CES 3, Volunteers and Spring

Tuesday, May 26th 2015

Usually early mornings for CES begin with a comment on the weather, the cold, the dawn or the frost, but today a different start.  Were aliens looking at Foxglove and wondering what all the people were doing at 0415 this morning?

Now back to reality.  The forecast for the remainder of the week is for strong wind and some rain so as today was calm and warmish, CES 3 was carried out.  It is one of the quietest of the twelve days of CES as most of the females are sitting on eggs and many of the males are singing and guarding territory, so do not move around much.  During the time the nets were up, ten and a half hours, over 100 birds were processed, including our first juveniles, a Robin and a Dunnock.  By the time we do CES 4 there should be many more.  Nuthatch, Bullfinch, Song Thrush, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff all made an appearance in the ringing room, where a nearly all lady ringing team were hard at work!

Tuesday volunteers were working and carried out a variety of jobs, from checking more tree tubes to trimming a hedge, intersperced with hunting for insects and bugs, especially as the temperature warmed up this afternoon.

Ladybirds, shield bugs, bees, butterflies and numerous tiny insects were all recorded.  Nature is amazing at this time of year.  Spring is so special as the cycle of life unfurls.  This insect managed to fly nimbly amongst the Hawthorn buds, without falling over its antennae!  When the photograph was enlarged on the screen it can be seen to be furry all over!  ID is ongoing.

Bluebells a real spring flower, are flowering in many parts of the reserve.  They are to be found in large quantities along Risedale Beck and on the moorland, but if you look under some trees and in semi shaded areas they can be seen there too, sometimes only a few but their blue colour stands out against the bright green grasses.

A huge thank you to all the volunteers who continue to work hard to make Foxglove the very special place it is.  Visitors make comments as to how helpful and friendly the volunteers and reserve managers are, how good the reserve looks and just generally how good Foxglove is!  Thank you and well done.

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