The Excitement of a Red Kite and Wildflowers

I love Winter, the cold frosty mornings, the dark nights, the crisp fresh air. But, however much I enjoy winter I am always glad to get that first glimpse of spring. That first warm day when you feel and sense that life is ready to spring into action for another year. This last weekend I really had that feeling and it felt good.

Lesser Celandine

Still a Lot of Water About

On Saturday we went for a walk around the landscape park at Croome. Such a beautiful part of Worcestershire and there can be a surprisingly large amount of wildlife about. Our walk produced 38 species of bird, the highlight was great views of a female Sparrowhawk. We also enjoyed watching the resident little owl and a fly over from the ever increasing Red Kites.

Red Kite and Buzzard

The Excitement of watching a Female Sparrowhawk

The story of the Red Kite is a real positive one for conservation. They were once seen as vermin and exterminated across England, only a small population survived in Wales. In 1989 they started introducing Kites to the Chilterns. Now there are possibly 1000 breeding pairs. Over recent years the numbers of sightings in Worcestershire have also increased. It was exciting to see my first of the year. Hoping for many more sightings.

Ground Ivy

An early Bluebell 

The Woodland Undergrowth Coming Through

What was particularity exciting to see at Croome at the weekend was the emerging undergrowth. There was the smattering of green leaves from the wild garlic and nettles breaking through the detritus on the woodland floor. Around the greenery there was the sightings of some wildflowers. It is great seeing the bright and colourful petals this time of year, really give a sense of hope. It was amazing what we found. Inevitably we came across lots of Lesser Celandine, primrose, snow drops but also we came across some ground ivy and a very early bluebell.

Nettles 

An area left for rewilding

On Sunday we had a walk around the canal, river and local nature reserve. Again it was exciting to see the numbers of wild flowers about. However, the area that really stood out was a small patch of ground next to the canal. It is an area that has been left bare after building works. No grass planted and hardly any topsoil, just left to take care of its self. It does get regular mowing, so after approximately two year since the area was “created” grass has begun to dominate. However, it was fun to stop and look at the wildflowers that had taken seed there.

Colt's-foot 

Common Field-speedwell

Red Dead-nettle

The way that nature will reclaim land and transform baron areas into beautiful green havens for wildlife is amazing. This process of succession is great to witness. We paused on our walk to take in the area. We saw plants like Colt's-foot, Forget-me-not, Red Dead-nettle and dandelion these are plants that are often found on waste ground and beside footpaths. It is always worth stopping and taking a look as you never know what you might find. Often people think of them as weeds but I think that they offer a little extra interest than the manicured, uniform, monoculture of grass.

Field Forget-me-not