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.
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