Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation: Rapid Changes along the River

Wednesday 25th April 2018 saw rapid changes in the weather with one minute cloudy and cool and the next minute brilliant sunshine. The landscape seemed to change every day with the advancing hours but wildlife adapts quickly to the varying conditions.

Apple Blossom made a very sudden appearance with bees emerging to forage

amongst the flowers at the same time.

The day was cool, with clouds racing across - one minute bright sunshine with a clear sky, the next minute under cloud, instantly cooler for a minute before the sun reappeared. Most trees and plants had suddenly come into leaf, Hawthorn with blossom buds, taking over from the Blackthorn blossom. The riverside was suddenly carpeted in Dandelions attracting insects, and the flowers of Garlic Mustard were mingling with Wild garlic and Cuckooflower on the banks. The delay in growth of leaves on the trees has encouraged wild flowers to flourish this year. The old oaks were just springing into leaf but not yet casting dense shade. The young oak planted to replace a very old oak which fell in a storm several years ago had been hanging on to last-years brown leaves over the winter, as young oaks do - then suddenly, over a windy night all the leaves were blown away leaving a bare tree but with small leaf buds. Poplars were the only other trees not yet in leaf, with Ash trees only just showing signs of large buds coming into leaf

It is definitely an 'Oak before Ash' year.

The river was running fairly low but fast and there was plenty of water in the ponds but no sign of damselflies, the water wasn't warm enough. None have been seen on the river here yet either - last year's early sightings were quite unusual.

Despite the day's erratic weather, birdsong was continuous all along the river, with migrant warblers doing very well. Chiffchaffs were first to arrive back from their winter habitat and are now singing loudly (12) voices carrying far. Blackcaps arrived after the Chiffchaffs, returning to the same areas along the river, as before - choosing Blackthorn and willows to perch and sing over the riverbanks. (10 seen) Whitethroats are definitely more vocal than last year, singing strongly from prominent perches (7), in short trees and bushes in more open positions. A single willow warbler was heard.

Singing blackbirds dominated the soundscape today - large numbers were present, some singing and the rest foraging for food to take back to young nestlings. It is at present a good spring for them with no lack of food to be found under last year's fallen leaves, even during the days of ice and snow (41).

After some silent days, song thrushes were singing again, with six heard and seen. Robins were occupied with feeding young and guarding territories, as many were silent and keeping out of sight with only 11 seen along the river banks. Like the blackbirds, wrens (32) were signing strongly most from visible perches with others flying to and fro across the river from bank to bank collecting food for young. Out and about, easily spotted amongst the fresh green leaves of large trees were the wood pigeons (33) often very inactive, as they can nest at almost any time during the year. In the same trees, magpies with fledged young were noisy as usual but always present in small numbers - six were seen.

Starling numbers vary a lot, today twelve were active, mostly just flying over, with herring gulls seen now and again, five flew over together. Four carrion crows were present, keeping a watchful eye on activities below them, perched on the top of oaks or just flying over, calling occasionally. Did they spot the grey heron flying low over the river? It was heard calling further downstream. Both herring gulls and carrion crows have been seen 'mobbing' a grey heron carrying its catch, a fish or frog, in the past - the noise distracting most riverside birds and mammals. Just one jackdaw was seen overhead.

A common buzzard was flying into the wind which was increasing, bringing more cloud with a short light April shower. The best place to find shelter from these showers is under a leaning, ivy-clad tree trunk when trees are not yet in full leaf - and this is where birds will hide as well, or disappear into the nearest holly bush.

A bird zipped low through the trees - a sparrowhawk attempting an ambush in a hedge holding a colony of house sparrows which today were more active than usual, chasing each other and bathing in the river where they gather during the day, low amongst some dense hawthorn thickets and old bracken in good numbers (67).

Blue tits (46) and great tits (17) were also very active with both species nesting, finding the habitat perfect for raising young with plentiful supplies of insects and especially nutritious - spiders. Some of the male great tits were also singing loudly. Just one long-tailed tit was seen flying, others are most likely still feeding young. Nesting dunnocks have chosen a site close to a great tit nest site but on the opposite bank- the contrast is interesting - the foraging dunnocks are easily overlooked, being very well camouflaged compared to the very bright great tits. Five dunnocks were seen but maybe there were more! A nuthatch pair command the old ash tree close by, always observant but now seldom calling, as they too are nesting. Of the finches, goldfinches were the most numerous (about 35) singing together in groups, most well hidden in dense thickets and trees. A bullfinch pair were easily seen foraging, pecking at fresh new leaves, silent, as they probably have a nest nearby. At last - two greenfinches were heard singing, with a distant chaffinch heard too.

Three linnets flew across into the top of a Maple.

The day was notable for the numbers of Hoverflies over the river and large numbers of Orange-tip butterflies chasing over the river banks, some perching on their caterpillar food plants: