The Whisby wardens diary is back! 

Our warden team at the nature reserve has changed in recent months - first assistant warden Emily Summerlin left for a new conservation role in the Lake District, then warden Grahame Hopwood took well deserved retirement after 20 years of dedication to Whisby Nature Park - and our new warden, Jill Dobbie, and trainee warden, Dan Gamble, have been busy getting used to filling some robust and sometimes muddy boots! 

Now they're more settled, our new team have agreed to share monthly insights into the work going on behind the scenes (and sometimes in full view) around the site, so if you've seen the wardens or volunteers out and about and wondered what they're up to, or you're looking for some insider tips on the best places to spot particular species, this is for you... 

Spring is finally here! Around the reserve you can already hear and see woodland bird species such as chiffchaff, green woodpecker and blackcap. Cowslips and primroses are starting to flower and the blackthorn is in full bloom. Last year was a really good year for cowslips despite the extremely dry spring and to help prevent these delicate flowers being trampled we roped off some of the path verges and small meadows so they could bloom and set seed. We’re seeing early promise of another good showing this year, so we’ve protected some of the same verges this March. Look out for cowslips in the meadow next to the railway bridge, and along the north side of Grebe Lake.

Spring, of course, is peak nesting and breeding season for wildlife, so we’ve put down the power tools and instead we’ve been focusing on repairs and maintenance to reserve infrastructure such as fences and hides. We’ve also been managing the water levels to help provide nesting islands for our returning black-headed gull colony, and other wetland bird species. You can see (and hear!) the black-headed gulls gathering on the islands on Thorpe Lake.

Please help protect our wildlife by remembering to keep your dogs on a short lead when walking around Whisby (except on the signposted path around Thorpe Lake, where they are welcome off lead if under close control) and not letting them stray from the paths into the undergrowth. It is very important for their own health and safety as well as that of our resident birds and other wildlife that they do not enter the water. Thank you!