The end of January already and apart from a few hours now and again, the weather has remained mild, windy and wet. How is this affecting wildlife here along the river?
Yesterday 30th January was mild and breezy but the wind turned later in the day towards WNW bringing cooler air and clearer skies for a while.
Turning back towards the setting sun after surveying the wildlife activity on 30th January 2016
the landscape certainly looked wintery, most birds were roosting by 4pm - apart from robins and song thrushes.
After a very wet day on 29th- today was very fine, not frosty but breezy with small clouds scudding across the blue sky under a low sun. The river was running fast and muddy, a meter or so below the banks. Here and there dog rose branches over-arching the water still held a profusion of rose hips.
Signs of spring were scarce, the landscape remaining very bare apart from Hazel catkins and small bright green shoots of wild Garlic merging from the bare river-washed earth under trees. Ponds and
drainage basins are now well filled and are proving very popular with birds.
Being early afternoon, it was not the optimum time of day to do a survey but it seemed to be the only window in the forecast for continuing overcast, windy and wet days to come.
The busy chatter of house sparrows greeted me on the riverside, the blackthorn thicket being the most popular, crowded out with birds all jostling for suitable perches in the sun but sheltered from the wind. Continuous movement throughout the thicket meant it was difficult to count them but the total for house sparrows present all along the river was around 90. In several places they were joined by singing starlings (c40) edging in to share sunlit branches. They enjoy each other's company during the day.
Some house sparrows were taking off from twigs, making short circular flights and returning - were they catching insects which had emerged in the sunshine? Probably.
Blue tits (40) and great tits (16) were present in most places with great tits just starting to call amongst the trees. Four long-tailed tits were seen high in the tree canopy with more probably foraging unseen.
Nearby, chaffinches (5) and greenfinches (2) were quite static, calling occasionally whilst goldfinches (14 or more) were gathered together in an ivy-covered tree across the river, singing.
In the air, about 20 black-headed gulls were gliding over, heading south, checking out their grass field, deciding against landing, Saturday afternoon not being a good time for undisturbed foraging.
A few (10) herring gulls flew across, bypassing two rooks and three jackdaws, whilst about 50 woodpigeons were scattered in trees and on the fields in sheltered areas. Two collared doves were foraging amongst the Ivy, reaching out for Ivy berries - it is strange how their population explosion several years ago ended so quickly, perhaps being outnumbered by the increase in the population of wood pigeons moving in when their natural farmland habitat and source of food was destroyed.
Five magpies were moving along through the trees and two pairs of carrion crows flew out of the Blackthorn with no sign of desperate foraging - they are certainly not hungry. The fastest action seen this afternoon was from a hunting sparrowhawk zipping through the branches over the river, it was also the only raptor seen today.
By far the loudest song came from singing robins (27) positioned every few meters along the river course, some very close to each other. Two robins were seen about a meter apart in typical fighting poses - long necks, beaks pointing up to the sky, moving necks, tails raised, then a third appeared, perhaps a female, all three were very vocal. Songthrushes were also singing (6) keeping their distance from each other, voices carrying far. Blackbirds at this time of the day were silent (16) apart from some giving alarm calls. Most were busy pulling Ivy berries off dense mature growth whilst others were
having an easier time foraging on very damp grass and amongst the hedge undergrowth.
Signs of spring were scarce, the landscape remaining very bare apart from Hazel catkins and small bright green shoots of wild Garlic merging from the bare river-washed earth under trees. Ponds and
drainage basins are now well filled and are proving very popular with birds.
Being early afternoon, it was not the optimum time of day to do a survey but it seemed to be the only window in the forecast for continuing overcast, windy and wet days to come.
The busy chatter of house sparrows greeted me on the riverside, the blackthorn thicket being the most popular, crowded out with birds all jostling for suitable perches in the sun but sheltered from the wind. Continuous movement throughout the thicket meant it was difficult to count them but the total for house sparrows present all along the river was around 90. In several places they were joined by singing starlings (c40) edging in to share sunlit branches. They enjoy each other's company during the day.
Some house sparrows were taking off from twigs, making short circular flights and returning - were they catching insects which had emerged in the sunshine? Probably.
Blue tits (40) and great tits (16) were present in most places with great tits just starting to call amongst the trees. Four long-tailed tits were seen high in the tree canopy with more probably foraging unseen.
Nearby, chaffinches (5) and greenfinches (2) were quite static, calling occasionally whilst goldfinches (14 or more) were gathered together in an ivy-covered tree across the river, singing.
In the air, about 20 black-headed gulls were gliding over, heading south, checking out their grass field, deciding against landing, Saturday afternoon not being a good time for undisturbed foraging.
A few (10) herring gulls flew across, bypassing two rooks and three jackdaws, whilst about 50 woodpigeons were scattered in trees and on the fields in sheltered areas. Two collared doves were foraging amongst the Ivy, reaching out for Ivy berries - it is strange how their population explosion several years ago ended so quickly, perhaps being outnumbered by the increase in the population of wood pigeons moving in when their natural farmland habitat and source of food was destroyed.
Five magpies were moving along through the trees and two pairs of carrion crows flew out of the Blackthorn with no sign of desperate foraging - they are certainly not hungry. The fastest action seen this afternoon was from a hunting sparrowhawk zipping through the branches over the river, it was also the only raptor seen today.
By far the loudest song came from singing robins (27) positioned every few meters along the river course, some very close to each other. Two robins were seen about a meter apart in typical fighting poses - long necks, beaks pointing up to the sky, moving necks, tails raised, then a third appeared, perhaps a female, all three were very vocal. Songthrushes were also singing (6) keeping their distance from each other, voices carrying far. Blackbirds at this time of the day were silent (16) apart from some giving alarm calls. Most were busy pulling Ivy berries off dense mature growth whilst others were
having an easier time foraging on very damp grass and amongst the hedge undergrowth.
The Arun, excellent wildlife habitat in midwinter
Wrens (8) were quiet and not easily visible today, almost as invisible as dunnocks although 3 were seen briefly before disappearing into the base of a hedge - but high calls in a conifer gave away 4 fast-moving goldcrests which have to forage more or less continuously in order to store enough energy for the coming night. Below them on the river a moorhen called and 3 mallard were seen sheltering amongst the Reedmace on the drainage basin.
Four nuthatches were seen, all calling in various locations along the river in the old trees, guarding their territories and reserved nest holes and a great-spotted woodpecker was heard calling several times. Lastly, amongst dense twigs and ivy-clad branches bordering the river, a female bullfinch was seen - moving briefly through a sunlit gap, then another, a male was seen following. These were quite silent, only given away by slight movements although once out of sight, one was heard calling softly.
Last but not least, a pair of blackcaps flew in, chasing each other. Are they a pair which has come in from northern Europe for the winter, or are they a pair which decided to stay after most other summer blackcaps had left in the autumn? Normally, males and females are thought to separate and choose different migration destinations over the winter….
