Nature Diary April 2026
Generally cold nights have led to another protracted spring. It has been a marvellous year for blackthorn and other blossom.
Despite the cold nights, insects are increasingly active. Some warmer days are encouraging butterflies, tortoiseshell and peacocks especially. And in Spring Wood I saw what I think was a brimstone. Some interesting things have been reported by village residents. In Malcolm and Christine’s garden the resident hedgehog (actually two of them now) has been stirring. At the end of March Anna walked through Spring Wood with the Merlin App running on her phone, and it picked up 23 species of birds. She repeated the experiment in the Stanney and picked up 15. On a related note, the results of this year’s big garden bird watch are now up online. https://www.rspb.org.uk . Despite dire warnings from the RSPB, we have been seeing abundant finches, including greenfinches, goldfinches and siskins. Nevertheless, and despite these encouraging local sightings, finches seem especially susceptible to the parasitic disease trichomonosis https://www.bto.org/learn/helping-birds/disease/trichomonosis . Transmission seems to take place through contaminated food or water, and we need to take seriously RSPB advice not to feed wild birds, especially from flat table feeders, during the summer months. Thinking of something more cheerful, has anyone seen any swallows yet? Last year, my first sighting of swallows was on 7 April, Now, a week later, I still haven’t seen any. And following up my previous remarks about amphibians, there have been no signs of frogs, newts or spawn in our small ponds. Is this just our garden? If so, I’d like to know what is happening or what we are doing wrong.
Those interested in sustaining and growing biodiversity in our area may be interested in North Yorkshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy. It’s all on the web, with a summary at https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/sites/default/files/2025-06/Document%201%20-%20Thriving%20Nature%20in%20North%20Yorkshire%20and%20York%20Short%20Summary.pdf
The consultation is over, and I am not sure whether it has yet been formally approved by DEFRA. You may find it an anodyne document, but it does provide a useful context for thinking about local and parish level activity. If the document is not simply to be another box ticked for NYC, we have to sustain the pressure at all levels. As the weather gets warmer, the days get longer, and the leaf buds unfurl, let’s go on keeping an eye on the condition of our natural surroundings.