Nature Notes March 2025
Nature Notes
Taking advantage of the amazingly warm weather at the beginning of the month, we decided to see just how much wildlife we could find in some of the open spaces of Reepham. The Rooks were very noisy around Moor House as we headed into town and a Nuthatch was giving its ‘pee-pee-pee’ spring call from the mature trees along Bar Lane North. A large queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee was investigating mouse holes in the earth bank, searching for a suitable site to make her nest. We crossed Norwich Road into the old cemetery, wending our way slowly, seeing what we could see. At a corner of the path, a bright red something in the leaf litter caught our eye and there was not one, but four big Scarlet Elfcaps, the first we had ever seen in Reepham! Further on, a bushy Cherry Plum was in full flower, attracting various insects with its delicate scent, making the warm air hum with activity. Two pairs of Rooks were disputing their rights to the upper branches of the old pine tree: an ideal nesting site, as the pine needles would hide the nests from unwanted scrutiny. The first Celadine had just unfurled its glossy, golden petals under the trees and many Primroses were flowering. In the churchyard we watched a 7-spot Ladybird busily working its way through the leaves of Aubretia in the wildlife friendly garden and a Bee-fly was visiting the Lungwort flowers which are a good source of nectar early in the year. Goldcrests were squeaking in the yew trees. They would be preparing to hang their fragile nests from the tips of the branches. This helps protect them from predators such as Jays, Magpies and squirrels. Goldcrests are our smallest resident bird; a dumpy little ball of feathers with a gold stripe on the crown of its head and a high pitch call that many people cannot hear. Lifting an old memorial stone lying on the grass, the top of an ant’s nest was revealed, upsetting not only the ants, but several Ant Woodlice. These are fascinating small Crustacea; the same size as the ants themselves, but white, with hyperactive antennae, which presumably help them navigate the intricacies of the completely dark ant’s nest. They are scavengers and provide a cleaning service to the ants, by living on the detritus produced by the colony. The warm weather had also brought out the butterflies, as Muriel had a bright orange Comma in her garden.
Do let me know if you see any interesting wildlife (rachel.42rr@btinternet.com)
