October means many rapid changes in the amount of daylight, the strength of the sunlight and daytime and night time temperatures - all affecting the wildlife along the river.
Most of our summer migrants have left and are well on their way south although swallows and house martins are still to be seen feeding on insects over the river as they make their way to warmer climates
via the river course then across the channel.
Here, fruits and berries have ripened, a welcome sight for winter migrants flying across from northern and central europe where it is becoming bitterly cold. Some have already arrived and will be making their way inland from coastal areas - we'll be watching out for them.
Guelder Rose berries on the river bank, translucent in the sun
- easily spotted from a long distance, attracting birds to investigate
the riverside where they have a good choice of food - they often
choose Hawthorn berries first as they have been ripe for some time
Friday 9th October 2015 was a typical October day, a fine and clear morning after a cool night.
There was no wind and the rising sun soon warmed up the ground although areas in the shade remained soaked after a heavy dew overnight. The river was running swiftly, lower but still muddy after previous rainfall. Hazel leaves were turning a bright yellow and Dog Rose hips were a brilliant red, showing up high amongst the trees and down low over the river. Spider's webs were strung between every nettle stalk on the bank, each one with its resident spider, and often with trapped insect prey as well - rich pickings for foraging birds.
Looking out into the fields as it became warmer, as the sun lit up the species-rich old hedgerows, small birds, some showing yellow plumage, were active in and out of the hedge, down onto the stubble at the field margins, working their way amongst the dry short stalks. These were yellowhammers - a very welcome sight as they are red-listed birds - farmland birds declining in numbers from year to year.
At least 14 were seen foraging and flying up to perch inside the hedgerow. They would be off to new fields soon, choosing stubble and marginal weeds under hedgerows left uncut.
Yellowhammers were definitely the highlight of the morning but there was plenty of action all along the river too - here's a full record:
The first sighting was unexpected, just glancing across the river something bright orange drifted down like a leaf from the top of a Hazel, down onto a horizontal bare branch. It was a very fresh Comma butterfly, which settled to warm up and bask in the sun (like a bird), with a backdrop of rose hips. After warming up for a while it moved up onto some ivy leaves, ivy flowers clearly the attraction, it then moved from flower to flower, nectaring. Along the river, Speckled Wood and Large White butterflies were also seen in various places.
Finches were out in force; although only a few chaffinches (6) and greenfinches (3) were seen, there were large numbers of goldfinches (117), a number of them in juvenile plumage still - lacking the bright red face of the adult.
More than 40 flew together into the top of an old oak after foraging on sun-touched Dock seeds below. More flew into the top of an Ash tree and a Field Maple whilst more than 20 flew across the river, backs to the sun. A group were busy feeding on Ash keys (very numerous this autumn) and further along the river at least 20 were in the Blackthorn which catches the early sun, mostly well camouflaged youngsters, preening and scratching their heads.
A small group of linnets (12) arrived to perch on the sunlit side of an ash tree. Soon they will be more easily seen as the leaves of all deciduous trees are now falling fast. A brief, bright glimpse of a male bullfinch was had as it flew across a gap in the branches but as usual it flew into the back of a dense thicket.
House sparrows (c40) were difficult to locate at first but a colony was suddenly woken up by the sun on their hedge roost and started to chatter. Later, more were seen in the bramble patches, emerging to warm up. A hunting sparrowhawk flew swiftly upstream low over the river, hoping to surprise any bird around the next corner. It's prey is often a fat woodpigeon drinking or bathing, finding itself trapped.
The hawk will usually leave a tell-tale pile of woodpigeon feathers at the site. Today, as is usual during the autumn, there were large numbers of woodpigeons (c80) seen in trees along the river, flying over or feeding on the fields. Wildly waving branches in the top of an old oak (on a windless morning) revealed several woodpigeons balancing on the topmost twigs, reaching out for ripe brown acorns - rather clumsy birds, most of them grabbed then dropped the acorns after all that effort. a good sign of their activities can be seen on the ground below an oak, plentiful acorns and brown leaves and twigs, crunching under foot.
All was quiet apart from a loudly cursing jay, objecting to the presence of two squirrels - and the fine song of robins (26), some very close up and others more distant along the wooded riverbanks, their calls echoing. Occasionally they do appear to be answering another nearby robin, not always in dispute over territory, as the females sing as well. Blue tits (42) and great tits (29) were also calling - or bickering in the case of the blue tits - and the soft calls of a group of long-tailed tits (8) were heard - looking up they were seen to be following each other into the same Blackthorn bush. The very high call of a treecreeper was heard with a second treecreeper answering from an adjacent tree but hidden from view by leaves. Low in amongst roots, a silent dunnock was seen and wrens (9) gave away their presence with short bursts of song or alarm calls, most seen very close to the water's edge amongst mossy roots in shaded areas. Warblers were still present - two chiffchaffs were seen, one well camouflaged amongst the pale green ash leaves and another in a vivid red spindle tree - and two blackcaps were seen, one in the Blackthorn and one amongst brambles full of berries.
At this stage in the progress of autumn we were still waiting for the arrival of the first winter thrushes on the riverside and today there were only 8 blackbirds seen, probably local residents, busy foraging on the abundant fruits and berries, without much competition. It was good to see numbers of starlings (c30) arriving at their popular day roost, which was filling up with birds staying mostly out of sight but chattering and whistling together.
Nuthatches (8) were present in good numbers, indicating a good breeding season over the summer, with young ones calling loudly, perhaps still claiming territory. Three great spotted woodpeckers were seen too in amongst good habitat in various wooded parts of the river bank.
Goldcrests (2) were busy foraging for insects, one in a conifer and another flew into the very popular Blackthorn a great view, it's plumage lit by the sun.
In the air, carrion crows (6), herring gulls (2) magpies (5), jackdaws (6), a single black-headed gull and a single mallard were seen flying across at various times during the morning but as the sun warming the earth produced good thermals, 3 buzzards appeared, the first flying low, circling slowly, fine plumage lit by the sun, then a second appeared, being chased by two crows. The buzzard threw them off and continued on it's way south whilst a third flew into view, low, calling loudly.
