15th June 2012
A fine male bullfinch flew across the recently reopened section of the Riverside and a silent green woodpecker was also seen flying across. Numbers of chaffinch, chiffchaff, robin, blackbird and 2 song thrush were singing and visible and three mallard, 2 male and one female appeared on the river in the dappled shade where some Speckled Wood butterflies were chasing.
A fine rainbow appeared in the North East - it may have signalled the end of the floods - but more trials were soon to beset the Riverside...
After the floods
A fine male bullfinch flew across the recently reopened section of the Riverside and a silent green woodpecker was also seen flying across. Numbers of chaffinch, chiffchaff, robin, blackbird and 2 song thrush were singing and visible and three mallard, 2 male and one female appeared on the river in the dappled shade where some Speckled Wood butterflies were chasing.
A fine rainbow appeared in the North East - it may have signalled the end of the floods - but more trials were soon to beset the Riverside...
After the floods
13th June 2012 - 2 days after the floods and the river is flowing along its normal channel again, and the sun is out. To a female mallard 'it's all water off a ducks back' - well not quite. Although mallard pairs here almost certainly successfully reared several broods of about 13 ducklings each and sent them off down the Arun to fend for themselves, who knows what happened to them? This mallard has sought out a sunny spot and started to preen, exhausted after the floods - but the river is still very fast flowing and it seems that preening and paddling cannot be done at the same time, so it's preen, paddle against the river, preen again, then paddle again in order to stay in the same sunny and relatively calm waters.
The vegetation on the river banks is now torn and muddy, stems lying flat and debris caught up everywhere.
Spent quite a long time removing debris caught up in the young trees we planted last year. Fortunately they were saved from being washed away by the dense grasses and nettles and brambles that surrounded them. The term for these are 'nursery plants' meaning plants that are allowed to grow amongst newly planted trees in order to protect them from being eaten, to prevent the the earth around the roots form drying out and cracking, to attract insects and - as in this case to prevent them being washed away by the force of the water. It certainly worked!
Contractor's work continued on the old oaks either side of the bridge, with ivy and dead branches removed from the oak on the left. I again observed before and during the work.
In addition to the female mallard, wrens and robins were seen singing and three blackcap families, adult males and females very busy feeding 'browncap' young were seen, one family close to the fallen oak, successfully finding insects in the enormous upturned root system - which has quickly become a favourite foraging location for many birds.
Further along, a whitethroat was singing - and a garden warbler singing, many house sparrows, a song thrush, blackbirds, starlings, several chaffinch, a jay, a magpie, woodpigeons and a male mallard floating downstream, calling softly. A moorhen on the river was also heard calling and finally three treecreepers were seen in different trees, their nests and young safely well above the flood level. It was a fine day with no wind or rain giving a chance for wildlife to recover from the deluge.
12th June 2012 - The floodwaters had subsided. Last-minute notice was given at a meeting yesterday with the developer and HDC planners that work on 2 old oak trees either side of the new bridge was to be carried out from today - The meeting was informed that the timing of this work was inappropriate -it being in the middle of the bird nesting season - so spent just about the whole day observing the work - which was to remove ivy and a few dead branches. An hour spent observing the tree before work commenced revealed wrens building a nest under overhanging shrub adjacent to the oak. The contractors were informed and avoided any disturbance and removal of vegetation here. Blackbird, blackcap, more wrens, robin, chaffinch and dunnock were all seen collecting food for young in the adjacent riverbank area, with some robin, chaffinch, chiffchaff and wrens singing.
During the floods
11th June 2012 - My simple rain gauge recorded 35mms rain overnight but it's possible it overflowed.
The river was in flood, filling and swirling down its natural river bed, many metres wider than its usual channel, carrying debris and large tree logs with it. By 10.30am it was just about to come over the road and still rising. The flow was attenuated by the abundant riverside vegetation in parts where it spread out - but where the grass was short it washed across with great speed and force.
(more photos will appear on the River News page.)
4th June 2012 - 7mm of rain overnight left the ground very wet, an overcast day with a cold North wind. Growth of vegetation along the river seems to have suddenly doubled, with newly planted trees across the river doing well.
A quick look along the river revealed many birds: loud chaffinches singing from the trees, much wren activity and song, some collecting food for young. Chattering house sparrows were busy amongst their Bramble colonies and a few robins were singing. Blackbirds were also collecting food, others were singing and a silent song thrush was seen carrying food found on the damp river bank. Starlings were off on a survey of the fields and there was a great view of a common buzzard chasing a kestrel low down over the trees.
A 'nursery tree' held many newly fledged blue and great tits together with several juvenile goldfinches. The small tree, between oaks, made it easy for adults to forage in the oaks then fly to the young lined up on the horizontal branches. A great spotted woodpecker called from its nest tree and two treecreepers, probably juveniles, flew across, A pair of collared doves kept together amongst ivy - they are less numerous now than in recent years whilst woodpigeons are always present and faring well.
Blackcaps are certainly thriving this year, busy building nests or singing. Just a single willow warbler was singing in a willow whilst a nuthatch called but quietly. It was good to see several swifts and house martins flying lo over the river, close by and three skylarks singing over their territory.
31st May 2012 - Banded Demoiselles and Blackcaps today. Although overcast, there were numerous Banded Demoiselle damselflies about, low on the nettles on the banks of Boldings brook flowing well but shallow, indicating that we need more rain soon. Blackcaps were singing, foraging in the trees and thickets, with plenty of chaffinches and wrens, their songs louder than the Blackcaps song. Chiffchaffs were singing too and there was a fine view of a treecreeper in an oak.
Spent quite a long time removing debris caught up in the young trees we planted last year. Fortunately they were saved from being washed away by the dense grasses and nettles and brambles that surrounded them. The term for these are 'nursery plants' meaning plants that are allowed to grow amongst newly planted trees in order to protect them from being eaten, to prevent the the earth around the roots form drying out and cracking, to attract insects and - as in this case to prevent them being washed away by the force of the water. It certainly worked!
Contractor's work continued on the old oaks either side of the bridge, with ivy and dead branches removed from the oak on the left. I again observed before and during the work.
In addition to the female mallard, wrens and robins were seen singing and three blackcap families, adult males and females very busy feeding 'browncap' young were seen, one family close to the fallen oak, successfully finding insects in the enormous upturned root system - which has quickly become a favourite foraging location for many birds.
Further along, a whitethroat was singing - and a garden warbler singing, many house sparrows, a song thrush, blackbirds, starlings, several chaffinch, a jay, a magpie, woodpigeons and a male mallard floating downstream, calling softly. A moorhen on the river was also heard calling and finally three treecreepers were seen in different trees, their nests and young safely well above the flood level. It was a fine day with no wind or rain giving a chance for wildlife to recover from the deluge.
12th June 2012 - The floodwaters had subsided. Last-minute notice was given at a meeting yesterday with the developer and HDC planners that work on 2 old oak trees either side of the new bridge was to be carried out from today - The meeting was informed that the timing of this work was inappropriate -it being in the middle of the bird nesting season - so spent just about the whole day observing the work - which was to remove ivy and a few dead branches. An hour spent observing the tree before work commenced revealed wrens building a nest under overhanging shrub adjacent to the oak. The contractors were informed and avoided any disturbance and removal of vegetation here. Blackbird, blackcap, more wrens, robin, chaffinch and dunnock were all seen collecting food for young in the adjacent riverbank area, with some robin, chaffinch, chiffchaff and wrens singing.
During the floods
The river on 11th June 2012 flowing along its natural river bed
11th June 2012 - My simple rain gauge recorded 35mms rain overnight but it's possible it overflowed.
The river was in flood, filling and swirling down its natural river bed, many metres wider than its usual channel, carrying debris and large tree logs with it. By 10.30am it was just about to come over the road and still rising. The flow was attenuated by the abundant riverside vegetation in parts where it spread out - but where the grass was short it washed across with great speed and force.
(more photos will appear on the River News page.)
4th June 2012 - 7mm of rain overnight left the ground very wet, an overcast day with a cold North wind. Growth of vegetation along the river seems to have suddenly doubled, with newly planted trees across the river doing well.
A quick look along the river revealed many birds: loud chaffinches singing from the trees, much wren activity and song, some collecting food for young. Chattering house sparrows were busy amongst their Bramble colonies and a few robins were singing. Blackbirds were also collecting food, others were singing and a silent song thrush was seen carrying food found on the damp river bank. Starlings were off on a survey of the fields and there was a great view of a common buzzard chasing a kestrel low down over the trees.
A 'nursery tree' held many newly fledged blue and great tits together with several juvenile goldfinches. The small tree, between oaks, made it easy for adults to forage in the oaks then fly to the young lined up on the horizontal branches. A great spotted woodpecker called from its nest tree and two treecreepers, probably juveniles, flew across, A pair of collared doves kept together amongst ivy - they are less numerous now than in recent years whilst woodpigeons are always present and faring well.
Blackcaps are certainly thriving this year, busy building nests or singing. Just a single willow warbler was singing in a willow whilst a nuthatch called but quietly. It was good to see several swifts and house martins flying lo over the river, close by and three skylarks singing over their territory.
31st May 2012 - Banded Demoiselles and Blackcaps today. Although overcast, there were numerous Banded Demoiselle damselflies about, low on the nettles on the banks of Boldings brook flowing well but shallow, indicating that we need more rain soon. Blackcaps were singing, foraging in the trees and thickets, with plenty of chaffinches and wrens, their songs louder than the Blackcaps song. Chiffchaffs were singing too and there was a fine view of a treecreeper in an oak.
A quiet damselfly 'pond' in the river.
One of the many locations on the river favoured by damselflies which use the waterlily leaves to perch on. Blossom from an overhanging Hawthorn tree has fallen here, soon to be washed away. Damselflies once dried off and strong, will be flying high amongst the Hawthorn, Hazel and Oak trees or resting in the sun on nettle and bramble leaves on the banks.
Could it just be Summer?
27th May 2012 - A fine sunny day becoming very warm. Towards midday the butterflies were out, together with the damselflies. Chiffchaffs , blackcaps and chaffinches were singing with a green woodpecker seen and lots of house sparrows and blackbirds busy foraging.
Red Admiral, Holly Blue, Common Blue and madly spiraling Speckled Wood butterflies were seen along the river with many Beautiful Demoiselle damselfly males chasing each other, sometimes almost colliding with Orange tip butterfly males patrolling the river. More Speckled woods were also caught up with the damselfly antics. Some pairs of Beautiful Demoiselles were mating on riverbank leaves; Hazel, nettle, bramble - all form fine perches for damselflies and butterflies. More Large Red damselflies were flying today together with a few Banded Demoiselle damselflies. A Downy Emerald dragonfly was seen patrolling, looking far more aggressive and dangerous.
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