The End of August - the survey two weeks after Heatwave 2

 August 2022 recovering at last. By mid August there had been over a week of Heatwave days, making it  an unprecedented summer. It was encouraging to watch the return of normality along the river.

Wednesday 31st August 2022 was mostly sunny but with light cloud and a northerly breeze. The grasses were greening but the paths very dry. Aircraft contrails crossed the sky. Most of the leaves yellowed by the heat had fallen into the lear running water, forming a very green and fresh landscape. It was neither hot nor cold. Woodpigeons (37) were still nesting and cooing amongst the high branches with Rosa canine hips towering above through which Great Spotted Woodpecker holes were now visible, unoccupied, with loud juveniles exploring new territories. Other tree trunks could be seen with attempts at 'drilling' where the woodpecker had given up and moved to more favourable sites.

A loud low helicopter sent the Woodpigeons off, they returned only after the aircraft had double back to investigate my presence,  then lost interest. The wooded area over the meander in the river was thronged with Speckled Wood butterflies amongst ripe bitten sloes, Blackberries and apples. The long grasses, growing in a mix of shade and sun were full of insects, many small grasshoppers and various ant species and grass moths. Most of the fruits were still on the trees, it being far too early for the usual autumn ripeness.

One early windfall, still green

Numbers of birds were quite low, but not unusual for this time of the year. Woodpigeons were the second most numerous, only because they were still nesting and vocal (37) whilst Carrion Crows, never enough to form a flock, were audible but only 6 were seen.. Magpies (12) were quite audible with quarrelsome juveniles and only two Herring Gulls were flying over. Three Starlings were seen, calling.

The most numerous were the finches, not unexpected-  after all they are hot-weather birds, their main source of food being seeds. House Sparrows were fewer in number than usual but visible in their usual habitat, dense hedges and bramble bushes (41) whilst there were at least 50 Goldfinches in a 'charm', a loose flock flying together across the path from the shady Oaks to the meadow full of seeding grasses and Dock where they dropped down to feed. A Sparrowhawk whizzed across and set them up, but there was no catch for the hawk, the numbers must have confused it. Later it was seen again, perhaps trying to hunt single birds but they all kept together. A second Sparrowhawk (2) was seen approaching but turned away.

Over the same meadow, a Common Buzzard was seen heading south, across the A road. The area often has good conditions for raptors using the thermals as soon as the sun rises and when there's a prevailing wind, conditions are good for take-off and landing. Two juvenile Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard in the dense shade of the trees, Oaks and Field Maple close to the river.

Of the small birds, only 6 wrens were seen, some calling very short calls, 33 Blue ts and 8 Great ts along the shady river bank trees, with two Blackbirds foraging in the undergrowth. A single Nuthatch was seen in trees nearby, silent.  Robins (7) along the river were making a gradual reappearance but silent, and our summer visitors the Chiffchaffs (4) were still about, making contact calls with others about to leave on migration to their winter habitat, or maybe they'll stay here, some always do.

Speckled Wood butterflies were the second most numerous butterflies with Large White butterflies easily the most numerous everywhere, in sun and shade. Small White butterflies were seen too.

Common Darter dragonflies were seen chasing across a pond with some basking in the sun on the gravel path. A Common Blue Damselfly was seen on aquatic plants on the edge of the same pond  where tall leaves caught the sun in an otherwise shady environment. Lastly a Southern Hawker dragonfly was was seen patrolling the river bank at head height, observing closely.

A summary of the whole of August follows in the next post.

 

A summary for the whole month of July 2022

 Here is a quick summary for the build-up to the heatwave then the gradual return to normal.

July started to heat up from the first week allowing wildlife to become accustomed to the unusual conditions. 

On 1st July clumps of flowering Senecio jacobaea (Common Ragwort) were flowering on the verges, some flowers and stems being eaten at speed by large caterpillars:

Impossible to miss these voracious beings from the path, making short work of the plants, they had finished their work within a day or two and were not seen again, having consumed the whole plants, flowers, leaves and most stems. The brilliant black and red Cinnabar moths were not seen here this summer although they are day-flying moths (Tyria jacobaeae).

On Sunday 3rd a look at the meadow and river bank revealed Male Banded Demoiselle Damselflies on nettles and several Common Blue Damselflies over a pond. Marbled White butterflies , Ringlets, Small Skippers and Meadow Brown butterflies thronged the drying grasses, discovering patches of Birdsfoot Trefoil here and there. On Sunday 6th Meadow Brown butterflies were numerous and Whitethroats were heard singing and seen in the shrubs whilst Blackbirds were seen scuttling in the undergrowth carrying food for nestlings in the deep shade. On 11th a Red Kite was seen being chased by a single Herring Gull and there was a noisy altercation between a Common Buzzard and a Carrion Crow. The crows are fierce defenders of their nests high in the trees.

By the 12th of July it had become very hot along the paths, water was still flowing well in the rivers, Fleabane was flowering in clumps and Banded Demoiselle Damselflies were seen ranging over the banks and nettles. Marbled White butterflies were again numerous together with a few Large Whites, Small Skippers and Meadow Browns. A large singing 'charm' of Goldfinches flew across the same meadow from the riverside trees, separating into groups to forage on meadow seeds then returning into the shade, still singing. The following day the 13th - Goldfinches were still present, singing again. A Grey Wagtail was seen flying low along the river and a song thrush was seen in the dark undergrowth.

A first for July - Gatekeeper butterflies on the Hornbeam hedge over the bridge, restless. They do not usually bask in the sun. All the fruit trees now have fruit in various stages of ripeness.

It had become very hot and very quiet by 17th although male Brimstone butterflies , Large Whites and Meadow Browns were seen.

July 18th and 19th were Red Desert Moon (my description of a highly polluted atmosphere) heatwave days and nights, 'sticky' dust, thunder and drizzle A Red Kite was seen on 21st, then Rain on 22nd. Some birds were obviously moulting with odd feathers missing, all very reluctant to be seen. On 24th some wildlife began to reappear, with two Nuthatch, Common Buzzard and Carrion Crow, Brimstone, Speckled Woods, Gatekeepers, Meadow Brown butterflies,  and many Large Whites and a Southern Hawker Dragonfly.

The 25th July was a notable day for the appearance of swifts flying fast foraging on aerial insects in cloudy conditions, a Common Buzzard, many Goldfinches singing and crowds of juvenile Starlings.

The next day 26th - a Treecreeper was seen together with 7 Long-tailed ts and a Whitethroat.

The 29th was the full survey (see previous post) and by 30th the usual birds (Dunnock on paths, Blackbirds alarm calls, House Sparrows in hedgerows,  and more) were reappearing, although it remained very warm.

August 2022 survey and summary with Heatwave 2 follows in next posts..

Then September 2022.

Catch up with the summer heatwave!! First the survey for July 2022

The Survey for 29th July 2022 marked the welcome end to a month with an unprecedented heatwave. A summary of the whole of July will follow.

Friday 29th July started with bright conditions, high cloud, a slight breeze and very dry but with the short grass still green. Fruits on the trees were doing well but not yet ripe. Occasional walkers were making slow progress as if exhausted still, as with the river, flowing but slowly, audible. Some large but delicate Hazel leaves had turned yellow and started to fall, not through lack of water but as a result of direct heat from the sun. Small birds were flying from the sun into the shady side of the river, having rapidly warmed up after a cooler night. Good numbers of birds were present but very few were singing. They perched above some bitten and over-ripe fruits, ignored for the present. Goldfinches were the only birds to be heard. Oaks held huge numbers of acorns, many still green, different trees holding different loads, branches and twigs moving very slightly in the gentle breeze. Woodpigeons were active in selecting nest-sites all along the coolest banks, this year choosing low, damp, shady sites as most birds and animals will do during excessively hot summers. Brambles were sending their new shoots low along the ground, providing shade and shelter for their own roots and for other plants too. Earlier all bramble shoots and nettles grew fast and vertical, twice their usual height.

Blackberries at various stages of ripening after the first rapid

growth. 

The earlier Heatwave had sent birds under cover, and the abundance of easily accessible food meant there was no need for them to fly constantly from branch to branch or tree to tree during the heat of the day.

Thirty-five Woodpigeons were the most active flapping around inside hedges and Ivies, dropping down to the river to bathe and drink occasionally. They keep cool by not moving much, occasionally wing-stretching. Blue ts (31) in Hazels, Oaks and Blackthorn and Great ts (8) were the most active birds, with the latter mostly hidden in the undergrowth today. Four Long-tailed ts, all juveniles were sitting together in the Willows over the river, their tails now fully grown and close by three Chiffchaffs were calling contact calls with two more flying across the Willows (total 5). House Sparrows (86) were as usual the most numerous, picking at various berries and seeds along the hedges.. The most vocal birds today were Goldfinches (27) very bright, with juveniles. Theirs will be a bounteous autumn with plenty of excellent foraging on Dock and other seeds. It's already apparent. Wrens were quite scarce, only 8 seen and 4 of them calling, keeping very close to the river. There were 4 Dunnock on the shady path, a usual number and usual place, but one near the new pond. Further along the shady river one Blackcap was seen in Willows and one Grey Wagtail very low-flying over the water under steep banks.

No Song thrushes were seen and only four Blackbirds, all within very close proximity to dense undergrowth. A gentle morse code tapping gave away the presence of a Nuthatch in an old Oak whilst a juvenile Great Spotted Woodpecker and an adult called to each other from an Ash (2).

Carrion Crows were very visibly moulting now, one flying over my head with missing middle feathers from the tail. (total crows 4). Several juvenile Magpies ( 7) were heard nearby whilst a single Jay was seen flying into a tall hedge. Further along between two ponds a Green Woodpecker was calling loudly. It was an area with several ant's nests in the dry cracked border.

Finally just two Robins were seen, one singing. They are usually one of the most numerous birds to be heard and seen but fall silent and remain hidden whilst moulting. 

 Now for the Butterflies and Dragonflies:

It was notable that there were now quite a few clumps of Fleabane all freshly flowering as the previous clumps, flowering during the Heatwave seemed to have not withstood the heat and been singed and 

dried out. ie the yellow flowers had black petals, not seeds.

Butterflies:

Large White, Comma, Speckled Wood, Gatekeeper, Small White, Meadow Brown, Holly Blue, Brimstone, Common Blue butterflies on Fleabane, Peacock, also on Fleabane.

Dragonflies:

Banded Demoiselle Damselfly, Large Red Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Common Darter Dragonfly

Many bees, grasshoppers, crickets in the dry long grasses which were thick, tangled and going to seed.

Note there were NO areas of bare, dry cracked earth. As soon as it rained the grasses grew up with green shoots.

(Next posts will be some observations over the whole of the HEATWAVE month of JULY 2022

then the surveys for August and September 2022