Rippingale nature columnist Ian Misselbrook writes about the wading birds that can be seen at the moment
Both March and April were incredibly dry months, although, for the eastern part of our area at least, the northeast wind prevented us enjoying the high temperatures that other parts of the country experienced, writes nature columnist Ian Misselbrook.
That was at least until the last week in April when the wind finally abated, and I noted an abundance of butterflies and bees.
I am not sure where it came from, but a bushy perennial called white comfrey first appeared in our garden last year; bizarrely growing in our brick barbeque. This year it has appeared in other parts of the garden too and the flowers are amazingly attractive to bees. In addition to the more common bumblebees such as early and buff-tailed bumblebee, I was surprised to find hairy-footed flower bees visiting this plant too. It doesn’t attract butterflies, but we have plenty of other wildflowers that do, enabling my species count in the garden to rise to eight by the end of April.
In marked contrast to last spring, migrant birds arrived on time or even earlier than the norm. Swifts appeared over my village on the first of May, three days earlier than last year. All the hirundines (swallows and martins) were seen before mid-April but once again fewer in number. Warblers are here in good numbers though, with whitethroats, sedge warblers and chiffchaffs especially abundant filling the hedgerows and dyke-sides with cheerful song.
May is also proving to be an exciting month for wading birds passing through. The RSPB’s reserves at Frampton Marsh and Freiston Shore are the jewels in the crown but closer to home Willow Tree Fen nature reserve, Rutland and Eyebrook reservoirs, together with some of the small reserves near Eton and Maxey are attracting northerly bound waders. One of my favourites is the ruff; so- called because in full breeding plumage the cock birds develop a ruff of feathers on their neck rivalling that of Sir Walter Raleigh!
North Cambridgeshire is hanging on to turtle doves and nightingales, but both these species are pretty well absent from neighbouring Lincolnshire. Turtle doves are said to have increased by 40% in Europe, following a shooting ban in some European countries, but sadly the ban has been lifted, albeit with quotas imposed. Conservationists in Malta report that hunters there exceeded their quota even before the hunting season officially opened. I always associated the purring of turtle doves and screaming of swifts with the arrival of summer, and I fervently hope that future generations will still be able to enjoy this experience.
