Page 5 - Wildlife News April 2017

WILD Make a day of it on one of our circular wildlife walks, bidBbteorounwmlstiHsihtfeti.ecuenonaptraitgotioroo.nnuntaekhyldsl/oketbhuihlmielrersrdb.ebHc-i.risraedodaslnsdolgntsog
WALKS including a seven-mile ramble taking in Foxholes.
Visit bbowt.org.uk/nature-reserves/wild-walks for details.

UP WITH THE LARK

A recent TV series counting down the country’s top 40 wildlife
spectacles awarded birdsong and the dawn chorus (or ‘hymn to
the dawn’) a top ten place. I wholeheartedly agree and would
rank the dawn chorus as one of the greatest natural shows on
earth – nature’s very own awe-inspiring symphony!

The wide open vistas of Wells Farm, south-east of Oxford, offer
the opportunity to marvel at some of the iconic sounds of spring.
Thanks to wildlife-friendly farming practices, Wells Farm is home to
some of our much-declined farmland bird species.

The incessant song-flight of the skylark is often the first sound
to greet you on an early morning visit as the bird takes its cue from

Wells Farm supports numerous farmland bird species. Skylark. (STEFAN JOHANSSON)
(STEVE DAY)
the eastern sky. It is traditionally one of the earliest risers (hence
the origin of ‘up with the lark’) and is impossible to match as a
songster.

The maturing hedgerows surrounding many of the fields
harbour a healthy population of yellowhammers. Luckily the song
can be transcribed to words, making it one of the easier songs to
remember: ‘a little bit of bread and no cheeese’! Other birds have
songs which can remind you of familiar sounds. The repeated
verse of the corn bunting, for example, is very similar to a jangling
bunch of keys. With a little bit of luck you may spot one of these
dumpy birds sitting atop a fence post on the southern boundary
of the nature reserve.

Native vs Spanish Enjoy the dawn chorus at Bowdown Woods. (ROB APPLEBY)

Introduced by the Victorians, the Spanish bluebell aggressively Bowdown Woods, near Greenham Common, Berkshire, is a
competes with our delicate native bluebell. It easily great place to experience the dawn chorus within a woodland.
crossbreeds to create hybrids. Avoid planting it and enjoy a Attempting to identify how many birds are singing at once can
wild display instead. Here’s how to tell a native bluebell from a be great fun – and a real challenge! The rich repertoire of melodic
Spanish bluebell. notes of a blackbird, the soft conversational notes from a flock
of rooks, the whistling song of a mistle thrush and the rhythmic
(PETER CREED) cooing of wood-pigeons are just some of the many sounds that
(RICHARD BURKMAR) can add to the magnificent and intense peak of the dawn chorus.
Native bluebell
n Drooping ‘shepherd’s Spanish bluebell It’s vibrant and uplifting; it’s powerful and melodic; it’s
n Upright stems with conical soothing, yet it’s stimulating – and it happens every morning
crook’ stems with narrow bell-shaped flowers throughout spring. Why not get up early to treat yourself to one
bell-shaped flowers n Lacks any scent of nature’s great wonders?
n Sweet scent n Blue pollen
n Creamy white pollen Colin Williams, Reserves Ecology Officer

Join a guided bluebell or dawn chorus walk.
Find out where and when: bbowt.org.uk/whats-on

Wildlife news / April 2017 5