| When? |
What? |
What happens? |
Where and what to look for |
| 1st Week |
Blackthorn |
Flowers |
This small tree flowers even before it has leaves. |
| |
Ivy |
Has ripe berries |
On old walls or growing up the trunks of trees |
| |
Carrion Crow |
Female sits on nests |
Look for a tall tree among reasonably open country. The 'crowsnest'
will be right the top and is best seen now before the trees break into leaf |
| |
Ground Ivy |
Flowers |
Pretty little blue flowers and ivy-shaped leaves on a low-growing plant |
| |
Adders |
Become active |
The males moult to brilliant mating markings, become very active, fast,
sexual and bad tempered. At this time of year adders can normally be found seeking
the warming rays of the sun - often on tufts of purple moor grass in boggy
areas. But since they are so bad tempered it may not be such a good idea to
seek them out! |
| |
Greenfinches |
Singing |
Can be the most common singing birds in gardens. Greenfinches sing
in a tree about 4 meters up; emit a dull boring wheezing sort of song. Someone
should tell them that they can't sing. |
| |
Violets |
Flower |
Tiny blue flowers and ground hugging leaves. Look on sunny banks
with very low vegetation |
| |
Daffodils |
At their best |
You've just got to stroll along the leat in Chobham! |
| |
Wood ants |
Rebuild nests |
The wood ants wake up after Winter and on sunny days will swarm all over
the outside of their raised nests. Under scots pine around the Portobello Fields on
Chobham Common is a good place to look. If you come within 15 cm of them they will
spray you with formic acid - not painful unless it gets in your eyes - smells horrible
though! |
| |
Peacock and Comma butterflies |
Defend territory |
Peacock butterflies that have hibernated over the winter, emerge and can
be found aggressively guarding their territories. Look for a large gaudy (but
somewhat worn-looking) butterfly that glides - it has 'eyes' on the top of each wing. The
comma has a strange torn outline.
Both often found on sunny paths - the north common can be quite good on a sunny day. |
| |
Willow warbler |
Starts tentative song |
This beautiful slowly falling cascade of song is a true harbinger of
spring. Newly-arrived willow warblers can be heard singing on Chobham Common,
usually high up in a birch. By the third week it becomes the dominant singing bird
amongst trees. |
| 2nd week |
|
|
|
| |
Larch |
In leaf |
The larch is one of the few deciduous conifers. |
| |
Rowan |
In leaf |
This small tree is sometimes known as the mountain ash |
| |
Blackbirds |
Sing |
Lustily! Up until now the song thrush has probably been the
loudest thrush to sing in the garden. But now the blackbird takes over with its
melodious flute-like song. |
| |
Orange-tip, speckled wood and Small Tortoishell butterflies |
On wing |
Look for a small white butterfly with distinctive orange tips to its
wings. The small tortoiseshell has zebra stripes at the front of its wings.
The speckled wood has many dots on upper side of wings. |
| |
Stitchwort |
Start flowering |
This pretty white flower can be seen often on roadsides and damp woody
places. |
| 3rd week |
|
|
This is your last chance to get out and watch the Spring birds singing
before the trees come into leaf and block your view. |
| |
Newts |
In ponds |
At this time of year newts can be found in ponds - this is where they
breed. |
| |
Chiffchaff |
Sing |
The chiffchaff now overwinters in Britain but sings rather late in
Chobham. Its song is 'chiff- chaff' or has been likened to a dripping tap ... drip
drop, drip drop, drip drop..... |
| |
Stonechat |
Courting |
 Stonechats are probably one of the most
common birds on the common. Look for a small black-capped birds either singing from
the top of a bush or chasing their drab brown females amongst the heather. The call
sounds like two pebbles being dashed together |
| |
Willow warbler |
Singing |
Is now the most common singing bird around Chobham Common. |
| |
Tadpoles |
In water |
You should be able to spot hundreds or tadpoles lazying around in the
warmer parts of ponds |
| |
Blackbirds |
Young fledge |
The young of the blackbird is one of the first to leave the nest.
The fledglings often sit alone and forelornly in a bush waiting for their parent to return
with food. Youi can often locate them by their plaintive calls. Don't assume
that they are abandoned and capture them - leave them alone; their parents will return if
you go away. |
| |
Bluebell |
Flowers |
Bluebells can be found in deciduous woods - they dash into flower as soon
as it becomes warm and before the trees above them break into leaf and steal their
sunlight. Please don't pick .... leave for all to enjoy |
| |
Lime |
Starts in leaf |
The trees along the Chobham leat are limes. The new leaves are
bright lime coloured (of course!) |
| 4th week |
Great tits |
Lay eggs |
Great tits start laying one egg a day for 10 days. Then when they
have the full clutch they sit on them to warm them up so that they all hatch at once.
Watch for activity in any small round hole in a tree (or just put up a nest
box). |
| |
Cuckoo |
Arrives from Africa |
It is during this week that the cuckoo becomes clearly noticeable by its
distinctive call. But it is rather harder to spot; can be mistaken for a fast flying
stripped brown bird of prey |
| |
Swallows |
Arrive |
So Summer has arrived? Often seen around farms and stables.
They fly fast, have long streaming tails and red breasts |
| |
Beech, Oak and lime trees |
In leaf |
Now it's going to get more difficult to see birds in the woods |
| |
Tree pipit |
Start singing |
These birds can be heard singing high in the sky (lark-like) on open areas
of the common. Between singing they pirch at the top of small trees. |
