| Spring in your step Our resident ecologist and committee member Julie Ellis took a moment in March to consider the arrival of spring in the OchiIs. Spring has arrived! The hills seem to have been in the icy grip of winter for so long that birdsong and spots of green on the ground and in deciduous woodland seem unfamiliar and strange — but the signs are there! The next few weeks should see the greenery increase and the occasional burst of hopeful birdsong gradually build towards the tumultuous crescendo of a glorious April dawn chorus and another breeding season. For the wildlife watcher and natural historian, one of the key features of the OchiIs is their mosaic of habitats. This is biodiversity — literally — in action. As a result, a spring walk in the OchiIs can be rewarded by views of a broad range of the flora and fauna associated with different habitats. The semi-natural habitats of heather moorland and unimproved grassland (both calcareous and acid) in the upland areas also have occasional patches of blanket bog that are well worth exploring - with care - as children of all ages (!) enjoy jumping up and down to "feel the wobble". The upland areas are interspersed with coniferous plantations. Although receiving bad press for their ability to alter the ecology of adjacent habitats (by impacting the soil and water acidity and shading other species) as well as largely consisting of exotic species, the woodland edges provide shelter for birds, bats and invertebrates. Late March and April mark the emergence of bats from hibernation, as well as the return of many of the migrant birds. Invertebrates are on the wing as temperatures rise and winds drop, so a dusk walk may be rewarded by the sight of bats feeding in sheltered areas or near water. Those same invertebrates will be fattening up warblers such as chiffchaffs and willow warblers on their return from migration. In more sheltered and less acidic areas the deciduous woodlands will start to "green up" over the next few weeks with most of the trees coming into leaf in May. The normal sequence of leafing is birch first, followed by willow, oak, ash and alder. But remember "if the oak is out before the ash we're in for a splash, if the ash is out before the oak we're in for a soak". Best keep the waterproofs to hand then! Look out for the glorious sunny yellow lesser celandine, as well as wood anemones and violets on the woodland floor from late April. In hedgerows and scrub patches, blackthorn flowers will also come into bloom in April, with leaves following close behind. By then we'll
be looking forward to summer. Happy wildlife-watching!
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