April, while early on the 10th I heard my first Cuckoo of the year, giving its distinctive two note song just up the valley from the arboretum.

Blackcap - Ann Jacobs

Blue Tit - Ann Jacobs

Many of our resident birds are now busying themselves with nest building, like the Treecreepers which are again taking up residence in the wall of the boathouse as they did last year.

Down on Rowe's Flashe Lake we have already seen the first Mallard ducklings of the year - a clutch of a dozen appeared on 7th April.

Treecreeper on the boathouse wall - Ann Jacobs

Robin - Ann Jacobs

Nuthatch - Ann Jacobs

Mallard duckling - Ann Jacobs

Also of note on Rowe's Flashe recently have been occasional Pochard (there was a pair present on the 4th), up to half a dozen Little Grebes, the now fairly regular Bar-headed Goose, plus the rather odd-looking Canada/Greylag hybrid which appeared last week.

Canada x Greylag Goose - Matt Phelps

Little Grebe - Ann Jacobs

Butterflies are starting to be seen more regularly now, particularly in the warm sunshine this past week. I've noted Peacock, Brimstone and Comma at Winkworth recently, while I've seen Orange-tip, Holly Blue, Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood elsewhere locally this week, so it's only a matter of time and good weather before they take to the wing in the arboretum too.

Anyway, back to the flowers I mentioned in my opening paragraph. In addition to the glorious displays of Magnolia, Camellia and Cherry, the resident wild flowers are beginning to put on a great show of their own. Here's a few that Ann Jacobs and I have photographed here recently.

Ramsons - Matt Phelps

Red Campion - Matt Phelps

Bluebells - Matt Phelps

Common Dog-violet - Matt Phelps

Wood Anemone - Ann Jacobs

Wood Sorrel - Ann Jacobs

Marsh Marigold - Ann Jacobs

And that's it from me! Thanks for reading, and do get over to Winkworth soon if you haven't visited recently or at all - it really does look particularly wonderful at this time of year.

Spring hues along the Spring Walk - Matt Phelps

Honey bee and cherry blossom - Ann Jacobs

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Winkworth springs to life

Well, lots to talk about since my last blog post, even though it's only been a couple of weeks. It's been a mixed bag on the weather side of things, with an extended spell of north-easterly winds giving a couple of weeks of largely dry, often fine but chilly weather. Now the winds are back in the south/south-west and after the warmest day of the year so far on Good Friday we're now back to rather damp and unsettled for the Easter weekend. Still, there are signs of new life bursting forth all over the arboretum now.

As happened this time last year the north-easterly winds have rather held back some of the spring migrant birds, but this past week or so the first Chiffchaffs have begun returning, and just this morning I noted at least five around the arboretum, some occasionally singing their eponymous song, despite the foul weather. 

Chiffchaff - Ann Jacobs

Another bird we tend to see more of at this time of year, Pochards have been present throughout the month on Rowe's Flashe Lake, and in varying numbers, peaking at five on the 8th and the 10th. Volunteer Ann Jacobs captured these great pictures of one of the drakes, including one of him in mid-dive!

Pochard - Ann Jacobs

Also making more regular appearances at Rowe's Flashe recently have been a couple of Kingfishers, which Ann again managed to photograph on the 22nd.

Kingfishers - Ann Jacobs

The other star bird which has been receiving a fair amount of photographic attention is the Firecrest that's been seen on and off near the boathouse. Both John Rowland and Richard Waters managed to get some lovely shots.

Firecrest - Richard Waters

Firecrest - Richard Waters

Firecrest - John Rowland

Water Rails are being heard more regularly again in the Phillimore Wetland, and there were definitely two present on the 8th and the 13th. We now appear to have a regular pair of Red-legged Partridge hanging around which I've seen near the boathouse or in a Bluebell Wood a few times recently. Makes a change from the ubiquitous Pheasants!

Red-legged Partridge - Matt Phelps

If you've walked through the upper arboretum in the past week or two you may have noticed a lot of birds flying up from the ground around you. These are the gathering Redwings feeding up and preparing to head back to Scandinavia and Russia for the breeding season. On sunnier days they have been particularly chattery, even singing occasionally. 

While migrant birds are busying themselves arriving and departing, many of our resident species are already getting into the business of nest building and breeding. I stumbled across this Long-tailed Tit nest the other day. Such incredible engineering to build something like this out of moss and lichen!

Long-tailed Tit nest - Matt Phelps

On Good Friday there appeared to be some raptor migration going on, with at least 4-5 Buzzards flying purposefully north, a Red Kite south and a female Goshawk moving powerfully north/north-west which Ed Stubbs later picked up at considerable height over Allden's Hill just to the north of the arboretum. There have been occasional sightings of Sparrowhawk and Kestrel, while single Peregrines were seen on the 13th and the 22nd.

Buzzard - Ann Jacobs

The sunshine in the past week or two has been enough to coax out the first of the hibernating butterflies. On the 13th I saw a Peacock, while on the 17th I saw my first Brimstone and Small Tortoiseshell of the year. The most remarkable lepidopteran moment recently though was the Humming-bird Hawk-moth I stumbled across nectaring on Daffodils near the Winter Garden on the 13th. I had only ever previously seen this species in mid to late summer as it tends to migrate up from the continent. I can only assume this individual had hibernated nearby. 





Humming-bird Hawk-moth - Matt Phelps

Butterflies and moths aren't the only winged insects springing back to life with the onset of spring, as there are now plenty of bumblebees and honey bees to be seen out on the early flowering plants and, much like the bees, Ann Jacobs has been busy photographing them.

Buff-tailed Bumblebee - Ann Jacobs

Honey bee - Ann Jacobs

And finally, to finish, another of Ann's photos; this time one of a handsome Roe buck. As usual there are quite a few Roe Deer around the place and you might be lucky enough to spot them when you visit.

Roe buck - Ann Jacobs