During the chilly Easter that we're experiencing, the dawn chorus that we've been delighted with has been relatively subdued. It's not only the lack of song that's been noticable; when the snow started falling and the winds picked up, a bird wasn't seen on the feeders for a good few days. The weather may have slowed the progress of Spring, but the snow is handy as it helps identify telltale signs of some of Coombes more elusive species. When I was out for a walk over the weekend I saw tracks made by pheasants all over the reserve and a number of tracks made by deer.
Badger tracks in the snow (Photo by Lizzy Ingram)
It's pretty easy to know when you've come across a red deer track like Mark and I did on Monday 25th. Their prints are much bigger than the other 2 deer species (roe and muntjac) that we get at Coombes. Alongside the deer and pheasant tracks we also saw the occasional paw prints of fox and badger! Badgers are very rarely seen, so it's nice to be reminded of their presence.
Great Spotted Woodpecker at Coombes feeder (Photo by Simon Gray)
As the winds calmed and the snow started to take a break, the birds begain returning to the feeders. A great spotted woodpecker was among them! The resident grey squirrel was also back, but as usual was thwarted in its attempts by the feeder cages.
Beginnings of Willow catkins down by the pond (Photo by Simon Gray)
Just before we were engulfed by the cold snap there were signs that Spring was on its way. Willow by the pond was showing the beginnings of its catkins. Does anybody know what kind of willow species this is?If you see any signs of spring or of elusive animals, either at Coombes or near to where you live, then please let us know. You can upload pictures to our facebook page or email them to us at coombes.valley@rspb.org.uk