New projects for 2015

Well firstly a happy new year to everyone! And this year I am kicking it off by introducing the 2015 flagship species of honey bees! As awareness rises of pollinators in general decline, Parndon Wood Nature reserve is trying to do its bit with plans to install several bee hives over the coming years, along with the installation of bee gardens, showing visitors the types of bee friendly plants they can have, setting up a flower stall dedicated to Bee friendly plants and also organising bee themed events throughout the year, including a ‘buzzing bee’ day at the reserve, with live demonstrations from Harlow bee keepers association. So quite a busy year ahead!

January has seen us get on the road with these projects by taking delivery of 6 large concrete planters, recycled from another location in Harlow. Arriving in a slightly neglected state, staff have worked to clear them of the rubbish within the tubs, adding compost and planting the first of many Bee friendly plants. So far, lavender, rosemary, sage, chives, grape hyacinths, crocus and snow drops have been planted and there is room for more to be popped in throughout the year!

The transformation undertaken is already fantastic and hopefully, that as the weather warms up, these will help our local pollinators with the first struggles of the year.

Some of our concrete planters looking a bit sad.

The first selection of our Bee friendly plants adding colour!

January also saw the reserve joining in with the RSBP Big Bird Watch of 2015. Over the weekend we offered identification books and binoculars to the visitors who came back with a huge list of birds which were spotted, including 6 Great Tits, 16 Blue Tits, 2 Robins, 1 Nuthatch, 2 Crows, 2 Magpies, 1 Jay, 10 Wood Pigeons, 3 4 Blackbirds, 2 Chaffinches, 2 Jackdaws, 3 Long tailed Tits, 1 Great Spotted Woodpecker, 1 Marsh Tit, 1 Seagull, 1 Green Woodpecker. The other birds spotted by our visitors today include a Sparrow hawk, 2 Ducks, 2 Bullfinches and a goldfinch, all on just one day!

Feathery and Festive

Well what a brilliant end to 2014! Opening up the bird hides at Parndon Wood Nature Reserve (Harlow) has been a truly magical experience recently, mainly due to the thick frosts which have occurred. There is nothing quite like walking through a frozen forest first thing in the morning and hearing the leaves crunch under your feet. Yes, you're probably making your presence known to every living animal in the area as you crunch along the paths, but at the same time, it's amazing how amplified the rustling sounds become too! 

The cold weather has also made it much easier to spot favorite feathered friends who spend lots of time at the numerous bird feeders located around the reserve. Robins are generally quite easy to spot in the reserve anyway, but there's something quite lovely about seeing one look back at you from a frozen tree as you open a hide up! It also does wonders for getting you into the 'festive feeling' for Christmas! (Which, lets be honest, can sometimes be a bit of a struggle, especially when there's a Santa's Grotto to organise!)

Robins are obviously the poster bird for this time of year, beautifully demonstrated by the chap above. For such a seemingly small and innocent bird it's quite startling just how vicious they can be to each other. Males hold their territories all year round, choosing visible 'lookout posts' to be able to check on their neighbours and to defend their territories. I've once been told that if you find a dead Robin outside, it's likely to have been killed by another bird!  Although being highly territorial is bad if you're another Robin, it's nice to see them when so many other birds are missing this time of year. 

Robins are still beautiful birds to see and the flash of their red breasts makes a welcome splash of colour this time of year. Now that Christmas is nearly upon us, it shouldn't be too long before we see the return of migrants and hear the songs of other birds within the reserve. I hope all our visitors and readers have a wonderful time over Christmas and New Year and I can't wait to see what 2015 will bring to the reserve!