Since June, sunny intervals have been short and the river has been running fast and at high levels. Wildlife of all kinds have been affected, some doing very well and others having numerous setbacks. An account of recent days follows:
10th July 2012 - no change in the weather, dull with intermittent drizzle but chiffchaffs were singing together with 3 blackcaps and an elusive garden warbler. A moorhen was busy in the river under fallen branches still with leaves - an ideal hideout. Swifts were wheeling fast over the river accompanied by house martins and a Comma butterfly was seen basking on nettles in a brief spell of sunshine. A yaffle indicated the presence of a green woodpecker in the wild grasses.
The Day of the Ringlets
11th July 2012 - yet another cloudy day but with some blue sky followed by threatening clouds and the ground very soggy. The river was quite high and fast-flowing.
Starting with the birds, those making the most noise today were magpies, some giving alarm calls whilst clumsy large juveniles were falling off branches trying to attract the attention of the adults. Several more were finding plenty to eat in the long wet grass (9). Woodpigeons (20) were sheltering, hunched up, under the tree canopy as if expecting the deluge from the south west soon. Only 6 crows were seen, they favour the open spaces - but will take to cover when moulting starts.
The abundance of insects in the damp weather has been beneficial to the blackcaps, some giving very short songs but most busy 'fly-catching' amongst the Hawthorn and Blackthorn (5). Whitethroats too, after a late start are doing well and still singing (4), as was a single chiffchaff.
As I walked along, lots of small (micro) moths emerged from the grass and nettles - all excellent food for birds which can spot the moths under the nettles - these are not day-flying moths which are usually more brightly coloured - but the well camouflaged brown moths. Robins, some singing (7) and wrens (10) also singing or busy catching some of the numerous midges close to the water - the wrens still feeding young together with blue tits (about 20) and great tits (about 12), mostly juveniles were seen all along the river. The hedges were full of chattering house sparrows but blackbirds remained hidden, except for adults flying low into the base of the trees and hedge rows, beaks full of food for young.
Looking up to the sky, 2 skylarks could be seen singing strongly, the only birds in the sky, no gulls or swifts today.
Flying silently across the river a great spotted woodpecker visited its nest then flew back to adjacent trees to collect more food for its growing young. A grey heron was seen flying south along the river and a common buzzard came into view, flying directly into the dark thunder cloud to the west, making its way home to shelter in the oaks.
This threatening and increasingly windy weather meant only a partial survey was possible but large numbers of insects were observed in sheltered places on the riverbank. It was good to see so many Ringlet butterflies, some flying rapidly along the riverbank nettles and amongst the grasses, with some even basking when the sun appeared. Ringlets favour damp places so are quite scarce during dry summers, they are certainly more numerous here this year.
Bees and hoverflies were covering the large umbels of the flowering Hogweed (not Giant Hogweed, aptly named Heracleum mantegazzianum but just the ordinary plant Heracleum sphondylium) and some 16 spot ladybirds were seen on the nettles.
Several Red Admiral and Comma butterflies were also seen in the shelter of the river thickets during sunny intervals.
What will it be like when the rain stops and the clouds clear? We'll have to wait some time.
10th July 2012 - no change in the weather, dull with intermittent drizzle but chiffchaffs were singing together with 3 blackcaps and an elusive garden warbler. A moorhen was busy in the river under fallen branches still with leaves - an ideal hideout. Swifts were wheeling fast over the river accompanied by house martins and a Comma butterfly was seen basking on nettles in a brief spell of sunshine. A yaffle indicated the presence of a green woodpecker in the wild grasses.
The Day of the Ringlets
11th July 2012 - yet another cloudy day but with some blue sky followed by threatening clouds and the ground very soggy. The river was quite high and fast-flowing.
Starting with the birds, those making the most noise today were magpies, some giving alarm calls whilst clumsy large juveniles were falling off branches trying to attract the attention of the adults. Several more were finding plenty to eat in the long wet grass (9). Woodpigeons (20) were sheltering, hunched up, under the tree canopy as if expecting the deluge from the south west soon. Only 6 crows were seen, they favour the open spaces - but will take to cover when moulting starts.
The abundance of insects in the damp weather has been beneficial to the blackcaps, some giving very short songs but most busy 'fly-catching' amongst the Hawthorn and Blackthorn (5). Whitethroats too, after a late start are doing well and still singing (4), as was a single chiffchaff.
As I walked along, lots of small (micro) moths emerged from the grass and nettles - all excellent food for birds which can spot the moths under the nettles - these are not day-flying moths which are usually more brightly coloured - but the well camouflaged brown moths. Robins, some singing (7) and wrens (10) also singing or busy catching some of the numerous midges close to the water - the wrens still feeding young together with blue tits (about 20) and great tits (about 12), mostly juveniles were seen all along the river. The hedges were full of chattering house sparrows but blackbirds remained hidden, except for adults flying low into the base of the trees and hedge rows, beaks full of food for young.
Looking up to the sky, 2 skylarks could be seen singing strongly, the only birds in the sky, no gulls or swifts today.
Flying silently across the river a great spotted woodpecker visited its nest then flew back to adjacent trees to collect more food for its growing young. A grey heron was seen flying south along the river and a common buzzard came into view, flying directly into the dark thunder cloud to the west, making its way home to shelter in the oaks.
Ringlet butterfly in the damp grass
This threatening and increasingly windy weather meant only a partial survey was possible but large numbers of insects were observed in sheltered places on the riverbank. It was good to see so many Ringlet butterflies, some flying rapidly along the riverbank nettles and amongst the grasses, with some even basking when the sun appeared. Ringlets favour damp places so are quite scarce during dry summers, they are certainly more numerous here this year.
Hoverfly feeding on Hogweed flowers
Bees and hoverflies were covering the large umbels of the flowering Hogweed (not Giant Hogweed, aptly named Heracleum mantegazzianum but just the ordinary plant Heracleum sphondylium) and some 16 spot ladybirds were seen on the nettles.
Several Red Admiral and Comma butterflies were also seen in the shelter of the river thickets during sunny intervals.
What will it be like when the rain stops and the clouds clear? We'll have to wait some time.
No, that's not blue sky, it's a dark thundercloud approaching over
the field of flowering linseed in the distance.
