More Bright April Days 2020

Nearing the middle of April the verges and banks became even brighter with a fine display of plants essential to life - attracting the pollinators. Dandelions flowered together with Lesser Celandine, Blackthorn blossom covered the hedges with an even denser white whilst Willow catkins burst into life  and blossom was flowering on fruit trees - all attracting insects, amongst them the most colourful:

A Peacock Butterfly nectaring on one of the finest flowers for wildlife, the Dandelion.

12th April 2020

The importance of such common flowers cannot be overestimated. Later they would be joined by daisies forming dense carpets attracting a large diversity of insects including many species of bee.

On 12th, many common whitethroats were singing, together with blackcaps. A moorhen was busy in the river 'islands' of twigs and two song thrushes were singing too. A great spotted woodpecker and a green woodpecker were in the old trees whilst below them the Peacocks were not the only butterflies to be seen ranging along the banks. Speckled Wood butterflies were chasing Holly Blues over the river and up into the trees. Huge Bumblebees were flying low over the Dandelions, young nettles and wildflowers including dog Violet, Wild Garlic and just flowering Garlic Mustard, then up to the blossoming Blackthorn:

Blackthorn blossom like snow in the wind. Actually this 

is typical of a fine dense Blackthorn hedge which each year grows

new twigs,  chosen by the Brown Hairstreak butterfly to lay its eggs on in the autumn. The butterfly itself will be seen much later in the year.

This is a scarce butterfly which is being driven to near extinction by hedge trimming and 'tidying'.

Blackthorn is also chosen by blackcaps, whitethroats, other migrant warblers and the bullfinch as habitat during the summer, the thorns providing protection from predators.

Garlic Mustard:

A spring and summer wild flower, together with the Cuckooflower, is often overlooked but is an essential food plant of butterflies such as the Orange Tip and the Green-veined white.

Flowering Garlic Mustard - 

an important food plant of the Orange Tip butterfly usually grows in semi- shade in damp places.

The leaves are nettle-like but have a sharp garlic scent.

Stinging Nettles themselves are also a very important food plant for butterflies. 

Comma, Red-Admiral, Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies all use the Nettle as caterpillar food.

Butterflies lay their eggs under the tender young Nettle leaves which provide the ideal food for the caterpillars when they hatch.

April 'drought'

The first days of April 2020 continued dry and fine with increasingly clear, unpolluted air as 'Lockdown' continued too. The 2nd was more overcast with very slight drizzle but with the bonus of seeing a red kite flying over and a kestrel hunting. Herring gulls were active too.

On 4th Comma butterflies and Small Tortoiseshell were seen along the river banks. Blackbirds, singing robins and dunnock were also present together with numerous bees, and the first blossom was coming into bud one of the Crab Apple trees:

Each tree is a different variety, with blossom appearing at different times

Crab Apple Blossom - buds just opening on another tree.

The 6th April was another fine day, becoming dry. A loudly singing song thrush was visible on a bare treetop where it's voice travelled far. Several singing dunnocks were clearly visible too within the bare branches of young trees. Singing chiffchaffs were now becoming numerous, moving around in young trees not yet in leaf. Blue tits, great tits, house sparrows, goldfinches and wrens were present too with a female blackbird 'sunning' on the riverbank, reluctant to move. The muddy ground, under floodwater not so long ago, was now cracking up in the dry heat.

Nearby singing common whitethroats were heard for the first time this year amongst the smaller bushes, bramble and Willow.

The following day singing greenfinches and chaffinches were heard - quite rare here now.

An Orange Tip butterfly was ranging along the field verge.

The days became warmer and on 8th April a blackcap was in the wild field singing and a common buzzard was being chased by two carrion crows - this disturbance can happens at any time of the year but particularly during nesting in spring. 

Good Friday 10th April was fine again but with a fine mist which may well have been created by pollen in the air.

The first Speckled Wood butterfly was seen. These have a long flight time extending well into the autumn.

A Fine end to March 2020

The Survey for this month was done on Friday March 27th 2020 - yet another fine day after a long stretch of similar days but warmer with a breeze from the north and a clear blue sky. The river was flowing at a much lower level now but with the high water line still visible from the muddy vegetation along the banks, not yet covered by fresh spring growth.
As mentioned in the previous post, Wood Anemone (Anemone nemorosa) started to flower here this year on 22nd March - but by the 27th flowers formed carpets in some special places under the old Oaks and Ash trees where the sun filtered through the bare branches to warm the woodland floor. The flowers close quickly when in the shade. Unlike Lesser celandine, the Wood Anemone spreads out very slowly and is an indicator of Ancient Woodland where the ground has been undisturbed for hundreds of years with old oaks thriving with such plants as Wood Anemone growing at their roots.

Wood Anemone flowering in the sun at the base of an old oak

26th March 2020

With no background noise, birdsong prevailed and echoed along the water. Lesser Celandine, with no heavy rain to batter it down, now thrived amongst the new growth of Dandelions and the old Oaks were covered in brown leaf buds. As the air remained cool, with north-easterly winds prevailing, growth was not sudden but gradually became prolific with more flowers spreading out each day.

More Lesser Celandine, traditionally known as 'spring messenger'

continued to appear initially in small patches and this year gradually spread

out from day to day to cover large areas of verges and banks well

before any other wild plants could cover it. This patch was 

part of a whole sloping bank in dappled sun.

 By the 28th March the first substantial clumps of Cuckooflower were seen here on a sunny river bank:

The Cuckooflower (or Lady's-smock) has a greater significance as it is an important

food plant of the Orange Tip butterfly - the caterpillar's food. Its appearance is thought to predict the arrival of the cuckoo in mid-April  - however it's often seen earlier here in Sussex whereas the cuckoo itself becomes more rare.

House sparrows have been nesting now for some time but there were plenty still singing in the hedgerows (68) and together with goldfinches in the thickets. Some were seen 'fly catching' 

insects to take to the nest. Robins were also seen in good numbers, most singing loudly but with shorter, territorial songs (20). Five dunnocks were either in the undergrowth or sitting on fences singing. Wrens (14) seen were singing loudly, protecting their chosen nest locations, this spring higher up the banks than usual, under growing ivies and mosses, shunning the lower mud banks like the small mammals such as bank voles. After several years of lower water levels, the new generations have learnt from the recent floods. Moorhens too are more cautious and have been seen testing various nest sites and decided on locations well hidden in growth a safe distance from the water. like the one seen and heard today.

Blackbirds (14) are now singing - their welcome song becoming a major part of the early dawn chorus whilst others were today silently collecting food from the still-damp long grasses in the shade, the margins of ponds and muddy shallows in the river being the most popular sites. Song thrushes (4) were only giving very short snatches of song - their foraging taking up most time. Even magpies (2) were concentrating on finding food - but most were unseen, nesting. A single herring gull was calling in flight as were two jackdaws, whilst wood pigeons (18) continued as usual, sunbathing on branches, bathing in the shallows or calling from the canopy. A pair of collared doves, more nervous, were watching from their hide-out in some ivy  Four carrion crows were seen on the grass, foraging, whilst a jay flew fast across the field.

More starlings were visible than usual (53) about ten fly-catching over the riverside, whilst most were singing or 'rattling' from their day-roost in the sheltered sun or on the grass feeding on insects.

Goldfinches were more numerous too, with about 45 in several groups, some drying out and preening in a tree top easily seen after bathing in the shallows, others singing together with house sparrows (in separate groups) in the tall hedges and ivies.Blue tits were very active amongst the blossoming Blackthorn (20) and great tits (14) were ranging through low growth along the river, most singing loudly.  Long-tailed tits (5) however were very quiet, nesting in well-hidden sites amongst brambles.

A sparrowhawk flew through a gap in the trees where it usually ambushes pre-occupied birds - its prey often being a wood pigeon down on the bank. It may have to share with a red fox. One was seen later in the day prowling along the same bank.

Seven vocal nuthatches were seen and heard in various locations all along the river banks, most calling what could be understood as a threat for others to go away from their hard-won nest territory in the old oaks or old ash trees. At this time, the only migrant warblers present were chiffchaffs, (4) their calls unmistakable however. They were back in their usual summer territory amongst dense blossoming Blackthorn. Soon more will join them.

As soon as the sun warmed the ground, butterflies appeared, with numerous bumblebees and hoverflies. The butterflies seen were several Commas, two Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Holly Blue - in sheltered banks where young nettles are growing, with the Holly Blue ranging high and low over the river and bank-side thickets. (The Orange Tips were yet to come).

  

First Flowers in March 2020

March is always an erratic month with variable weather and variable wildlife appearances. March 2020 was no exception.

On 1st March the buds of Lesser Celandine were seen and went on to produce an unprecedented display along sheltered  and warm verges and banks for the rest of March and into April:

One of the first Lesser Celandine flowers to be found on the river bank.

After days of overcast weather, with rain and hail, Monday 16th was a fine day with only a faint breeze and a bright morning after an early frosty start.

Large swathes of Lesser Celandine were flowering in the sun.

Great-spotted woodpeckers were drumming loudly, nuthatches called out their spring song, great tits, robins and numerous wrens were singing whilst blue tits were busy chasing through the branches. A dunnock was seen on the low bank with blackbirds foraging nearby. House sparrows were singing together with goldfinches in a sunny thicket whilst a bullfinch could be heard calling softly. Several song thrushes were seen but only one was singing. Woodpigeons were soaking up the sun but the smaller collared doves were hidden amongst the dense Ivy. Two magpies flew across the river  and a grey heron flew low along the 'frog route' (see previous post). A few herring gulls cried out above and two crows were seen chasing a common buzzard. They gave up the chase and the buzzard landed on a distant treetop, calling. It was swiftly followed by a second buzzard (probably a pair). A Red Admiral butterfly flew over my head.

More cold and windy weather followed but chiffchaffs could be heard singing on 20th, a sunnier day.

On 22nd March, sunny but cold and windy day, Wood Anemone plants were flowering in dappled 

shade under the trees.

Wood Anemone flowering

then the first Comma butterflies were seen, two together and later that day a single Small Tortoiseshell butterfly was seen in a warm sunny patch.

Comma butterfly nectaring on 22nd March.

The 23rd March  a fine day but with a cold wind - saw large numbers of heavy, loud bumblebees ranging along the banks over the fresh growth of nettles. They were choosing Willow catkins and yellow flowers to alight on but flew off quickly. A Peacock butterfly was seen on a nettle bank.

A great-spotted woodpecker was drumming whilst chiffchaffs sang.

The following day, 24th yet more Bumblebees were seen and heard with nuthatches calling in an old oak above. 

A kingfisher flew fast and low over the river. 

On 25th a blackbird was seen and heard singing a full song (a first)

On 26th the first Brimstone butterflies were seen - a male and female ranging along the river bank.

A full survey for March 2020 was made on Friday 27th (see next blog).

Finally another first for March - on 28th the first clumps of Cuckooflower were found on the bank after a male mallard flew up from the water, calling.

After the floods - frogs arrive

February 26th 2020
The onset of Spring caused rapid changes along the rivers bringing new sightings just about very day. During the previous survey it was noted that common frogs had been very active in producing frog spawn in ideal conditions. This attracted Grey Herons which could often be seen flying south from Warnham Local Nature Reserve to a small pond several kilometres away to find a good source of food for their young at the heronry there. The rivers had been flowing fast and muddy for many weeks, hindering  their usual spring foraging trips, leaving them hungry.

Frog spawn in the shady shallows of the pond margin. 

Adult frogs spend most of the year safely hidden in vegetation on the land - but are easy prey when they enter ponds to mate and spawn - and then growing tadpoles and young frogs in turn are predated as soon as they grow and become visible. Pond margin vegetation is essential to allow young frogs to leave their pond and find suitable habitat. It is essential that ponds have dense vegetation on the margins and vegetated routes out from the pond to the cool damp shelter of undergrowth, roots and stones outside.  

Smaller birds prey on amphibians too, and can usually be seen foraging in the area in spring.