February 2026 Wildlife Update
Spring is definitely springing – the blossom is coming out, sky is blue (ish), daffodils are almost blooming and it’s no longer dark when coming to and from work! Here’s Conservation Officer Sophie’s wildlife highlights for February.
Avian highlights
Our winter visitors are starting to think about heading back north, and our summer visitors aren’t quite here yet, so a little quieter on the bird front recently. With all the birds moving around, there’s always the possibility of something exciting dropping in though so keep an eye out!
- Starlings – a few stunning murmurations of at least 3,000 birds over Ham Mere has got to be my avian highlight of the month
- Grey Wagtail – slightly confusingly, almost as yellow as the Yellow Wagtail, but a lovely little bird to see around
Cetti’s Warbler – have been in fine voice across the park - Whooper Swan – a small flock passed overhead, and a single bird dropped in to Gunwade Lake earlier in the month
- Stonechat – another pretty little bird, a couple have been spotted quite regularly near the Pyramid sculpture
Marsh Harrier – seen overhead at Thorpe Meadows
Other sightings
- Witch’s Butter fungus – a few people have asked me about the bright yellow/orange fungus in the garden at Ham Farm House, next to the gate. Also known as Yellow Brain fungus, said to be a sign of a witch’s curse if it appears on a door or gate, it feeds on the fungi that feed on dead wood
- Blackthorn blossom – I saw my first blossom last week, starting to come out on a Blackthorn tree. Blackthorn gets its blossom before its leaves, Hawthorn gets its leaves before its blossom – an easy way to distinguish between our main thorny trees at this time of year.
- Otter – a couple of otters were spotted in Overton Lake, likely coming in off the river due to the high water levels
- Winter Aconite – patches of yellow flowers out at the moment, adding a lovely splash of colour. Ham Lane is a good spot to see it, along with some Snowdrops which will soon be going over.
Happy wildlife spotting! Email us at visitor.services@neneparktrust.org.uk if you spot anything exciting!
