26th February 2023
As temperatures rise and fall throughout the month the outlook for both flora and fauna appears mixed as no day is the same weather wise and Spring, as they say, is just around the corner. Snowdrops are open and their flowers present themselves to the gentle breeze in their usual stance with heads bowed whilst Great Spotted Woodpeckers are already being heard drumming away on trees in Hatters Wood. Wood Aconite having already taken in the winter sunlight in January are now being joined by the harbinger of Spring, the Daffodil which can now be found in an early show as some are just breaking out of their budding form showing the bright yellow petals that the plant is known for. With the days getting longer the smaller birds come into their own at this time of year as they become more active and noticeable for visitors to the reserve. Nuthatch, Great and Blue Tit all seem to be more vocal and will now be looking at possible nest sites but it is the Egyptian Geese that have stolen a lead on all of them by showing off their brood of five goslings near the Green Lake. Having never been recorded as breeding in the nature reserve before this is a first for the reserve and it is hoped that more will follow as another pair of Egyptian Geese have now been sighted in the reserve but in a different area.
Don Tait
https://youtu.be/OsWo2kRSpgY - More about Egyptian Geese on this You Tube Video
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