Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust talk of a passion rooted in the natural world

With a seemingly endless stream of bad news about the environment and a burgeoning programme of poorly framed legislation alongside unambitious strategies and vague commitments from the government, it can be all too easy to lose sight of why I do the work I do. — writes Erin McDaid, of Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust

I work in the environmental sector because I want to make a difference, to help shape a better environment for all, but ultimately, my motivation is rooted in my passion for the natural world around me.

Whilst we should never be afraid to highlight the worrying state of the environment or to point out that wildlife is definitely in decline, we must all continue to take the time to look, listen and soak up the wildlife around us. With the days noticeably longer, now is a wonderful time to look forward to the many treats Mother Nature has in store for us in the coming months.

One of the natural highlights of the winter is the large numbers of ducks such as tufted duck, gadwall, pochard and wigeon that gather on wetland sites. These can be enjoyed on many Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trurst sites including Besthorpe Nature Reserve, Idle Valley, Skylarks at Holme Pierrepont and Attenborough. Another simple highlight to savour now are the hazel catkins bursting to life in our woodlands, parks and hedgerows.

As winter finally segues into spring, the focus on wetlands shifts towards the first spring migrants. Amongst the earliest are little ringed plover, sand martin and garganey. These can be seen alongside any winter visitors such as fieldfare and redwing that remain.

Grey herons are some of the earliest nesters and it is always worth keeping an eye out for their large nests, somewhat messy nests suspended in trees and mature hawthorns. The noise of adults greeting each other with raucous calls and bill clapping often signalling the location of nests. At Besthorpe, whilst their numbers no longer match those seen a decade or more ago, their place has, to some extent, been taken by the county’s first breeding colony of little egrets.

Spring migrants including blackcap and chiffchaff help bring life to woodland reserves including Duke’s Wood near Eakring or Ploughman Wood near Lowdham. Just as the birds are a delight for the ears, spring flowers such as bright yellow primroses bring a welcome splash of colour. Back on our wetland sites, mid-April is a good time to look for little gull and arctic terns which may be passing through, particularly on sites within the vital Trent Valley flyway. As well as taking time to appreciate the growing chorus of warblers as they seek both territory and mates, it is also worth listening out for the evocative call of the cuckoo.

May usually marks the peak of the spring passage period for birds. With many species travelling hundreds, even thousands, of miles to breeding sites, the month can throw up fleeting opportunities to spot rare arrivals.

With so many summer visitors joining our resident breeding birds, May is the best month to appreciate the spectacular dawn chorus. Whilst species such as blackbird, song thrush and robin can be enjoyed almost anywhere, wetlands and woodlands offer the prospect of species from garden warbler, black cap and willow warbler to the chiffchaff.

Whilst the dawn chorus unquestionably provides the soundtrack to spring, one of the most spectacular sights to savour is the large flocks of swallow, swifts, sand martin and house martin hunting for insects over the county’s water bodies. I particularly enjoy watching them from my kayak as they hunt over the River Trent or swoop to drink from the surface.

As June arrives, breeding season is well underway for most of our feathered friends and most species time the arrival of their chicks to coincide with the abundance of vital insect food. This makes June a good time to look out for insects including butterflies like the brown argus, common blue, small copper, orange tip and green-veined white. Dragonfly and damselflies including black-tailed skimmer, four-spot chaser, banded demoiselle and large red damselfly, add welcome colour as we soak up the long days of summer and start to look ahead to another six months natural delights.

Get Involved

On Thursday March 2, our Newark Local Members’ Group’s programme of wildlife talks will continue with a presentation about the wonderful wildlife of The Yorkshire Dales.

The talk will feature the nature of dales including Swaledale, Ribblesdae and Wharfdale as well as the spectacular Malham Cove and spectacular limestone pavements.

The event will be hosted by Newark Library between 7.30pm and 9pm.

For further details about this and other events across the county visit the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust website.