A Healthy Walk in The Combe Valley

I joined up with a friendly group of people in Sidley today as they headed into the Combe Valley Country Park as part of their weekly health walk.

Over the weekend the warmer temperatures have encouraged more butterflies, bees, hoverflies and bee-flies to appear around the county and I was hoping to point out some of these spring insects on today's walk.

However the temperature had really dropped after a storm moved across the county last night and the only insects we saw were a few buff-tailed bumblebees buzzing around.

Along the woodland edge lesser celandine, bluebells and dog's mercury were in flower.

Birds were staking out their territories through song and a new voice had joined them - my first chiffchaff of the year. Some chiffchaffs overwinter here in the UK while other migrate south into Europe. They're one of the first migrant birds to return each year. Soon we'll be hearing blackcaps in the Combe Valley and it wont be long before willow warblers, whitethroats, reed warblers and sedge warblers will be lending their voice to the springtime choir.

Thanks to the Sidley Health Walk team for an enjoyable walk today. Joining a local health walk is a great opportunity to get some regular exercise and enjoy a sociable stroll. There are plenty of health walks across East Sussex. More details can be found here:

https://www.walkingforhealth.org.uk/walkfinder/east-sussex-health-walks