Christmas Day - December 25th 2014
The weather was fine and the noise level low, a good chance to see the Riverside in sunshine before the gloomy weather returns.
Signs of a turn in the year were already evident with Hazel trees leading the advance:
Hazel catkins, lichen and some leaf buds against a rare blue sky.
Beautiful at all times of the year, the Hazel has populated Britain
since the last Ice Age and is often a companion tree to the Oak and the
Ash, flourishing even in their shade.
The records for December 25th are the first since the contractors work on the river (in place of the EA)
was completed on December 11th/12th. They were fortunate as the river remained low until the very last day when work had finished. This month rainfall has not been excessive and the river level and flow have been normal, unlike last year! (see records for December 2013) but the ground over the whole year has remained damp due to quite frequent showers throughout the year and no extreme heat.
This has affected wildlife, with most birds having a very good breeding season, helped too by favourable conditions for insects, providing plenty of food for adult birds to feed to their young.
The morning was sunny after an early frost, with blue sky and scarcely a breeze.
One might imagine that in winter, most birds would be silent, too busy foraging to sing - but today the riverside was filled with song, and no competition from contractors' vehicles.
The first sound was of house sparrows singing or chattering in the hedges, with some preening in the sun on overhanging branches after bathing in the river (41) in several colonies. In the background, the song of a songthrush could be heard, with robins (17) suddenly appearing out of nowhere with loud outbursts of song, usually close behind my shoulder. Once one robin started singing others nearby joined in, positioning themselves in the sun where the light enhanced their brilliance and made them look larger to their competitors.
An unusual duet took place when a singing robin, perched in the sun on a thicket at the rivers edge was taken aback to see a dunnock fly up from the river, flicking its tail, perch itself on the adjacent branch, 'dun' colouring shining gold in the sun - and start to sing loudly. The robin continued to sing and both birds continued singing together for a considerable time....
It was very good to hear song thrushes still singing along the riverside. One silent bird was down amongst the river bank undergrowth, feeding and another, also silent, flew very low across the river but the others were singing from low down in branches, clearly visible in the sun now that the trees are really bare (5). their clear songs carrying far along the river course. A large mistle thrush was seen out in the open but remained silent, easily distinguished from the smaller, thinner song thrushes.
Their cousins, the fieldfare were active, with a small group moving around in an ivy covered thicket, foraging for ivy berries, with 3 others seen flying across to join them (7). Trying to remain out of sight,
at least 2 redwing were searching for any remaining berries on the river bank vegetation.
A very large number of blackbirds were seen (43) all along the river banks and foraging in groups on the grass. They are probably a mixture of local residents and migrant visitors, all well aware of lean times ahead if the weather turns the ground to ice. They have finished off the holly berries and any other accessible fruits and berries in the thickets leaving only ground-foraging now. Fortunately there are thick layers of damp fallen leaves which at present can be thrown aside by these strong birds, finding plenty to eat underneath the layers.
Low-flying whirring wrens (8) were easily seen today, remaining vigilant whilst foraging under the banks, uttering alarm calls. In a warm sheltered spot, two wrens were singing loudly together, in short bursts, just to make sure others were aware of them.
The jays seem to have left to forage elsewhere, leaving 2 grey squirrels to continue searching the oaks for anything they can find, in the complete absence of acorns this year. Starlings however are doing well with 66 seen today in various groups, loud whistles and rattling sounds coming from their usual day roost. Whilst the ground remains damp and muddy there is no problem finding food, together with the black-headed gulls (25) and herring gulls (20), feeding on the grass and now, very recently, on the margins of the new 'Scrape' (see previous posting) which they discovered as soon as rainwater collected in it.
Corvids were scarce today, with only 2 magpies and 2 calling Jackdaws seen - and 3 carrion crows, one busy cleaning its beak on an oak branch, leaving one to guess what it had been eating! Woodpigeons (19) were quietly sunning themselves on various branches, watching the world go by, pretending to be asleep.
Goldfinches (14), as usual were gathered together in an ivy thicket, singing continuously with others flying in and out in ones and twos, whilst greenfinches (3) and chaffinches (2) were barely noticable, silently flying across amongst the higher branches.
Always a stunning highlight at this time of the year, when trees are bare - bullfinches. Today 3 males were seen, two at the top of a hawthorn and another male in an oak taking advantage of the sun to warm up. They prefer to keep a low profile, with their quiet calls and secretive ways, usually choosing dense leafy thickets to hide in - but now the leaves are gone their vivid colours lit by the sun give them away, even when perched in the middle of dense thickets.
Around them, large roaming groups of blue tits (74) foraged in their erratic manner, some chasing, some calling, together with a more exclusive family group of long-tailed tits (8), their calls giving them away, easily missed when flying high from tree to tree, field maples and oaks. Amongst the roaming flocks, great tits (39) were concentrating on foraging in the old oaks and in the disturbed piles of leaf mould under the trees, prepared for them by the blackbirds. A larger bird suddenly zipped through from out of a bush and into a thicket beyond - a sparrowhawk, so fast that it was hardly noticed.
The smallest bird, the goldcrest, has to feed continuously to maintain energy but are often hidden in conifers. One was seen today, foraging in the pines, moving quickly from branch to branch.
Two nuthatches, which here favour oaks and old ash trees could be seen, maybe rivals - or maybe a pair, one giving alarm calls. Behind them in the rough grasses, a green woodpecker jaffled loudly from its territory.
Overhead, a kestrel flew across and into an oak on the edge of the field, to watch and wait.
