April on the League Against Cruel Sports’ wildlife reserves

Blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine are not something that are usually associated with Exmoor, a dark skies reserve where cloud normally obscures the sky, but the first half of this April was truly exceptional.

Sunshine lifts your spirits, even if it is tempered by chilly nights and a fresh breeze, and working outside in the sun on the League Against Cruel Sports wildlife reserves, serenaded by bird song and with little sound of human activity, is an absolute pleasure. The familiar song of blackbirds is now perforated by the trickling call of willow warblers and the enthusiastic ramblings of blackcaps, all sounding delighted that the breeding season has arrived. Although we have returned to the more familiar pattern of sunshine and showers, nothing can deter nature from throwing herself into spring with joyful exuberance.

Bluebells are the flower of the month and on the League’s wildlife reserves we are blessed with more than our fair share. Drifts of bluebells carpet the ancient woodland floors and spill out into the surrounding land in an explosion of deep blue. The UK has almost half of the world’s bluebells, and there is something distinctly British about our native version. Unlike their bold, but paler Spanish cousins, our bluebells hang their heads and nod to one side, as if slightly embarrassed about how fantastic they look.

There has been a rotund female roe deer hanging around in Barlynch Wood for the past few weeks and any day now we can expect to see tiny pairs of roe deer kids appearing on Baronsdown and the other wildlife reserves. Roe deer are unusual in the way they regularly give birth to twins. Perhaps it’s an insurance policy because, unlike red and fallow deer, they don’t have the safety of a herd to protect them.

Conversely, badger cubs will remain safely tucked away underground for a few more weeks yet and on the wildlife reserves we could really do with more rain to soften the ground and to bring out the earthworms that badgers love to eat before the cubs venture out.

Meanwhile, we are beginning to see the remains of food items brought back by adult foxes for their cubs around the entrances of the fox earths. Once the cubs are weaned, the pressure on the adults to bring back more food will increase rapidly, and we will be more likely to see foxes around in daylight.

It’s staying light later in the evenings now and it’s a great time to get out and about in your local area to see what wildlife is around. Why not take part in a bit of citizen science and log your sightings on one of the wildlife apps that are widely available?

Download iRecord: https://irecord.org.uk/