The Art of Noticing ~ April 2025

1^st April 

Off in search of a rebel faction of our longhorn cattle determined to keep us on our feet. Birdsong caresses the senses from every angle. Did you know, birdsong calms our nervous system? Harking back from our hunter gatherer days, we are still attuned to finding peace in their song, as it signalled safety.

2^nd April

A muntjac wanders without care on the footpath ahead of me. The hedgerows are abloom with blackthorn and alive with insect activity. Of particular note is a peacock butterfly amongst the hum of fuzzy bumblebees. 

3^rd April

A roe buck potters untroubled through the woodland, antlered ready for summer rutting season. Every time I see a roe throughout spring, they are redder in colour, where they were a deep brown over winter.

5^th April

The buds that were barely visible on the oak trees in the Park just a few weeks ago are now fresh young green leaves, with their small pale-green flowers dangling like pendants. Did you know, oak apples used to be used for making ink? Oak trees may live for a thousand years or more.

7^th April

The cuckoo flowers have blossomed since last week and the air is heavy with the earthy floral notes of spring. Cuckoo flower is a favourite of the orange-tip butterfly, alongside garlic mustard.  A bumblebee bobs alongside me as I walk. The robins are still battling their territory.

8^th April

All is silent as I cross through the woodland. A buzzard circles above, quieting the birdsong. A speckled wood butterfly potters by, untroubled by the silence.

9^th April

Bumblebees bumble through the bluebells at the base of a mature hornbeam tree. The longhorns are heavy with calf, their movements slower.

10^th April

The margins of the lake are awake with the warbling of various small birds. A normally sociable robin proves camera shy. The male greenfinches – set to prove their prowess in search of a mate – show off their extravagant flight, reminding me somewhat of a dog with zoomies, all their bashfulness of the other seasons ousted by their drive to procreate.

12^th April

Our first spring calf is born and named Zooey, born to mum Teabag. Dandelions pepper the meadows, they truly are one of nature’s gifts, despite their poor reputation with gardeners, Dandelions are antioxidant, and wonderful for detox. All parts of the dandelion are edible apart from the stem and clock. Greens are a wonderful, bitter addition to salad, and lower inflammation and blood pressure whilst also controlling cholesterol, petals make a wonderful tea or honey infusion, and the root when dried makes a liver-healing coffee substitute.

15^th April

Our bovine mums-to-be are starting to look a bit restless, more calves seeming imminent. Skylarks pepper the fields, swooping vertically with their distinctive song. A tiny baby rabbit bobs through the long grass at the top of Windmill Hill.

16^th April

A tempest at Elmore, during which two new calves arrive: Zabrina, named for the Goddess of the Severn, Sabrina, and Zephyr, named for the Greek God of the West Wind.

17^th April

Another arrival, Zelda, sheltered in a crib of brush. A great white egret returns to the scrapes after a short absence. A short-eared owl, our first, is seen at dusk.

20^th April

Four little calves sunbathing together. A braw, vibrant fox is untroubled by human presence.

21^st April

After a stormy start the sun firmly appears, giving the land a fertile glow. My feet carry me to the base of an ancient oak, seen but never truly noticed. Sunlight dapples through her leaves, which dance in the gentle breeze.

24^th April

A goldfinch greets me on my walk toward the treehouses, with its red head and vibrant yellow striped wing it looks strangely exotic compared to other British birds. In the treehouse trees, jays cackle, and a woodpecker drums. A lapwing call can be heard amongst the more common songbirds.

25^th April

The chat of the sedge warbler drowns out that of the reed warbler. Skylarks wander through the scrapes, their plumage reminding me of ancient military garb.

27^th April

We welcome our first crane visitors to Elmore, our 109^th species of bird. At dusk, a roe buck potters up the hill into the woods.

28^th April

A speckled wood butterfly flutters through the vibrant lush greenery, of which the smell is palpable.

30^th April

Sun drenches the fields here today, and the undergrowth is full of insect life. Ducklings and moorhen chicks pepper the scrapes, and two Canada geese honk as they fly northwards. The horse chestnuts are heavy in flower and the black poplar saplings we planted in the winter have healthy green leaves.

By Briony Cobb, Nature, Ecology and Wellness Manager at Rewild Things.