April, being a wonderful spring month started with a bang!
On the first day of the month, a Soay lamb was born followed by two more the next day. They are delightful. A further lamb was born to our youngest ewe – she was a bit surprised and failed to feed it. The girls immediately took over its development and it is now almost inseparable from the Pigmy goat kid that they also look after. They both romp around all day long, ending with a walk with the Labradors at the end of the day.
The Rusty Spotted Cat, the smallest cat in the world, is doing fine and settling. Rab is making a new enclosure, which will include a large permanently heated indoor den and an outside enclosure. This will be a permanent breeding house as we have been promised a young male in due course.
We were thrilled with the birth of 2 more Agouti’s and 3 baby Mongoose in the first week and a tiny Serval born on the 20th April. Our Barn Owls started to lay eggs on 29th April and are sitting on a full clutch.
As for the nature reserve, we have spotted our first Common Lizards and Slow Worms. In our ponds, the frog tadpoles are doing well and the newts (Common or Palmate newts) are courting. The male sits on the ground waving his tail curved in front of the female, who looks on almost unmoved with tiny cow like eyes. Eventually however, he makes an impression and she lays her eggs singly, not like frogs (egg) spawn.
The summer birds are arriving. The Blackcap, which is a small warbler and whose melodious song I believe is almost the quality of the Nightingale. The Chiffchaff, another small warbler, sits calling “chiffchaff,” heard often but not easily seen.
The first Swallows eventually arrived towards the end of the month.
One beautiful weekend in mid-April was a butterfly bonanza. Orange Tip Whites, small Tortoiseshell, small White and the gorgeous Yellow Brimstone were out in force. Small Browns were patrolling the pastures and others the hedges. Bumblebees enjoyed the fine sunshine. Primroses abounded at the beginning of the month but almost finished by the end – the first, we spotted in early January, so they had a good innings.
Now Lovage and red campion light up the lane in blues and reds with the rather frail “popcorn” white flowers making the whole feel very nationalistic.
Most of the nest boxes we put up for birds in February and many previously erected boxes are being used by Jack Daws, Blue Tits, Great Tits, House Sparrows and Coal Tits. We have a noisy but small rookery in the big Oak.
On the 7th of April, I made a presentation to about 35 W.I. ladies at St Ive in Cornwall, where 3 W.I. clubs had amalgamated. The talk was well received. We do try to get our name and work we do about.
Dartmoor, not far, is covered in wonderful yellow gorse – the only bush that flowers when “kissing is in fashion.” Fortunately, it flowers every month of the year but is almost at its best in the spring.
We were lucky enough to watch 7 red deer feeding against this backdrop and then run in front of our car one evening. We actually stopped to watch them. Then an uncertain youngster ‘pranced’ across, jumping high showing how fit he was. Finally, a very elegant mature hind ambled across, serenely and lady like. A wonderful scene.
April has been a wonderfully dry, burgeoning month. We look forward to an equal May.