Nature in Harmony: April round-up!

The end of April marks the first month of the Nature in Harmony wildlife surveying for 2021, and what a great month it has been!

Four days this month have been spent carrying out wildflower, bird and pollinator surveys with 7 new survey assistants!

Birds

Some of my favourite wildlife spots so far include the Yellowhammer (Emberiza citrinella) and the Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix). Both species of bird are red-listed, which means they are of the highest conservation priority needing urgent action. Last year, Nature in Harmony surveys identified 6 red-listed bird species in the Diamond Woods.

Yellowhammer in Harmony Woods by Kym Welsh — *Yellowhammer in Harmony Woods* *by Kym Welsh*

Small mammals

Another favourite wildlife spot from this month comes from our camera trap positioned at the entrance to a burrow - The Nature in Harmony Exchange Project participants set about identifying who might have lived there.

To our delight, we captured images of not 1, but 2 species of small mammals! A Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (big eyes, big ears, nocturnal) and a Field Vole Microtus agrestis (smaller eyes and ears, short tail, can be active in both day and night).

We suspect Harmony Woods to be rich in small mammal numbers as we see many small burrows and nibbled nuts across the site, as well as many hunting Kestrels!

Pond life

We have also been able to identify some Smooth Newts ( Lissotriton vulgaris) living in the wildlife pond, which is very exciting!

Bat Walk

As well as our weekly surveys, we are holding community citizen science opportunities in a calendar of activities funded by the Nineveh Charitable Trust. In mid-April, we held our first citizen science session, a bat walk!

Participants were given an introduction to bat ecology, their diet and habitats, and how to use a bat detector. They each explored the Diamond Wood armed with their own bat detectors and a recording sheet. The night was quite chilly, however, we still detected 3 individual bats! We detected a Noctule Nyctalus noctula and two Pipistrelles Pipistrellus spp.

We had never surveyed the site for bats before and hence didn’t know what to expect, so our findings have left us excited about the potential presence of bats on site. Later in the summer, we may try this again when the nights are warmer and compare our results.

Bioblitz 01 (TOMORROW!)

Tomorrow (Saturday 1st May) we will have our first Bioblitz of the year! A bioblitz is when you try to record as many different species of plants and animals as possible within a given space and time. We have only a few places left - get in touch ASAP if you would like to come along. Booking is essential.

Latest video

As we enter May, I am gearing up to film the second instalment of the Nature in Harmony videos. Have you seen our first episode all about Hazel pollination? You can watch it here

International Dawn Chorus Day - Sunday 2nd May

When we are working in the woods we can’t help but notice the birdsong - perk of the job! You’re almost always guaranteed to hear the Skylark. Some of the other songbird species we recorded last year included the Linnet, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Corn Bunting, Yellowhammer, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Starling and Robin!

This Sunday is International Dawn Chorus Day and the best time to hear the birdsong is between 5am-9am. Its a glorious experience and depending on your location, you should be able to hear some of the birds listed above. The RSPB have further information on how to identify the song of different birds.

Small Heath Butterfly Research

Finally, as the wildflowers and butterflies begin to emerge I am looking forward to more weekly wildlife surveys, working on my PTES Small Heath butterfly research, and delivering a native tree walk on Saturday 22nd May.