28th April 2025 - the RiverCare team again started their monthly sampling of the life in the river at the ford, by the road bridge between Little and Great Abington.
The results are tabulated below, and are similar to this time last year. No Signal Crayfish in this sample, but a number of small Bullhead fish 'fry' and a single small Trout. Lots of Olive larvae.
29th April 2025 - the first damselfly of the year - a Large Red Damselfly - seen my Polly M in her garden today. Len M also found one in his garden on 30th.
[photo Len M]
28th April 2025 - if Andy M goes out in his garden, it's not long before a friendly, semi-tame male Blackbird is at his heels, collecting up any insects that may be disturbed and taking them back to the nest. This has been diligently going on for two or three weeks now, so it shouldn't be long before his youngsters appear.
28th April 2025 - several years ago, Andy M put up a sparrow nestbox in the hope of encouraging some of the nearby colony to take up residence. They never did! But on the upside a Blue Tit regularly uses one end, and this year it has a new neighbour - a Great Tit seems to have moved into the central chamber - apparently the two species being quite happy to nest side-by-side.
27th April 2025 - David F sent a few photos from a walk around the village and from his garden, including a clump of Green Alkanet and Cowslip from Granta Park, some lovely Marsh Marigold and Tadpole from the garden pond, and also a newly-excavated burrow of a Mining Bee.
27th April 2025 - David F has found he had a couple of night-time visitors to his garden recently, a Hedgehog and a Fox, captured on his trail camera.
18th April 2025 - Derek T spotted a Chiffchaff perching in a bush outside his house. It perched there for some time, although it didn't seem hurt - perhaps resting after a long journey migrating here from southern Europe.
17th April 2025 - Roger D has a lovely clump of Cowslip growing in his garden - mostly nicely bright yellow, as they should be. But he also noticed a few rogue ones, varying in colour from pink, through Orange to Red. Likely the result of some cross-hybridisation with some local garden Primula varieties, which are closely related to the wild Cowslip.
13th April 2025 - an unusual sight was spotted on Bancroft's Meadow. Running around the feet of the horses grazing there, and feeding on insects stirred up by their hooves, was a Yellow Wagtail. Not only was it unusual to see this species in the Abingtons, but Andy M had never seen them behaving like this before either - somewhat reminiscent of the Cattle Egret further south in Africa - maybe the Yellow Wagtail learnt a new trick there over the winter.
13th April 2025 - Andy M took a stroll in the sunshine around Granta Park. Notable were the singing Chiffchaff and Blackcap, and a Grey Squirrel hopping around in the new Dog's Mercury foliage. A few Celandine were in flower, as were several large patches of Ground Ivy, as well as a few Green Alkanet. There were a few butterflies around, including a Speckled Wood in Lagden's Grove, which is starting to green up a bit after its recent 'renovation'.
Near the beehives in Lagden's Grove, he also discovered a good-sized Honeybee swarm hanging on scrub in the sun. He alerted the site apiarist who came to collect them for re-housing in a new hive.
10th April 2025 - Andy M took a little time out in the garden with his camera recently, and spotted a good number of species, including Blue Tit and Dunnock, and Robin and Goldfinch all busily searching for food or singing to attract a mate. A male Blackbird has been following us around the garden diligently collecting food to take back to the nest.
6th April 2025 - David F noted the usual patch of early-flowering Bluebell on the PRV, and the mass of white flowering froth of the Blackthorn along the Old Carriage Track.
