Return to Foxglove

Today was my first day back at Foxglove after a winter away counting penguins. Elizabeth managed to get some good views of the Roe Deer on the way into work but they had vanished by the time I arrived. They were nibbling the new Hawthorn leaves.

The day started with a walk around the reserve with Elizabeth, looking at all the changes that have happened over the winter. The reserve is looking very neat and tidy and I was impressed by the vast amounts of work carried out by the staff and volunteers since I left in October. The coppice blocks are looking particularly good and are awash with Primroses and Dog Violets which appear to appreciate the extra light reaching the woodland floor.

In the afternoon, the Foxglove nest box season officially began as a team of us set out armed with ladder, net, rings and a map to check the first nest boxes. We started with the large boxes as it is too early in the season for checking the small boxes.

We have 16 large boxes on the reserve, which we hope will be occupied by Tawny Owls. So far we have found good numbers of Jackdaws, all of which are now incubating eggs. We will return later in the season to put rings on the chicks. No owls were found today but we still have plenty of boxes to check over the coming weeks.

I had a very enjoyable first day back at Foxglove and am looking forward to another busy summer.

Stacey.