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One of the species which we are lucky to have on school land is the tree sparrow. This species is much less numerous than it used to be and is difficult or impossible to find in many areas. I have seen tree sparrows several times recently and, on the 29th April, I saw a bird sitting high in an ash, calling repeatedly. This was quickly joined by a second bird which appeared from a hole in a damaged section of the tree, so it seems likely that this is being used as a nesting site.
A sure sign of the arrival of spring was the sight of an orange-tip butterfly near the cricket field on the 1st day of this month. Other insects have also become more visible, including some huge greater diving beetles in the Great Garden pond and a number of different types of bee. The red-tailed bumblebee (Bombus lapidarus) pictured on this page was found, dead, on the edge of the cricket pitch. |
Swallows
have been seen over the school in small numbers and the
first cuckoo of the year flew over Great Garden on the
29th April, calling loudly as it flew. On the 26th, a
group of lesser black-backed gulls was sitting on the
cricket pitch early one morning, possibly after having
roosted there for
the night. This is a migratory species
and the birds seen were probably taking a break during
their journey northwards. A sighting of a male bullfinch
on the 27th was the first for a long time and, on the
22nd, a jay flew over the junior department. Jays used to
be resident in Great Garden but have not been around for
more than a year.