3 ways to go wild in April
Spring always feels like one of those seasons you wait for for aaages because you're desperate for some weather, and then it seems to be over before you know it. It is literally the definition of a topsy turvy month, and many sayings around the world reflect that.
April showers bring May flowers, yes yes of course. Apparently other than saying that Spring is the season of love, in Italian they say: "Aprile, ogni goccia un barile" meaning April, every drop a barrel - every drop of rain is a barrel of wine. My kind of people. In German they say "April macht was er will" meaning April does what it wants, and in Japanese they say "Shunsho ikkoku, atai senkin" or half an hour of a Spring evening is worth a thousand gold pieces. Isn't that lovely?
April is the month of possibilities with a million things starting to happen around us. Here are my 3 suggestions for ways to inject a little wild into your month for anyone, from outdoor newbies all the way to pros with gear.
1.Go for a walk early and listen to the dawn chorus
The dawn chorus refers to the bird song you hear at dawn, specifically starting from now. This is the time for mating, and birds are getting especially vocal, from about early April through to the beginning of June. The 2nd of May is the official international dawn chorus day, but I thought I’d throw this in there to get your ear in - plus thanks to the clocks changing, sunrise is an hour later for a little while yet.
Why do birds sing most at dawn? There are various theories on this. At any time of year, it’s too dark to forage, so why not sing? But the main reason is that air conditions (reduced wind and air turbulence and less background noise) mean that bird song travels further in the air at dawn - up to 20 times more than at midday.
When is the best time to go? Birds start at 4am on average in summer. Eeeek I hear you say. Don’t worry you don’t have to go that early. Try an hour before sunrise-ish on a clear weather day.
Who is singing? Well, that’s the challenge I’ll leave up to you to decipher! The song changes throughout the morning but in general, robins are the first to start (in towns they’ll sometimes be heard singing at night). They will then be joined by the song thrush, blackbirds and wrens. Then you might hear a dunnock and a great tit with the last to join being house sparrows and finches. Why not have a listen to xeno-canto or this RSPB site (for British birds) and get yourself familiar with one or two and see if you can recognise them in the morning?
Just a friendly reminder though that playing songs back at this time of year in the open is not recommended because you might confuse birds that are in the process of mating.
A few extra juicy facts for you… according to some research in 2011, bird song in cities is at a higher pitch so that they can bounce off of hard surfaces better. Also, some birds can produce multiple tones at the same time because of where their syrinx (their version of a larynx) is located. Isn’t that amazing?
For the more avid naturalist, make sure you have your binoculars with you, and perhaps a notepad. Record any songs you can’t identify and ID them later. And obviously some snacks and a cup of coffee or tea - why not have breakfast on the go!
2. Find some water voles
Water voles are just coming into their breeding season in April so will get easier to see from here on in in the hustle and bustle caring for their future offspring.
They are legally protected and have decline massively over the last few decades. So an area near you that has some of these rodents inhabiting its bank side is a huge win!
They are the size of large rats, but have a really rounded muzzle and ears. They're exceptionally well camouflaged when they're on the bank so often they're not spotted until they are mid swim. Their droppings are also a very good indicator, looking like a huge dark green tic tac!
Another way to spot if a water vole is in the area is if you find any nibbled stalks of grass. Either in small piles or the tops of long grass (this is a good indicator of any vole).
Their muzzle looks very rounded compared to a rat (which is much pointier by comparison), and they are nearly twice the size of a field or a bank vole. When mid-swim they will have the whole body sticking out of the water, whereas a rat will only have its head sticking up.
When you do visit areas where there are water voles present, please do keep your dog on a lead and watch where it goes. It can be very upsetting to both the animals and wildlife watchers to see dogs trampling around in areas where such rare rodents live.
Check out the mammal society's crib sheet here.
3. Go for a walk in some bluebells woods
Bluebells are important for many reasons, but they are a quintessential sign of a healthy ancient woodland. Ancient woodland today only covers about 2.5% of the UK soil sadly, and a healthy carpet of bluebells shows the forest was grown and adapted to native wildlife.
There are two different species of bluebell - one is the native British species and the other is an invasive Spanish species. It’s actually very easy to tell them apart: the Spanish bluebell grows upright, whereas the British species droops to one side. Not all bluebells are purple though. I have seen some white ones, but apparently they can also be pink as well!
They provide valuable nectar to a variety of species of insects including woodland butterflies and bees but they don’t need to reproduce sexually (by seed) - they are actually capable of asexual reproduction as well through vegetative propagation.
Bluebell woods were associated with fairies throughout folklore. Fairies apparently use bluebells to trap human beings, or if you pick a bluebell you will be led astray by fairies wandering lost forevermore. But it is also the symbol of humility in the flower world.
If you do want to take photos of bluebells please be careful, it can take them years to recover from the damage of trampling, although habitat destruction is their number 1 source of conservation threat.
Here is the woodland trust’s list of best bluebell woods in the UK. And let me know in the comments: are bluebells purple or blue to you?
As ever, happy wild-ing!
Ester
Meet Ester
Wildlife camerawoman by day, jewellery designer by night, with a heap of crafting in the middle. Bristol-based but longing for a wilder setting.
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