Hi everyone,
It's been a busy month so far, so sorry for the quietness on the blog front. I'll pull my socks up.
In the meantime, Peter's on hand with an Easter themed blog.
What a weekend. Good Friday, then St George's Day on Saturday, and now Easter Sunday. Classic time for gardening and for spring lambs.
We are in the middle of lambing with our flock of Shetland sheep. They are doing fine, and are easy to see - just ask at reception. Last year's lambs are also doing well, but live off the reserve untill they are needed to graze - they are our woolly lawnmowers! This week they have had to be moved to new fields to give them fresh grass to eat which means rounding them up and getting them into the trailer just to go round the corner. Hard but rewarding work for staff and volunteers.
But it's not just lambs that are running around. If you look carefully in the meadow from the kestrel trail, you may spot our young hares, known as leverets. If you've not seen a hare before, they can seem quite large, not at all like rabbits. Also look for the summer visitors, especially the yellow wagtails which are often seen on the fence posts. The sand martins are prospecting their nest sites, the marsh harrier is flying over and the swallows are here, so summer is just around the corner.
The wildlife garden is recovering from the cold and wet and the flowers are just buzzing with bumble bees. We will be featuring the garden with special events on 7 and 8 May. There'll be a whole host of hands-on activities to take part in, as well as events and displays and to inspire you to step up for nature in your own green space. Find out more on the Saltholme events page.
We look forward to seeing you in the garden,
Peter.