Birds of the River in April

After the rain

The last day of April and after yesterday's heavy rain showers the sun appears in gaps between fair-weather cumulus clouds but a cool breeze persisted. The river was flowing well after the rain and most trees were in leaf at last, apart from Ash trees which held plenty of leaf buds and young oaks which hang on to their old leaves well into spring. The Blackthorn blossom was mostly over and Hawthorn blossom buds were just showing amongst the new leaves.
The new leaf growth on the old oaks was most spectacular, shining a brilliant green in the sun, with tiny flowers under them. Hopefully this year there will be acorns again after a complete dearth last year.

An oak canopy suddenly appears, with birds attracted to the insects

hidden amongst the opening leaves

More fresh growth was carpeting the river banks with young bramble, nettle, cow parsley
ground ivy, dog violets and cuckoo flower all flourishing, together with river water plants.
Wild garlic still covered much of the ground under the trees. Insect life was plentiful over the river and banks - hover flies and small bees and wasps joining the butterflies.

Blackbirds (25) were active, foraging made easier by the recent rainfall, several singing and some giving alarm calls as other birds perhaps approached their secret nests. Song thrushes (3) were now silent during the day, an indication that the males have successfully found mates - no singing means good news! The birds are still present, 3 were seen, one flying up from the river after bathing, to preen and shake on a branch, then fly off to a sunnier perch. Foraging is carried out silently and cautiously. only heard when a song thrush is using a stone as an 'anvil' to feed on a snail. Blue tits (18) and great tits (8) were far less visible now, most busy nesting and searching for caterpillars amongst the new leaves to feed to their young, although some great tit males were still calling and blue tits contact-calling. Quiet contact calls gave away a pair of long-tailed tits over the river and further along another three were heard and seen foraging amongst the willows (5).
Robins (8) were still singing, but less numerous now as most are occupied feeding young in their riverside nests. Wrens (10) were still singing loudly, although most of the numerous river residents were unobserved, having settled in their chosen territories with no need to advertise their presence.
A single dunnock dashed into the bank vegetation, fortunately far less visible now under the new spring growth.
Chaffinches (4) and greenfinches (2) were heard singing loudly whilst goldfinches (6) were seen flying across the river, one or two at a time.  Very dark clouds were gathering when a group of 8 linnets suddenly flew in a tight group across from the field into the shelter of a bramble hedge just as the first large drops of rain started to fall. Their short flight-calls alerted me as they had been out of sight on the field. House sparrows (65) were active in several places, especially amongst the bramble thickets, Hornbeam and Elder bushes. One was seen carrying a large downy woodpigeon feather in its beak for its nest.
Two nuthatches were seen, probably a pair, one carrying food to its nest and the other calling quietly nearby.
Woodpigeons (17) were seen, mostly foraging on the ground whilst carrion crows (15) were seen in the air on individual missions, some calling. One was seen carrying an object in its beak, dropping down onto a river 'beach' where it proceeded to eat what looked like a woodpigeon egg, leaving half the shell as it flew up again. Three noisy jackdaws flew across and a single rook perched on a chimney. Starlings (80) were very numerous today, finding good foraging on the damp grass after the long dry spell. Only three herring gulls were seen in the air, most were foraging elsewhere - and two magpies were seen flying near their untidy nest in a conifer where a single goldcrest was heard calling.
As usual at this time of the year, mallard range the river, flying to and fro, chasing or just resting and preening on small islands in the sunshine. six were seen today, one pair on an island, one female sunning herself on a sheltered bank and other males flying along the river course.
The dark clouds rapidly moved away and in the air, above the fields, a buzzard was seen being harassed by a noisy crow - but after being ignored by the buzzard, the crow gave up and flew off.

MIGRANT WARBLERS
Well established along the river now, whitethroats (11) were seen and heard singing loudly from their riverbank scrub and bramble thickets, some bouncing up, displaying over their territory.
Blackcaps (9) were also singing well, amongst the bushy willows, scolding passers-by.
One stood out - a fine male, slim upright pose, alert, carrying some fine hairs in its beak - nesting material - as blackcaps don't have whiskers, although that's what they looked like...
Two singing willow warblers were also seen amongst the willows accompanied by the ever-present spring and summer song of chiffchaffs (13) always active and acrobatic along the riverside trees and thickets.

RIVER BIRDS
The highlights of this spring day:

First, in a quiet bend in the river with plenty of roots and stems a fine female grey wagtail suddenly flew out from under a ledge where it had been foraging and flew off low downstream.

Later, whilst listening to a willow warbler in an overhanging willow, a kingfisher flew low past me, close up, taking a short cut across a meander to reach another stretch of the river just upstream.

Butterflies:
The fine growth of wild flowers such as Cuckoo flower and Garlic Mustard have attracted numerous butterflies and today Orange Tips, mostly male but a few females were most numerous, with Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood, Comma and Large Whites ranging the river banks and wild meadows.

Not so long ago this view was of dry bare banks, bare branches

and last year's leaves and stalks.

Swallows over the Scrape!

A good example of how quickly wildlife, especially birds, can utilise new landscape features:

Today, 26th April 2015  Barn Swallows were seen hunting aerial insects low over the water in the new scrape, created last autumn as a large drainage basin. It is also popular with numbers of starlings, blackbirds and woodpigeons. During this long dry spell it has been a good source of still water and damp mud for birds, being clearly visible from the air adding diversity to the riverine landscape.

The Scrape - easily spotted from the air by passing birds

Further north the river meanders amongst old oaks, with once bare banks

now carpeted with Wild Garlic.

Waiting for Rain

About 2mm of rain fell last night,  24th April ending what was fast becoming an unusual spring drought.

On 24th April it was still very dry with the heavy clay soil breaking up even more.

No problem at present for butterflies, with more bright Orange Tip males ranging over the cuckooflower,  flowering Garlic Mustard clumps and young nettle leaves on the banks, looking for females, Holly Blue butterflies flying high and low along the Holly and Ivy, large Brimstones flying strongly following the course of the river and Speckled Woods mostly down low along shaded undergrowth - and Peacocks basking. Beeflies, Hoverflies and a few Bumblebees were about (Bombus lapidarius) Red-tailed mostly.

Fine fresh Peacock basking 

Same Peacock showing the dry cracked earth

Garlic Mustard (Aliara petiolata), like the Cuckoo flower, is a good plant for caterpillar of Orange-tip butterflies which on this plant, feed on the flower seed pods:

Garlic Mustard growing strongly through last years old nettle stalks

and fallen leaves on the river bank

April - Whitethroats and Orange Tips!

Today, Tuesday 21st April, the riverside burst into a new song - robins

and wrens gave way to new arrivals, migrant Common Whitethroats which seemed

to be singing from each Blackthorn thicket along the river, with blackcaps heard amongst the blossom too.

Along the damp river banks and over the Wild flower Field, Orange tip butterflies were seen for the first time this year, hassled in some areas by Small Tortoiseshells

Fresh Blackthorn Blossom

April 2015 so far has been dry, dusty and windy. The ground is cracking wherever it lies bare, dried by the sun and the North wind. These conditions mean birds find foraging difficult and are naturally attracted to the river banks and damp riverine vegetation for food and shelter from the wind. 

Compared to last year, the flowering of plants and blossom is still late but sunshine certainly brought Lesser Celandine flowers out in profusion where they are normally only seen in small clumps here and there.

Earlier this month, on 6th April, signs of the land warming up:

Here on the river bank more Lesser Celandine pushed up through deep layers 

of last year's leaves, fallen twigs and flood debris

and here a Small Tortoiseshell butterfly perches on dry debris to warm up

A couple of days later, on 8th April:

A fine Peacock butterfly was seen on the river bank Cuckooflower, which this year is flourishing - good news for butterflies.

Then on the 21st April, yet another fine day and warm too, the Wild Garlic was flowering after a slow start:

and Blackthorn blossom was at its best (see first photo)