At last - the Survey for April. This took place on Sunday 26th 2020., a fine sunny day , clear with no wind, just the sound of the babbling brook and birdsong. How easy it is to get used to absolute quiet with only nature providing the music!
Almost all trees were now in leaf (Ash and some poplars excepted), carpets of Wild Garlic still flowering on step banks.The ponds still contained some water and the ground around them was still damp, now midges were out, eagerly snapped up by birds collecting food for their young. Gritty path surfaces attracted seed-eating birds such as house sparrows, adults as well as fledged young although they still seek out insects whilst seeds are scarce. The 'bog' field seemed to be attracting large numbers of Starlings as well as house sparrows today. Birdsong was continuous along the river bank, wrens dominating with a background of blackbird song and cooing wood pigeons and collared doves.
The air was filled with drifting fluff from Willow catkins.
Full Blossom on one of the young fruit trees
attracting crowds of bees. April 2020.
The numbers of house sparrows (70) had suddenly increased with the fledging of young, with some adults pecking at the blossom - fine nest material for the next brood.
Blackbirds (25) provided the most persistent song leaving no part of the riverside in silence together with singing wrens (26) in the low willows and on the banks, with no sign of the past winter's floods
left to deter them. Song thrushes have been doing very well in past months with very wet weather providing plentiful supplies of snails and slugs. Eight were seen, some giving short songs. Woodpigeons (c30) were not doing very much, most sitting together in pairs in the old oaks and maples. Some however were busy plucking choice fresh Ash tree leaves, in a leisurely manner. As usual collared doves were present amongst the Ivy but only three given away by their calls.
Robins (21) with several fledged young were mostly singing whilst dunnocks (7) today were active amongst the river Willows. Blue tits (25) called quietly as they moved about under the cover of rapidly growing leaves. Great tits (12) seen were singing or foraging but those nesting would have been unheard and unseen. Long-tailed tits (4) always seem to make themselves heard and then seen as they fast-fly from tree canopy to tree canopy. Many more would fortunately be unseen in their invisible nests. Greenfinches (1) and chaffinches (3) were as usual scarce here whilst goldfinches thrive (24), with most nesting unseen but others singing in groups in thickets.
Wild Garlic flowering under a riverbank tree. It will soon disappear completely and be replaced by summer flowering plants such as Cow Parsley and later Meadowsweet and Buttercups.
Starlings (c100) were today a constant sight flying over the river course, fly-catching. When it comes to feeding young, nothing can be better than fresh flies. At other times of the year starlings are not as numerous here, but spread out across the countryside. Three herring gulls were seen in the air, one magpie flew across and ten carrion crows were sighted here and there, some calling, then a single rook and two jackdaws, always on their way to some distant location.
Nuthatches (6) were very vocal today, seeing off unwanted intruders on their territories spread out along the river. Two pairs of jays were nesting in large trees, the nests hidden well but with a good view of the surrounding landscape.
A green woodpecker called and flew from an old tree not far from where two common whitethroats were seen amongst young trees, singing. A garden warbler was also heard singing in some willows.
Warblers are doing well -with twelve blackcaps which all seemed to arrive at once and settle down to sing and nest in their usual habitat. Chiffchaffs (11) were well established, all singing and moving very fast from branch to branch collecting food for young.
Butterflies seen were 2 Brimstone, 3 Large Whites, 5 Orange-tips and 2 Peacocks.
but no Dragonflies.
The best is yet to come!
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