April
April (updated on Monday 26 April)
The Romans called this month Aprilis. It may come from a word meaning to open, or it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love.
After several weeks of dry weather and bright sunshine we finally have had some rain. Many trees are in bud waiting to sprout and some have already made it! (see picture, top left)
For the bird walk on Sunday 25 April there were abundant pied flycatchers and wood warblers (see picture top right). Tree pipits were singing and displaying in several places on the woodland edges. There were good views of lesser redpolls on Trendlebere Down where a garden warbler was heard in some dense scrub.
Primroses were fantastic like a yellow lake in the woodland clearings and there were abundant patches of violets on the hedgebanks and hidden in amongst the dead bracken on the moorland. (see picture below, bottom left). The pearl bordered fritillary (see picture below, bottom right) lays its eggs singly in bracken litter and, when they hatch, the larvae crawl to the nearest violet leaves which they start to chew their way through. The larvae eventually form a well hidden chrysalis and the splendid adult butterflies normally emerge any time from mid-April onwards into May. If the weather stays like this they will be emerging according to schedule!
Stop Press – Pearl Bordered Fritillaries emerge at Yarner Wood
One flew past my head at lunchtime today (Monday 26 April) !
Spring Birdwatching Walks
The next bird walk is on Monday 3 May starting at 09.30 hours from the Lower Car Park (Bovey Tracey end) on Trendlebere Down. Charge is £5.00 per adult – children, free). These are short strolls of just over 1 mile and lasts for 3 hours. The objective is to find as many different birds as possible!
Further walks (for up to six people) can be arranged on request. Please see the Events page for details of more bird walks.
For further information please ring Phil Page on Tel: 0785 8421 148
The Romans called this month Aprilis. It may come from a word meaning to open, or it may come from Aphrodite, the Greek name for the goddess of love.
After several weeks of dry weather and bright sunshine we finally have had some rain. Many trees are in bud waiting to sprout and some have already made it! (see picture, top left)
For the bird walk on Sunday 25 April there were abundant pied flycatchers and wood warblers (see picture top right). Tree pipits were singing and displaying in several places on the woodland edges. There were good views of lesser redpolls on Trendlebere Down where a garden warbler was heard in some dense scrub.
Primroses were fantastic like a yellow lake in the woodland clearings and there were abundant patches of violets on the hedgebanks and hidden in amongst the dead bracken on the moorland. (see picture below, bottom left). The pearl bordered fritillary (see picture below, bottom right) lays its eggs singly in bracken litter and, when they hatch, the larvae crawl to the nearest violet leaves which they start to chew their way through. The larvae eventually form a well hidden chrysalis and the splendid adult butterflies normally emerge any time from mid-April onwards into May. If the weather stays like this they will be emerging according to schedule!
Stop Press – Pearl Bordered Fritillaries emerge at Yarner Wood
One flew past my head at lunchtime today (Monday 26 April) !
Spring Birdwatching Walks
The next bird walk is on Monday 3 May starting at 09.30 hours from the Lower Car Park (Bovey Tracey end) on Trendlebere Down. Charge is £5.00 per adult – children, free). These are short strolls of just over 1 mile and lasts for 3 hours. The objective is to find as many different birds as possible!
Further walks (for up to six people) can be arranged on request. Please see the Events page for details of more bird walks.
For further information please ring Phil Page on Tel: 0785 8421 148
 |
|
|
|
|