It’s been an interesting month at Whisby, with the wildflower meadows starting to look very lush and green and the weather feeling sometimes like spring and then a short heatwave reminding us that summer is on its way! We started the month with a wonderful International Dawn Chorus Day walk on 3 May, where we heard over 35 different species of birds! Out and about on the reserve we’ve already seen plenty of goslings, cygnets and ducklings and the black-headed gull chicks are hatching on the islands and rafts of Grebe Lake and Thorpe Lake. 

One of the tasks we’ve been doing this month on the reserve is surveying and monitoring some of the species we find here at Whisby. Recording this data is important to help assess the success of our management work and understand where to tweak or make changes as the reserve continues to evolve over time. After the incredibly dry spring and summer last year, it’s been heartening to see species such as bee orchids, southern marsh orchids and broad-leaved helleborines popping up again around the reserve. You might be able to spot some of these along the edges of Magpie Walk and Grebe Lake paths.

We’ve been doing some light trimming along the walking trails and benches around our reserves to keep them safe and accessible, but we’ll also be letting the verges grow well into June and July before we start mowing them, to provide plenty of wildflowers and habitats for bees, butterflies and other pollinators. 

Over the next couple of months, many birds will still be on nests, and young animals and fledglings will be particularly vulnerable as they start to venture out on their own to feed and explore. As always, a big thank you for helping protect our wildlife by keeping your dogs on a short lead and bagging and binning any poo bags.