April Wildlife Highlights 2026
Spring is in full “spring” now. Here’s what we’ve spotted in April!
Avian Highlights:
- Black Tern – 3 passed through on 24th April, a more unusual summer visitor to this area
- Arctic Tern
- House Martin – seen gathering food over Oak & Coney Meadows
- Yellow Legged Gull – seen more frequently at Thorpe Meadows
- Little Gull – on Gunwade Lake
- Little Ringed Plover – seen on Teal scrape
- Common Tern – (pictured) arrived back on 15th April, hopefully they’ll nest again successfully on the rafts in Overton Lake.
- Oystercatcher – on Teal scrape
- Cuckoo – at least 3 heard around Ferry Meadows
- Nightingale – heard down Ham Mere & in Bluebell Wood
Other highlights:
- Green Hairstreak butterfly – one of my favourite spring butterflies, a couple were spotted in their usual spot near Lynch railway bridge. A species that naturally lives in very small colonies (this one on a specific patch of bramble), so are very vulnerable to being wiped out. Look out for their iridescent green colour as they flit around
- Great Crested Newt – a pair seen in M’Lady’s Pond in Castor
- Meadow Saxifrage – a small white flower on a tall stem, spreading from its stronghold in Ham Farm House garden, a few plants are seen on the verge along the path up Ham Lane too. An uncommon plant, classed as “occasional” locally but becoming scarce, so great that it has a stronghold here.
- Solitary bees – the Welcome sign/bug hotel at Centre Point is proving a real hit with the solitary bees especially. Stop by, look and listen carefully especially on a sunny afternoon, you’ll see the variety of species all busy using the crevices to lay eggs and packing the entrances with mud or leaves! Solitary bees are generally very placid creatures, and very rarely sting.
