Life on the tracks

Its a humbling thought that, given the opportunity, nature can naturally recover. Right up to the largest scale destruction or disaster down to the smallest of cracks in paving stones or tiny patch of space left to exist untouched.
Amongst the industrial estates and once heavy industry a small wood that naturally began to re-establish itself back from the small pockets it is now reduced to has, in recent times, become a nature reserve.
The nature reserves at Kingsmoor, Carlisle, Cumbria represent what remains of a much larger forest that existed a few hundred years ago. I visited the southern reserve which has a trail with information points that detail what the site was used for before it was reclaimed by nature.

recolonising on the old lines

I arrived about two hours before dusk, the warmth of the sun on my back. Spring was becoming more apparent in the woods with every visit. Today the sky was dusty. The light was beautiful. It fell, softened by the dust, into the woodland illuminating every insect on the wing. Occasional small clouds of midges in the warm glow. The woodland remained quiet. For such well worn paths I thought I may have seen someone sooner than I had. Just me and a single dog walker. The rest to the local dog walkers must still have been having their late afternoon tea and sand-wedges, enjoying the evening themselves, before their decent into this small woodland to empty their four legged companions.

As I acclimatised to the sound I was hearing, stopping on the path and listening to the sound of the evening, I realised I was listening to my first Chiffchaff of the year. These little birds are migrants although some stay here for the winter. In the absence of so many migrant species, now returning once more, I find reaffirming identifying birds by song from last summer always needs a quick recap. It felt good to be delving back into the memories of hearing them last summer. Spring suddenly felt that little bit closer to bursting into life.

A single Bluebell had bloomed one delicate flower. During exploring the rest of the wood it seemed I might have found the only one currently in bloom. The days are getting warmer and I can feel it. Even the air I sense is different. Its warm with the rising heat from the ground bringing the scent of spring to the senses. Those days of crisp, clean air during February are passing. The bumble bees are out of hibernation and I caught sight of a few during the evening over the open grassland and in the woods. Its still too early for good views butterflies recently out of hibernation, certainly on my evening wander. I caught sight of a couple but the weather is not warm enough or predictable enough to allow them to fly daily so they need to feed constantly.

On my arrival I had investigated an unusual bird call from high in the canopy. Eventually the mystery call reviled itself to be a coal tit. The call was a constant perpetual sound noticeably different in quality to make me wonder what was making it. It didn't seem to be alarmed. Later I heard the same sound and observed that again, it was indeed another coal tit. This time however the intention of the call appeared more obvious. The coal tit in question was hounding for the attention of a female coal tit, at least so I interpreted the behaviour strongly suggested. The male vocalising was franticly trembling its wings whilst adopting a certain posture to the presumed female that he stayed in very close proximity to. Every time she moved, he followed insistingly. I watched as the bird vocalising, postured vocalising straight at the other, beak wide open, giving it all he was worth. I can't say definitively it was courtship behaviour, how could I? I can't ask it. However going on the observations made, it sure looks like courtship. The other bird did not return aggression and neither did the vocalising bird act as if it was a conflict situation.

I moved on. The two coal tits continued, moving from tree top to tree top in the direction I had come from. By this point I was near turning to head back as the path looped and returned myself. On return I clocked a small handful of long-tailed tits and a rabbit on up the track. I also inspected some of the fallen wood among the grass shortly before leaving to find another harborer of spring. Three Ladybirds, great to see, spring here we come, and worth a few pictures to show for it....