The Frost Returns

After a very mild spell on Christmas Day, the air began to chill again on Boxing Day and frost returned the next morning and with it brighter light.

The early frost on Crab Apples, left by wildlife until other fruits and berries become scarce.

 Monday 26th December 2016 started fine once the sun had hauled itself up above the line of dense cloud lying over the South East horizon. All was quiet and still at first, with robins singing, each about ten meters away from its neighbour. Great tits were numerous, some now calling strongly. The robin song diminished and dunnocks took over, singing high fast songs, unusually conspicuous on bare branches above the undergrowth. More were visible but silent, foraging under banks and roots. One I watched for some time - it had chosen the water's edge below the bank and was moving from muddy roots and stalks to half- submerged twigs, clearly searching for insects. Suddenly it darted out onto the surface of the river water, making quite a splash, flying up again instantly with something it had caught on or near the surface of the deep water. This was new to me - I have seen robins 'fishing' but not the more furtive dunnock. Their common name used to be 'hedge sparrow' but they are very different from sparrows.

Wrens, although not singing, were very active amongst the dense, dried out long grasses and dock where they can forage unseen - at this time of the year. When the weather turns cold there is plenty of warm dry dense undergrowth formed by wild grasses and dock where they can find shelter above the river flood level, as well as  in ivy-clad trees.

The sun lit up a coal tit foraging amongst the oak twigs, showing up its fine colours, quite distinct from the great tit - and another coal tit was busy nearby.

Numerous blackbirds, both local residents and winter migrants were foraging all along the banks. There were three now eating the remaining Crab Apples, attacking fruits that were turning dark and soft - and collecting the smaller fruits which had fallen onto the ground, swallowing these whole.

The last of the Crab Apples

Berries are now dwindling rapidly- although about 50% of  Guelder Rose berries remain and fortunately these are very plentiful this year, with many new bushes planted over the recent past

long the riverside.

On older trees, some Maple seeds remain, clinging to twigs but all acorns have disappeared completely from the Oaks and the ground below. Well fed squirrels were chasing each other across the tree tops, amongst the resting woodpigeons - and as the sun reached its zenith - still very low on the horizon, goldcrests, goldfinches, song thrushes and starlings were active and even the house sparrows had woken up in their hedgerows. 

A chill breeze soon picked up and the moment of warmth was over for the day.