Waiting for Rain - April ends

30th April 2017 and it looks like rain after a very long dry spell.

The river is still flowing well and the river banks remain damp and green but elsewhere on the riverside the ground is hardening - although the trees and grasses still have plenty of moisture under the surface.

Lowering clouds are again trapping small flying insects over the water.

It looks like a traditional May Bank Holiday tomorrow - rain...

Here's another photo of the first Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly showing the wings:

It emerged on 24th April (see previous post) sharing the river environment with many other insects - no shortage of prey.

This was not the first damselfly to appear this month - the first was a Large Red Damselfly observed

on 21st April flying strongly over the river.

The temperature of the water is the key to their emergence rather than the air temperature and with very little rain, leading to the river running more shallow than usual, the water has a chance to warm up in places where meanders slow its pace and the sunlight warms the river bed. We'll probably see fewer pond dragonflies this spring - unless it rains before they dry out.

The spring green banks of the Upper Arun where Orange Tip butterflies are ranging,  blackcaps and chiffchaffs singing and grey herons are hunting frogs.

A Record for the Beautiful Demoiselle Damselflies

Monday 24th April 2017 - was 

a day to remember, marking the earliest emergence of a Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly to be recorded here on the river - at least for the past six years.

The first Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly male observed to have emerged this year 2017 on 'our' stretch of the river Arun. It remained motionless, perched on a fresh nettle leaf on the river bank, warming up. The eyes will become less opaque as it matures and it will be ambushing insect prey for a few days.

This is not just a few days early - as looking back the recorded first observations here were:

2012 - 21st May

2013 - 31st May

2014 - 18th May

2015 - 25th May

2016 - 13th May

2017 - 24th April

These dates, being observations, could be a few days late but not several weeks late.    

            Here is the full record for Monday 24th April 2017:

Conditions were good, with hazy sunshine, cool but no wind. Hawthorn was now in full blossom, the Blackthorn blossom mostly gone except in shady patches late to blossom with Hawthorn only just in leaf. Flowering Cow Parsley is now flowering well, dominating the river bank flora, growing up through young nettles. The young oaks are bare, having now lost last years dried brown leaves but with plenty of new small leaf buds. The old oaks have very fresh green leaves, with some trees burdened with an abundance of catkins.

 Here oak catkins outnumber fresh leaves hanging over the

flowering Wild Garlic on the river bank.

After recent strong winds bunches of these fragile twigs can be found on the ground - just self pruning.

Ground Ivy, Dead Nettle, Meadow Buttercup and dandelions add to the flora on the banks, with clumps of Cuckooflower still flowering in places.

Very dark clouds first seen in the distance were now fast approaching, bringing with them clouds of insects, small midges moving in swarms in the air over the river and fields - welcomed by damselflies and birds. The day grew dark for a while but the clouds brought no rain and it soon brightened up. As I was looking at the clouds, a kestrel flew to a standstill against the strengthening breeze and hovered for a while. Below a nuthatch called a 'spring' nesting' call from an old oak.

House sparrows started to sing amongst the Hawthorn hedges  (60+) and many ventured down to bathe in the now shallow parts of the river, flying up completely soaked to shake and preen on branches in the hazy sun. Others were feeding on the remaining Dock seed, popular too with goldfinches (40+) chaffinches (7), and greenfinches (3) whilst other birds, robins and blackbirds, foraged for insects in the still-damp earth underneath the Dock leaves and long grasses. Any plant with moisture trapping characteristics is valuable to wildlife during long spells of dry weather such as we are experiencing at present, especially now, during the nesting season, when insects are a priority. As soon as the clouds of insects appeared, groups of starlings (c60) appeared from their day-roosts, flying across gaps in the trees, zig-zagging all over the place,  aerial insect-catching - very different from their usual direct flight-style. Later they could be seen feeding amongst the long grass. A group of 5  linnets  flew across the dock and collected a single very bright linnet which flew up from feeding on seed on a dry Dock stalk.

There were more blackbirds than expected (29), some singing strongly from prominent perches whilst others foraged on the grass and undergrowth, all keeping close to the river - the main source of water for drinking, bathing and insects in the mud. There were also more song thrushes than expected (12) with several continuing to sing whilst others foraged under hedges close to their nest locations, often standing still for a while, watching and listening for movements of insects on the ground. 

Wrens (28) however out-sang all the other birds along the river, forming a continuous line of song - holding territories adjacent to each other, certainly within earshot of their neighbours. I was never outside a wren territory. The other most dominant singing bird was the  robin (15)  - it was interesting to note that both the wren and the robin were the first birds to move in, within minutes, when contractors made piles of old twigs and rotten branches from fallen trees earlier this year, and have remained to guard their new territories; most robins seen were singing or watching from prominent branches, guarding their carefully hidden nests. Two Dunnocks were seen foraging but none singing, they are also busy nesting in the undergrowth. In the river itself a Mallard pair was seen and three more flew over the river.(5 total)

The birds most obviously nesting were blue  tits (14) and great tits  (15) as far fewer were seen than usual - some were singing but most were obviously not flying any distance to collect caterpillars for their nesting mates or hatched young. Long-tailed tits (3) were again seen in the same nest areas as previously, just dodging out to collect food immediately adjacent to their nests. 

A silent jay (1),  and five noisy carrion-crows moved around amongst the old oaks whilst three Jackdaws headed for the conifers. Only one gold crest was seen moving fast from branch to branch in a different conifer, with branches now swaying in the increasing wind. Overhead a sparrowhawk was flying with the wind whilst four herring gulls circled high over a drainage basin where magpies (5) searched around, watched by the ever-present woodpigeons (28) in their high seats on fences and oaks.

They seemed to be just sitting in pairs, contemplating the view. Collared doves remained hidden amongst ivy, cooing (3).

Hawthorn blossom (May flowers) - in April..

The migrant warblers have timed their arrivals here to coincide with the profusion of insects and river bank trees such as the willows bearing catkins and coming into leaf together with the flowering of blossom on the hedgerows and fruit trees. One willow warbler was heard singing together with numerous chiffchaffs (15) all along the river with common whitethroats (3) adding to the song from the river bank brambles and blackthorn despite the construction activity talking place close by.

Blackcaps (8) are now more numerous and singing loudly in their chosen locations, in the willows or the riverbank blackthorn and hawthorn. There was a sudden loud yaffle from a green woodpecker across the grass. Back downstream the first Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly was observed on a fresh nettle leaf but it was not the only 'star appearance' of the day - as looking down onto the river, suddenly, out of the steep bank, a kingfisher appeared, flying very low up the river along a straight stretch, disappearing around a bend, bright blue back shining in the sunlight. A fine sight!

Butterflies were not numerous on this cool and mixed dark and light day but several Holly Blues were seen over the brambles and good numbers of Speckled Woods which don't need strong sunlight. A few Orange Tips were seen (male and females) and a single Small Tortoiseshell butterfly. Large bumblebees braving the cold were Bombus terrestris and red-tailed Bumblebee Bombus lapidaries.

Amongst the numerous small insects were good numbers of Hoverflies…..

This Hoverfly is probably Syrphus ribesii - busy feeding on a Dandelion flower - worth its weight in gold!

April Firsts on the Riverside

April is always a month marking the first appearances of birds and insects after a winter spent on warmer shores or, for some insects,  hidden away in hibernation.

Here the first half of this month has seen many early appearances, certainly compared with this time last year. High pressure has prevailed now for a long time, maintaining good weather, mostly warm and clear but in recent days becoming colder again with a chill northerly wind.

Orange tip butterflies had already appeared in late March (see previous post) and became more and more numerous around their food plant, the Cuckooflower which is also more common everywhere this year. Holly Blue butterflies appeared early too and are still numerous.

The first blossom buds appeared early this month on the Crab Apple trees, with most other fruit trees blossoming now.

Crab Apple blossom 11th April 2017

On 4th April 2017 a female blackcap was seen in the brambles, with a male blackcap singing in amongst the Blackthorn blossom so dense that the bird was almost invisible. Further downstream a willow warbler was singing its fine song from a Blackthorn branch over the river, with chiffchaffs seen clearly high up in tree tops singing loudly.  Blackbirds were busy collecting food for young and a fine mistle thrush was seen perched motionless on a branch.

On 5th April the first Speckled Wood butterfly was seen on a hedge alongside the river - and since then the population has increased day by day, with more Orange tips, Small Tortoiseshell and Holly Blues seen too.

Another fine day on 7th April - a green woodpecker was yaffling loudly on the grass whilst a nuthatch called from an oak; chiffchaffs continued to sing with goldfinches joined by greenfinches singing from high in the still-bare trees. It was good to see that the long-tailed tits were still nesting in the brambles - the weather has been kind with river levels remaining low of now.

April 10th marked the arrival of the first whitethroat - heard singing well amongst a bramble thicket, accompanied in song by a willow warbler and a blackcap.

Another first here on 11th April was the presence of a Brimstone butterfly ranging along the bank after coming out of winter hibernation. This butterfly would have first emerged as a butterfly around August time last year, 2016 when it would have been busy on Teasels and Thistles, feeding up to gain weight to see it over the winter which it would have spent in a wooded area or safely sheltered in a Holly or Ivy bush. The warmth and sunlight would have awakened it this spring, when it re-emerged.

This first Brimstone butterfly, on re-emerging, was attracted to the

 bright yellow of the  Dandelions on the bank

This is a female, lighter in colour than the male. She will be searching for a Buckthorn 

bush in leaf - easy to find here as there are Buckthorn bushes not far along the river bank. The eggs will form the next generation of Brimstones which will emerge at the end

of the summer.

Dandelions are excellent plants for pollinating insects such as bees and should be protected, definitely not mown down!

Wild Garlic is now flowering all along shady areas on the river bank under the trees.

Like most flowering wild plants this spring, it is spreading along the river, increasing the diversity of 

plant life here.