BBC’s Springwatch is up and running again and this time from our own, very special, Ynys-hir nature reserve in Ceredigion. I know just how much work goes into putting on the programme and the efforts of the BBC team and our own staff are much appreciated.
You can keep up with Springwatch here from the BBC and here direct from the team at Ynys-hir. But do be careful of the webcams - they can keep you up really late.
Just as Wimbledon always encourages some of us to dust off the tennis rackets – Springwatch is a spur to catch up with nature for real. I’ve been trying to keep up with spring this year, when I can.
I was at Dungeness recently – I was there for work but managed to fit in a walk around the reserve – would have been rude not to! Sedge warblers and whitethroats burst out and dived into stream-side brambles outdoing each other in a scratchy song contest. Hobbies wheeled over the wetlands, sometimes flashing by at eye level or stalling to crunch a dragonfly in flight. A highlight was a pair of garganey, the drake’s head stripe standing out even in the distance. And from the reeds a bittern boomed, Last year was the first time they nested at Dungeness so it’s good to know that they are making the reserve one of their regular haunts. The garganey pair was not far from this gathering of little egrets and cormorants.
There are some great places to visit to here – do have a rummage through our RSPB reserves on line and plan a visit
A chance conversation about nettles ended up with me being quoted in this story – my son is very keen on nettles (he loves butterflies) and here he is getting up close with some ...
You don’t have to go far from home to encounter some of our most fantastic spring wildlife – this treat was waiting for me this morning (along with two others) in my moth trap.
Elephant hawkmoth
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