In the latest instalment of her monthly series for Bloom in Doom, Rebecca Gibson shares some of the British wildlife highlights you can look out for during April.

Birds

In spring the air is full of birdsong again. As well as our resident songsters including robins and blackbirds, keep an ear open for migrant birds starting to arrive. Willow warblers have a blended plumage of yellows, greens and browns including a pale supercilium, or eye stripe. They look remarkably similar to chiffchaffs so the easiest way to tell them apart is by listening to them. While chiffchaffs sing their name, willow warblers have a lovely descending trill call that can be heard from now until September when they return to Africa.

Mammals

We all know the phrase ‘breed like rabbits’ and rabbits have to be enthusiastic breeders because it’s a tough life for them. Predators loom in all directions – buzzards from above and foxes, stoats and even weasels from the ground. Rabbits born at the start of spring have the best chance of survival. They can often be seen sitting on the fringes of fields, close to woodland cover that they can dart to at the first sign of trouble.

Amphibians

Many of us have been lucky enough to see some toad action in our ponds recently. Males grip onto a female’s back in a position known as amplexus, which comes from the Latin for ‘embrace’. Although, this isn’t the most romantic gesture, as in their mating frenzy males have been seen gripping onto fish, inanimate objects floating on the water and even the hands of volunteers trying to help them across roads. Distinguishing toadspawn from frogspawn is easy – while frogs lay clumps of spawn, toads create long, connected threads.

Flora

Wood anemones are pretty white flowers which belong in the same family as buttercups. Not only are they lovely to look at but they’re also indicators of ancient woodland, so they grow in exceptionally special places. They flower from March to May before the canopy above them grows too dense. Unusually, most of their seeds are infertile and they reproduce through their roots instead, which are called rhizomes. The wood anemone is named after the Greek god of wind, Anemos, who sent anemones in the spring to announce his arrival.

For more writing from Rebecca, as well as photography and art, visit her website.

This Month: British Wildlife in April

In the latest instalment of her monthly series for Bloom in Doom, Rebecca Gibson shares some of the British wildlife highlights you can look out for during April.