Friday, 28 October 2011

Rain!

Early Tuesday 5mm rain then another 6mm overnight and more on Wednesday and Thursday, about 20mm so far according to my rain gauge, not enough to sink far into the dry clay;  still, it's a start and has enlivened the river and the birds!

Boldings Brook from shelter under an old oak tree.

Today just a quick look along the bank - a softly calling family group of 8 long-tailed tits were foraging in the tree tops amongst many blue tits and great tits, some of the latter calling. About 15 house sparrows were chattering quietly in their hedge whilst 5 robins, some singing and others 'chinking', are obviously preparing for fights over territory by the sound of it. Wrens were quiet but now more easily visible (4) as the leaves fall, as were blackbirds (5), most rooting under leaves close to the water where the earth has remained damp. In the oaks above, 2 nuthatch were calling and about 40 woodpigeons flew across the field into the trees. Chaffinches (4) and some hidden calling greenfinches were occupying a mixed thicket. Calls from a great spotted woodpecker came from a tree just across the river and there were some fine views of a second one listening in an old ash tree. A group of 6 pied wagtails flew across calling and a green woodpecker took a short flight from an oak into the open, silently for once.
In the background, noisy diggers worked on moving earth from one place to another, metal fencing protecting the trees, thickets, and riverside vegetation. 

Wednesday, 26 October 2011

Meadow pipit paradise

On 20th October, a fine sunny calm day - an unexpected visit to the development site by a flock of Meadow Pipits taking advantage of the creation of a large spoil heap yesterday by diggers clearing a wide path. The heap was of top soil, grasses and roots and no doubt contained many insects and seeds. The birds were well camouflaged, only visible when they moved around, at least 35 visible on one corner and probably lots more on the other side, together with a few pied wagtails. More pipits were feeding on the short dry grass, also well hidden. They were still around the following day.
  
Moving flocks of birds take advantage of whatever is going on under their flight-paths 

An ivy 'hedge' is covered in insects feeding on the flowers in the October sun - here's a wasp, just one of many species of insects present.

In the shade, the long grass still wet with dew is covered in spider webs

On Sunday 16th October,  a very cold early morning with mist clearing, the rivers flowing clear, acorns dropping from the oaks and a heavy dew (see photo above) - birds active on the Riverside (Boldings Brook and the River Arun and their confluence all at Hills Farm Lane were:

Green woodpecker (1), blue tit (60+),  great tit (20+), woodpigeon (24), carrion crow (12), robin (19), magpie (4), wren (7), blackbird (26) - now suddenly far more numerous, house sparrow (33), great spotted woodpecker (1), goldfinch (3), herring gull (15), pied wagtail (3), linnet (1), jay (4) - one burying acorns in the steep side of one of the spoil heaps,  jackdaw (1), nuthatch (6), chiffchaff (2), redwing in hawthorn thicket 1 clearly seen and lots more heard in back of thicket at confluence (est  10+), skylark singing over bare ground (1), bullfinch (4) two calling to each other, chaffinch (3), buzzard (2), dunnock (2), grey wagtail in running shallows of river
also grey squirrel (3) collecting plentiful acorns and signs of fox activity. Speckled Wood butterfly (1) and high-flying Red Admiral butterfly (3) 
                  

Sunday, 9 October 2011

Activity on an Autumn day

Warmer today after two cold and windy days, kinder to wildlife trying to adjust after an exceptionally hot spell last week. Lots of leaves falling now with the grass covered in delicate ash leaves and the thud of acorns falling from the oaks, bouncing off branches to the ground, crunching underfoot before being collected by jays and squirrels.


Hazel tree on the Riverside - more are needed here to provide a food supply for Dormice.
If you hear tapping in a nearby tree at this time of year it is probably a nuthatch cracking open the shell of a hazelnut which it has wedged into a crevice or fork in a branch.


A 'wild' apple tree which has produced a bumper crop of apples overhanging the river bank this year. Passers-by have helped themselves to the more accessible apples but there will be plenty over for birds and other wildlife during the winter. Here again more fruit trees are needed to form a 'wild orchard'.


A grey squirrel (tail end to the left of the tree) was busy collecting acorns from a nearby oak.
The magpie was silently bouncing around low on the poplar, carefully keeping out of sight of the squirrel which proceeded to bury the acorns under the poplar. As soon as it was off again to collect another acorn, the magpie hopped down from the tree and scrambled to unearth the acorns. This could go on and on!
A quick look at birds along the river today:
A close view of a green woodpecker, brilliant green back visible in the sun as it flew low over the river, with a loud yaffle. A lot of singing from a dense thicket (blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, spindle etc.) came from a 'charm' of goldfinch (9+) with a few unseen greenfinch joining in. Several robins (6) and wrens (4) could also be heard singing and house sparrows chattering (7+). A number of long-tailed tits flew across from willow to oak (5+), calling softly. A buzzard suddenly came into view flying very low, gliding slowly over the trees, scattering dozing woodpigeons off their branches, then two more buzzards could be seen higher up gliding directly overhead over the river confluence. A jay, unaware, sat hidden at the centre of an old oak, carefully preening it's lustrous feathers before taking off from it's perch with a loud shriek.
High up amongst the falling leaves a few Red Admiral butterflies could be seen flying strongly above
some Speckled Wood butterflies and thousands of wasps and craneflies and even higher, in a line of conifers, blue tits, great tits and a coal tit were foraging.
Further north a kestrel flew out of an oak and went on its way hunting along the river margin.
These observations were made around 13.00, not usually an active time for birds especially on a balmy day.