The birds that visit the woods in the winter are still very much with us - the woodcocks, siskins and winter thrushes. However, the migrants are getting closer as there have been reports from central France of cuckoos calling and swallows being seen.
Earlier in the month, a volunteer who checks on the livestock once a week, Brian Bundock, saw four comma butterflies in the wood. A recent photograph of snow in the woods and a comma butterfly last summer, both taken by the Warden, are below:
Meanwhile, The Kent and Reptile Amphibian Group (KRAG) have placed a number of reptile refugia around the Reserve ahead of a survey this spring and summer. Refugia are small sheets of roofing felt or corrugated metal placed on the ground which create warm sheltered areas to attract reptiles. After several claimed sightings over the years, the survey hopes to prove whether or not adders are present in the Reserve.