Herp, Herp, Hooray!

As amphibian and reptile enthusiasts, we have had an extremely exciting week. Last Sunday, we visited Wimpole Estate for a stroll around its acres of parkland. Having ambled around the woods and grassy meadows, we came to a small bridge overlooking a pond. At first, I noticed just one brightly green-tinged common toad. But then another toad came up to him and, with an aggressive kick, knocked him out of the way. Suddenly, we realised that the pond was absolutely filled with common toads of varying colours and sizes. Some were fighting, some were racing around, others had already achieved what they had come here for – they were breeding!

The breeding rituals of common toads are fascinating. After hibernation, male toads return each year to their ancestral pool, the same pool in which they were born. This journey can be fraught with danger, and many toads are killed on the roads during their expedition. If all goes well, they reach the pool safely before the females and wait for them to arrive. It is once the females arrive that the mayhem begins.

There are often more male toads than female toads in one pool – something that was very clear in the pond we were watching – meaning that vicious fights can take place between the males as they fend off potential rivals. We saw groups of males, all piling on top of each other, in some cases trying to get to the same female, in other cases trying to mate with each other because the frenzy had reached fever pitch. Even when a male had been in place on a female for some time, he wasn’t safe from rivals. Other males would come along and try to push him off. An attack which the resident male usually dealt with well by delivering swift kicks in all directions while retaining his position.

When a male mates with a female, he holds her in a tight grip, aided by the nuptial pads on his feet. This sturdy embrace is referred to as an ‘amplexus’ and its strength fares him well when he is attempting to maintain dominance while being attacked by others. As they sit in this position, the female will release strings of eggs which the male fertilises. As we saw in the pond at Wimpole, these often become wrapped around vegetation.

So as if that wasn’t enough excitement for one week, we were treated to another impressive wildlife experience on the bank holiday Monday when we visited the RSPB’s The Lodge at Sandy. Just a short time into our walk over the sandy heathland, I heard a rustling noise in the undergrowth. Looking over, I saw a common lizard disappear into the bracken. This is the first time that I can remember seeing a common lizard in the wild so I was understandably excited. But, of course, they are so elusive because of their impressive speed, so by the time I had crouched down to look he was well hidden. Having been to The Lodge many times before without seeing any lizards, we didn’t expect any more sightings that day.

However, after continuing on our walk for another hour or so, to our surprise, we saw another. This time, Andrew was alerted to its presence by a shuffling sound in the undergrowth. It had crawled onto a leaf and was basking in the sunlight, keeping itself warm. They are beautiful reptiles which display a variety of colours and patterns. Although usually dark brown, they can be a lighter shade of brown, olive or grey, to mention but a few colours. Their glossy backs are adorned with distinctive arrangements of stripes and spots. It is said that their appearance can be confused with that of newts, but once you see the speed at which they move, it is hard to believe that they can be anything other than a lizard! This little guy was far less bothered by our presence than the first, which meant that I was able to catch a few photos before he scurried off into the scrub.

Continuing our luck on the herpetile front, yesterday we attended a Wildlife Garden event at Wandlebury Country Park. Amongst activities such as bird box and insect hotel making, there was a herpetologist talking about the UK’s native snakes. He didn’t actually have any native snakes in his collection so he brought with him a gorgeous corn snake that he had rescued. Seeing as snakes have such a bad reputation, it was great to see both adults and children realising that they are actually beautiful creatures who are gentle as long as you are considerate and give them their personal space. Hopefully, some of the kids will have gained a lifelong interest and will go on to become the herpetologists of tomorrow.

A Day of Firsts

Nestled amongst the agricultural fields to the North-East of Cambridge lies Anglesey Abbey. If you have a family with varying interests, this is the perfect place to visit. You can choose between taking a trip back in history in the Jacobean-style house, ambling peacefully around the many immaculate flower-filled gardens, visiting the working water mill beside the picturesque lode, or walking on the wilder side by exploring the Woodland Path and Hoe Fen Trail.

Our last trip to Anglesey Abbey was a day of firsts for the year. If we weren’t sure it was spring before, the signs were certainly now apparent. We started our walk in the Winter Garden which, despite its name, is beautiful and varied in every season. It was there that we saw our first butterfly of the year – a small tortoiseshell. It fluttered gracefully past, treating us to a radiant display of its lustrous flame coloured wings, splashed with black and yellow markings and bordered with icy blue spots.

It wasn’t long before we caught sight of our first bees of the season. First, we saw a honeybee, athletically darting between irises, and then a bumblebee, busily foraging on the crocuses. I could watch bees for hours. They are just so fascinating. People often talk about them simplistically, as if they were all alike, but one of the wonderful things about them is the vast variety in their appearance and behaviour. There are hundreds of different types of bee just in the UK! If, unlike me, you don’t find bees innately captivating, there’s still an important reason to appreciate them – their crucial role in pollination. Animal pollination is essential for 70% of the main crops consumed by humans, with bees being an especially important pollinator. However, bee species are in decline. A recent IUCN study assessed the threat to European bee populations, concluding that, at the European level, 9.2% of the species studied are considered threatened. So it’s certainly time to show bees some love by putting real effort into their conservation.

All manner of other insects, including ladybirds and hoverflies, were also enjoying the calm, mild day. It is an exciting sign that spring is here when the insects are out in abundance.

Not to be outdone by the insects, the flowers were out in spectacular style too. The Winter Garden was awash with the fragrance of the sweetly scented pink blossom of the Viburnum x bodnantense ‘Dawn’, a treat for the eyes and nose. The borders were brimming with an array of vibrant purple crocuses, blue and yellow irises, electric pink cyclamen, delicate snowdrops and jaunty daffodils.

Anglesey Abbey is also home to some of my favourite trees. The magnificent Himalayan silver birch grove is a highlight. The tall, slender trees are power-washed annually to retain their gleaming white colour, which gives the striking grove an ethereal feel. Last time we were there we noticed that they have planted Himalayan silver birch saplings in an adjacent patch, meaning that one day the grove will be much bigger. It’s going to look amazing!

Another of my favourite trees is near to the imposing house. It is a giant redwood which has been struck with lightning not once, but twice. It has retained its stunning ochre hue but, instead of a thick canopy, it has a jagged top and stands much shorter than it once did, evidence of its dramatic past. Don’t try telling this tree that lightning never strikes twice…

There are some wonderful shrubs to be found at Anglesey Abbey, too. I particularly like butcher’s broom. This intimidatingly spiky and tough, vibrant green shrub is often found lurking in shady patches. However, in contrast, I also love the fiery red-barked dogwood in the Winter Garden. With its iridescent stalks, it can brighten up even the dullest day.

Anglesey Abbey is also a great spot for some wildlife watching. There are animals to be seen anywhere around the site but one of my favourite places to sit and watch is the hide amidst the woodland, next to a pond, in the Wildlife Discovery Area. On our last visit, we saw regular visitors, such as blue tits, great tits, long-tailed tits, dunnocks and robins, busily foraging at the plentiful feeders. Aside the pond, a male pheasant was enthusiastically displaying at a female, puffing up his glistening feathers and not letting her out of his sight for a moment. You notice that the pheasants’ behaviour changes at this time of year, their concentration on finding mates makes them appear more agitated and frantic.

In between taking photos of the birds, I momentarily glanced at the ground outside the hide. To my surprise and excitement, I saw a mouse scurry along in the dust and dive into his hole. I quickly grabbed the camera but wasn’t fast enough to get more than one photo. Although I waited with the lens pointed at the hole for some time afterwards, he didn’t emerge again. They really are elusive creatures, which is partly why seeing one is so thrilling.

It was so exciting to see all these signs of the earth waking up for springtime. Of course there will be cold and rainy days ahead, but now that the clocks have changed and nature is shedding its winter coat, we know that we have lots of wonderful, long days out to look forward to.