What to look for at Railway Fields in March: Noisy wrens, courting woodpeckers and the first bluebells

The weather being a bit up and down we’ve had to put our warm coats on again, but it hasn’t put the birds off, all of which are busy in the trees and hedgerows.

If you’re suddenly startled by a rapid-fire trill from a nearby hedge, then it’s likely that you’re hearing a wren. Despite their size, they’re one of our loudest garden birds and March is the perfect time to hear them. Every spring, males build several nests and sing their hearts out to woo and breed with multiple females! They can be hard to spot, but maybe you remember that they were once on the reverse of the farthing.

This week we were also delighted to watch a pair of greater spotted woodpeckers calling and drumming together in the trees around the cabin.

The first bluebells have also appeared near the entrance. These ones are Spanish bluebells which have broad leaves, pale blue conical-bell flowers, which are found all around the stem. They have upright stems, no scent, and, if you look inside the flower you can see that they have a pale blue coloured pollen inside. English bluebells have cream coloured pollen and flowers down one side of the stem only. Both grow at Railway Fields, as well as hybrids, so it can be a nice botany exercise to try and work which is which.