Freezing February

Tomorrow it's March and still the freezing North Wind seems to get colder every day.

It may look warm but it's not!

The fields to the left are being farmed again after several years. By mid February the ground was ready for ploughing but still probably too wet - ploughing was finally carried out at the end of February after the cold winds and lack of rain allowed the earth the dry off.

What effect will it have on the birds?

YELLOWHAMMERS! 

A few days ago, on 17th February 2013, after a slightly frosty and foggy start, the day was dry with a gentle ENE breeze and the sun quite warm but becoming colder as the wind increased.

Just a quick look starting at around midday, birds were very noticeable in the tree tops before the wind strengthened. Wild garlic was now forming a green carpet covering the bare ground under the hazels and oaks with some cow parsley here and there. New Guelder Rose plants held plenty of buds but none were evident on the new Blackthorn.  

There was plenty of activity, with robins singing (12) blue tits, some acting like treecreepers on the old oaks, foraging for insects - and others chasing (42) whilst great tits (12+) concentrated on calling loudly. Greenfinches (5) were also calling, with goldfinches, 4 visible and many more hidden behind a thicket calling too and (12) house sparrows chattering in a hedgerow whilst a dunnock foraged underneath.

Again, no sign of fieldfare or redwing but 6 blackbirds, most down on the river bank, not singing but giving alarm calls when startled, usually by suddenly flapping woodpigeons (24) up from the bank or from trees or by a noisy magpie (3). Only 3 starlings and 3 carrion crows were seen flying across but numerous herring gulls were wheeling around overhead (65) then disappeared, leaving airspace for a buzzard gliding towards the river, hunting. It flew closer and landed on an old oak just as a second buzzard flew up from behind a hedgerow. 

A song thrush was singing loudly for a while and a nuthatch was seen foraging, in an ash tree, hitting a branch with its beak whilst clinging on upside down, then silently flew off. Two more were calling in other areas (3). Distinct calls under the river bank came from a moorhen - they are now more commonly seen on the river here and under the roots and vegetation overhanging the banks. 

The air was suddenly full of singing and calling coming from the sunlit back of a hedgerow but the birds were invisible. A few minutes later a tightly knit flock of linnets (20+) flew up - a great sight.

Last but not least:

Standing looking through the branches of an old oak on the river bank, across the flattened field, at least 5 brilliant bright yellow colours, spread out in a row, were a group of male yellowhammers under a hedgerow foraging for seeds, making their way out towards me and more movements around them, less easily visible, were the female yellowhammers (10+). At each dip in the field they disappeared, then only their heads were visible as they moved up again. There were probably many more in the flock than could be seen. These farmland birds are in rapid decline due mainly to lack of seeds available during the winter with changes in farming and lack of weed seeds due to the use of herbicides and lack of insects such as grasshoppers which are fed to the nestlings  ( due to use of pesticides and diminished field margins ). Therefore it's great to see that there are still some surviving. 

Catkins, the first signs of Spring

The Riverside is at its very barest at this time of year but Hazel catkins are at their best now.

Hazels here are quite numerous and form a very important part of the river bank habitat and where there are large trees, form a good understorey plant.

Yesterday, 8th February was a fine day but cold after a frosty start.  Note the blue sky - reflected  in the river too.

Another sure signs of spring - Ransoms - the green shoots of Wild Garlic

appearing out of the bare muddy river banks

The river was still running swiftly but the level had gone down a lot since last week

There were signs of activity on the fields across the river - looks as if they may be going to start cultivating the land again.

More birds are singing now, with robins (10) guarding their patches. This does not mean just perching and singing loudly, a good deal of energy is used up in moving from tree to tree, down to the river and back up again, checking that another robin has not invaded their territory.  A pair was singing and guarding a large bramble patch, calling to each other, pausing to preen in the sunshine whilst remaining vigilant. House Sparrows  were chatting and calling with several occupying the same bramble patch as the robin - which tolerates them. More House Sparrows were moving around inside hedges (35 at least). 

Blue  Tits (56), whilst indulging in loud bickering amongst their own species do not waste time in guarding a territory, they will rapidly choose and move in to a suitable nest hole which they will defend. Great Tits (24) were calling, some only giving half a call - the males choose a prominent perch in order that their fine plumage, especially the broad black stripe down the front can be seen and

 admired.  Suddenly 3 long-tailed tits appeared in the branches directly above - and more could be heard, then the group disappeared again. 

Chaffinches were also calling now but not yet singing (10) and a group of goldfinches were crowding onto a young tree only planted last year but bearing seeds which they were feeding on whilst greenfinches gave their wheezy call from a thicket (3). The most elusive of the finch family, the bullfinch, was present, one could be heard calling but choosing to hide amongst the branches, out of sight. 

In the air, 5 crows and 7 jackdaws were seen flying across, set up by the tractor  and woodpigeons were numerous, disturbed from their usual foraging on the fields (32) they had moved in to watch activities from the oaks and herring gulls (24) flew in a large group over the trees. Down on the grass about 20 black-headed gulls had arrived to feed, well away from the tractor activity. Starlings could be heard whistling in the trees but only 4 were visible and a group of magpies jumped up from the drainage basin they were feeding in,  hidden from view (3) 

There was no sign of our Fieldfares or Redwings which seemed to have visited for a very short while then moved on but the beautiful song thrushes are still with us, together with visiting blackbirds.

Mud glorious mud! The song thrushes (5) were enjoying the perfect place for it - on the banks of the river under the roots, rich foraging for all and numerous blackbirds (30 at least) were seen foraging under the bridge in the mud, amongst ivy on the banks and roots and amongst thick layers of fallen leaves under the trees and hedges. Down on the river 2 male mallards, their plumage shining in the sun, together with a female mallard were clambering up from the water onto a 'raft' of a fallen branch and twigs to preen.

Tiny movements amongst the tangled masses of twigs and brambles on the bank in a bend in the river revealed numerous birds busy in the shelter and perched on the branches that caught the sun. Several wrens (7) were seen in different places on the bank and 2 dunnocks, almost invisible as they were not singing. A good view of a goldcrest, then another (2) fluttering down a conifer, foraging from top to roots whilst a woodpigeon dozed with one eye open above them.

In the distance a green woodpecker yaffled and 2 nuthatches called from an oak and loudly calling crows caused me to look up - a fine buzzard was being mobbed by 2 crows. Walking back, I saw the same buzzard sailing on the wind, untroubled by crows. It was joined by a second buzzard and were seen wheeling above the tractor, looking down for small prey on the field - it is their territory after all!

The End of January

It seemed like a good idea at the time - Wednesday 30th January - a fine start after gales and torrential rain on Monday evening and rain all day on Tuesday. The river was very high and the ground extremely soggy and muddy. Starting out at 10.00 am - a few minutes of sunshine then the rain returned. Started out again at 12.15 when the blue sky returned with the wind roaring through the bare old oaks and the ground covered in broken twigs - no harm to trees - just self pruning. The noise of the wind was enhanced by the sound of a circling helicopter.

The river seemed to have achieved equilibrium today, the level not rising or falling but flowing extremely fast creating whirlpools under the new bridge where the flow is obstructed and well up over the outfalls of the new drains designed to drain off surface water.

The survey soon revealed the toughest species along the river today - robins, many of them singing, seemed to be uninhibited by the noise, guarding their chosen territories (16). Blue tits (30) and great tits (13) in good numbers mostly low down in the shelter of the banks foraging along the lower branches and roots, with a few great tits calling. Woodpigeons, clearly not enjoying the weather, were mainly sitting hunched up in trees whilst herring gulls (23) made the most of the wind, soaring around high overhead. Only 3 crows were seen - and no black-headed gulls at all - and just two magpies. Two wrens were seen, one flying very fast and low over the water and the other in the undergrowth of the bank where others were certainly sheltering unseen. Just a single greenfinch, two chaffinch and 11 house sparrows chattering in a sheltered hedge were seen whilst in the trees not exposed to the force of the wind 2 nuthatches were calling. Long-tailed tits (8), usually to be seen flitting high up in the branches were seen today foraging very low down on branches overhanging the river, moving on to a holly which offered some sheltered foraging. Startlings had obviously found a place to roost out of sight - only one whistling gave away their presence amongst thick ivy.  A tiny bird that must keep foraging, a goldcrest, flew out of a conifer and down to the roots, then a second goldcrest called from the same tree, very close by. Just afterwards a much larger bird flew across the river at a fast rate - a sparrowhawk, in search of sparrows which can usually be found in a nearby hedge but today had retreated deep into the brambles. Dry old nettle stalks form perfect cover together with brambles on the river bank, their root systems preventing the collapse of the steep banks into the river when water levels are high and fast flowing.

No blackbirds or any winter thrushes were seen ....

until suddenly a blackbird called in alarm from a hedgerow, then a second black-beaked male, almost invisible sheltering amongst the dark roots at the river bank base of a blackthorn was seen for a moment.

A song thrush was heard singing just as I left. The blackbirds and song thrushes haven't deserted the riverside, they are just lying low, conserving energy, out of sight and will be out foraging as soon as the weather clears.