Breamer Bluebells - 24th April

The weather was cloudy and cool. Highlights were Whitethroat, Marsh Tit, Orange-tip butterfly, Brown Hare, Early Purple Orchid and loads of Bluebells.

It was sunny and warm day with a couple of showers. After listening to the Chiffchaff and Blackbird singing by the car park and watching the Swallows we set off past several planted trees with labels, Lime, Beech, Field Maple and London Plane were a few of them. We heard Nuthatch, Coal Tit and Goldfinch before we entered the Breamer House estate. On the estate wall was Ivy-leaved Toadflax and Hairy Bittercress, while Red Dead-nettle and White Dead-nettle grew just at the entrance. Just inside the entrance was plenty of the introduction Spanish Bluebells that has been in the news so much. Conservationists know that it has spread from gardens into woods and is now hybridising with our own native Bluebells, thus threatening the genetic purity of our UK population! As we walked up a shady lane to the wood we saw Early Dog Violet, Red Campion and Dogs Mercury growing with Lesser Celandine and a little Germander Speedwell along the path side. A Kestrel sat in a tree beside the path and let us get very close to it before it flew off a little way and then settled on the path. We wondered if it was ill, but it did fly off into the wood in the end. We also saw a couple of Roe Deer in a field before we got into Breamer Wood. In the wood the Bluebells had just got into full bloom and were magnificent. We also found Primroses, Bugle, more Early Dog Violets, Wild Strawberry, Barren Strawberry, Common Dog Violet and some Yellow Archangel that was almost in flower. An Orange-tip butterfly flew by and settled on the plants giving us a lovely view. On hearing a Marsh Tit in the wood I pished and it flew into the trees near us giving us good views. Jonathan found a Coal Tit in the trees too. Sanicle, Wood Spurge, Wood Sorrel and a little Wood Anemone were in flower further along the woodland path. We came out of the wood and heard a couple of Whitethroat singing in a scrubby area. We eventually saw one quite well. Cowslips flowered in a grassy area and further down the path we saw a Buzzard soar overhead. Then it started raining, just a shower, but a heavy one. We headed towards another area of woodland and the rain stopped just as we got there!
The rest of the walk was on paths beside open fields where Wendy spotted a couple of Brown Hares for us and we saw Pignut, Common Gromwell, some Greater Stitchwort and a Wren. Further on the path became a shady sunken lane and we were among Bluebells again. At one point we found 2 Early Purple Orchids and at another spot we found a small area of Moschatel with some Yellow Archangel fully in flower nearby. As we walked the lane back to the car park we saw a couple of House Sparrows and there were 2 Red-legged Partridge and a Song Thrush in a field.