This April has been very warm and dry and we’ve seen lots of reptiles making the most of the sunny weather. The sand lizards in our enclosure are out of hibernation and have been wowing visitors with their beautiful green colouring. We had a new addition to the enclosure, a stunning male who some of our youngest visitors named ‘bumpy’ was introduced as he had to be moved from his enclosure at another site. He settled in quickly and was soon making friends with the female, the two of them seen snuggling up to each other that same day! We’ve also seen wild sand lizards out on the heath, and some lucky visitors spotted one gobbling up crumbs from under their bench by the café!
Out on the heath, the gorse is in full yellow bloom and smelling wonderfully of coconuts. Richard, our Grazier, led a lovely, informative dawn chorus walk to celebrate international dawn chorus day. It’s fantastic to see and hear so many different birds across the park! We also welcomed Canterbury College students to the park to learn about heathland restoration and reptile surveying techniques. During their survey, led by our rangers and a local expert, they spotted 3 beautiful smooth snakes and a slow worm which was great to see. Smooth snakes are very rare, only being found in a few heathland sites in Dorset, Hampshire and Surrey, so we are very privileged to have them here at Avon Heath.
A highlight of this month was an action packed (and sunny!) Easter holidays! We had a fantastic time welcoming the brilliant Mad4animals who put on a great interactive show with all kinds of reptiles and creepy crawlies! We also launched our new Bobby the Bunny activity trail, and kids were able to make their own wooden bunnies in a workshop run by our friends at Avon Heath Outdoors. On Easter weekend, our easter egg hunt was extremely popular, with kids delighted with their chocolate treats as a prize for finding all the eggs out on the heath!