April is such a vibrant time of year, with longer days and birds in full song.
Depending on the weather and how the migrations have gone, you might be lucky enough to spot some early visitors like swallows and swifts by the later parts of the month.
You may also hear the Sedge or Reed Warblers in the ditches and reedbeds. Sedge warblers have a dark eye stripe, while Reed warblers are more indistinct with richer brown on top and lighter underneath. It might be easier to tell their songs apart; the Sedge warbler often sings from a perch with an irregular, erratic song that has a hint of chaos and changes speed with a scratchy element. The Reed warbler tends to be hidden in the reeds, singing a steady, rhythmic, slow-paced, softer, and repetitive song. You can use the Merlin Bird ID App which help identify bird song and you might like to look at BirdTrack App for recording bird migration in the UK.
These extraordinary little birds left our shores late last summer, crossing the Channel and the Sahara Desert to overwinter before returning to us. They weigh between 10-15g and sometimes fly three days non-stop. The Sedge Warbler is on the UK Amber List, thought to be related to rainfall affecting the south of the Sahara, which is feeling the effects of climate change at an accelerated rate. I like to think of these epic journeys made by these loud little insect eaters and remember the interconnectedness of life across the globe, and how all the actions we take have far-reaching effects. Why not investigate local climate action on the climate action hub or Seaford Environmental Alliance www.seafuture.org.
It would not be April without mentioning the glorious bluebells covering our woodland floors. On a warm day, you can smell them before you see them. They are well worth a journey to see in their majesty before the buds burst into leaf and the woodland canopy shades out most of the ground flora.
Frog and Toad tadpoles should be visible in local ponds and ditches, having survived so far. On sunny or warm overcast days, you might be lucky enough to see a basking lizard or adder in the bracken, heathlands, and scrub edges of the Downs. Make sure you stomp around if you do not want to see them! It is also a good idea to keep dogs on the lead for their safety and to protect ground-nesting birds. This consideration applies to most natural grasslands, wetlands, and the vegetated shingle on our beaches. If you feel so inclined, please report your amphibian and reptile sightings through the Froglife Dragon Finder App and help contribute to citizen science mapping herpetofauna distribution.
Enjoy a bit of green wellbeing before the May madness begins!
For training opportunities on offer through Ouse Valley Climate Action project please see www.southdowns.gov.uk/climate-action-hub/. If you’re interested in anything from first aid to setting up a community group, or nature identification to funding bid writing, please get in touch – contact@greenhavens.network
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