Nice to see my first Fly Orchids in flower today at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend, over a week earlier than last year but similar to the earlier 2020s records. A nice surprise for anyone coming on my guided walk on Sunday morning, 26 April. Details and booking at bbowt.org.uk/events.
The best spring flower display at @bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend for some years with early and later spring species now overlapping, and amongst them I spotted a new fly Bibio reticulatus, something I would not have recorded without #BestFlyBook bit.ly/4dqQI8Z - thanks to @naturebureau.bsky.social
The curlew is now one of our most endangered birds. But through our reserve management and projects to restore our wild landscapes, we aim to reverse their fortunes and make the iconic bubbling call common once again.
Keep a lookout tomorrow for a BIG opportunity to support our work for curlews...
This wonderful curlew courtship display was captured by Emma Gibbens in Duxford, near to our reserve.
While the male curlew is clearly persistent, we don't think his prospective partner looks too impressed!
#WorldCurlewDay
🦔 Hedgehogs are, hands down, one of our favourite mammals – it’s always a joy to see one! Which makes their sudden decline all the more distressing.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is we can do something about it. Ben's here to show you how 👇
buff.ly/Kjrh1Id
#NationalMammalWeek
At this time of year the tiny fry start to hatch out. Spend an hour by a clear river or stream and see how many fish you can spot!
👉 Discover more wildlife this April: buff.ly/WpZIXR5
Two brown trout fry on a gravel river bed.
🐟️ A fierce predator of small fish and flying insects, the brown trout is widespread in our freshwater rivers. It has a golden body, flanked with pale-ringed dark spots.
Mating season for these fish is usually January to March, with eggs laid in riverbed gravel.
📸 Linda Pitkin
🦇 There’s nothing quite as entertaining as settling down in a comfy garden chair to watch the bats come out to swish and swoop on their hunt for food.
They’re fascinating creatures, but they need our help.
Here’s how you can do your bit 👇
🦇 On the warmer spring evenings bats will be out flying around over gardens and parks looking for insects to eat.
One of the most common bats you'll see is the common pipistrelle. Even though these are tiny they can eat around 3,000 insects every night!
👉 Discover more wildlife: buff.ly/WpZIXR5
Four wheatears recently called in on migration to enjoy the chalk scrapes at the Dancersend Extension, just below the highest point in the Chilterns.
It was great to see them perched on information boards (which tell visitors to look out for migrants!) and fences nearby.
📸 @mickdjones.bsky.social
Discover more about this iconic flower and watch last year's count 👇
www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEEG...
Numbers will vary to an extent each year due to flooding over the previous 24 months, weather leading up to the flowering season, and the impact of browsing deer.
And the site is at the mercy of a rapidly changing climate, which can increase unseasonal flooding.
We manage the site as a traditional hay meadow, which involves an annual hay cut in summer, with cattle grazing over the autumn and winter.
This management work has helped the fritillaries to flourish at their current numbers, from their humble beginnings of 500 flowers at the first count in 1981.
This is an encouraging recovery from a 30-year low in 2024, when just over 6,000 flowers were counted. However, numbers are still far below the record of nearly 90,000 counted in 2015.
It's a good year for Oxfordshire's county flower!
Our fantastic team of ten volunteers joined Senior Ecologist Colin Williams to count 41,748 snake's-head fritillaries at Iffley Meadows this week - give or take a few!
A trampoline on top of a grassy hill.
On a positive note, a trampoline abandoned on our reserve has found a welcome home with one of our volunteers who helped to clear up the bottles, cans and broken glass left behind!
Please also consider making a donation to BBOWT, as each gift helps us to protect and restore these vital places for nature: buff.ly/A6fbUUi
We are saddened by the recent behaviour we have seen at our reserves, and seeing its impact on the wildlife and visitor experience. We ask that anyone who witnesses anti-social and criminal activity at any of our nature reserves, to please contact the police on 101.
The charred remains of bonfires on grass.
We have experienced similar fires at our reserves over the Easter holidays, including several at Bacombe Hill on top of the Bronze Age barrow which is a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
It is currently unsafe to access and we will reopen the site once it has been dealt with. We understand that this is frustrating and appreciate your patience in the meantime.
A section missing from a boardwalk, with a a separate image of charred planks of wood.
We're sorry to report that due to recent vandalism at Foxcote Reservoir, we have temporarily closed the reserve to the public.
A fire which was lit underneath the boardwalk leading up to the hide has caused structural damage, requiring a section to be removed by the fire services.
If you see a coot sat on its nest in April, keep a watch from a respectable distance and see if you can spot a bald-looking head poking out!
👉 Discover more April wildlife: buff.ly/WpZIXR5
Their chicks may not have the conventional cuteness of mallard ducklings, or the quirky hitchhiking habits of great-crested grebes, but the black-and-orange fluff around their faces lends them undeniable character.
🪺 Coots are a familiar sight on our park lakes, ponds and rivers, and at this time of year can be spotted in their large and untidy-looking nests on the water.
@bbowt.bsky.social Dancersend is looking superb and will be even better for my first guided walk of the season on Sunday 26 April. For details/booking go to www.bbowt.org.uk/events. More on 'Wildlife specialities & secrets' on 24 May and 'Creating space for rare chalk species' on 28 June. Join me!!
A parent with two children climbing on a dam by a river. Text: Sign up for #30DaysWild
30 Days Wild sign ups are open! 💚
This June is all about getting wild. It could be listening to birds, spotting bugs, or just taking a moment outside.
What is your favourite way to connect with nature?
Join the adventure and get your free resources 👉 www.wildlifetrusts.org/30dayswild
As a trustee, you will help guide our work at a critical moment for nature's recovery. The challenges are significant, but so is the opportunity to make a lasting difference.
👉 Find out more about the role and apply here: www.bbowt.org.uk/volunteering...
The voluntary role involves around 10–12 days per year. We're looking for individuals who bring:
🟢 Strategic thinking & sound judgement
🟢 Willingness to challenge constructively
🟢 Commitment to equity, inclusion and collaboration
🟢 Passion for creating a future where nature & people thrive together
You don't need previous trustee experience or a background in conservation - we are particularly keen to broaden the diversity of perspectives around the table and welcome applications from people of different backgrounds, sectors and experience.
A linnet perched on a branch. Text: Volunteer trustees, closing date: Thursday 30 April
📣 We are looking trustees to join our Board!
👉 Find out more about the role and apply here: buff.ly/GscSGbf
