A Chill in the Air

 Sunday 30th August 2020 was clear after a chilly night the North West wind this morning did not seem to affect wildlife. With most trees and shrubs still in full leaf, the many meanders in the river provided shelter and plenty of muddy basking locations in the sun. Clouds scudded rapidly across allowing the sun to warm the landscape.  Grass had greened up completely after having become dry and brown and boughs on the old oaks were heavy with acorns, most still green. The oak tree leaves had been visible affected by the extreme heat and strong winds but remained green but with curled surfaces:

Green Acorns cascade from an oak bough low over the river bank.

Field Maples held bunches of winged seeds ready to spiral down onto the river banks. Fruit trees too remained very green, indicating that there was still plenty of water under the hard dry clay surface

There was a feeling of freshness after months of 'tropical' heat and humidity. The river was running clear and higher than usual but still leaving plenty of muddy islands in places, where birds were bathing and catching insect prey. Most juvenile birds will still prefer insects to seeds - even 'seed-eaters' such as finches at this stage.

Here is a full survey:

Robins (18)  had started their autumnal 'chinking' - one of the first sounds of autumn, rapidly devouring the very last of the Elderberries.  Two dunnocks were lurking in deep shade on the river bank with 3 wrens only - none singing - we know they are present but are still not establishing new territory yet.  

Alarm calls indicated the presence of blackbirds (9) still mostly hiding in moult or bathing and preening whilst there were only glimpses of two song thrushes low under a hedge. 

   Blue ts (about 30) were foraging in various locations with great ts (18) and long tailed ts (3) - but see later.. also searching the bare stems for Elderberries but swiftly moving on. Woodpigeons (33) were lazily calling or dozing on the tops of Field Maples. Only one herring gull was seen and no raptors - perhaps it was too windy. There were however five carrion crows, five noisy rooks and then a flock of about 15 in the air, heading silently north-west. Two jays were calling from the area where a pair had nested in the spring. No need to fly very far this year as there are carpets of acorns already for them to start caching although they will have to wait as the ground is far too dry at present. Seven Magpies were seen, mostly calling from tree canopies.

Nuthatches were quite numerous, with this years young still amongst the trees, calling or objecting to my presence (total 8). One was foraging, treecreeper-like on the bark of an old oak, climbing upwards (who said that they only creep head down?) They forage in any direction and are quite acrobatic. They are also extremely observant and notice any movement, objecting to anything approaching, whilst treecreepers are usually too preoccupied.

Migrant warblers were still very visible with 11 chiffchaff, several giving contact calls but one giving the typical chiff-chaff song and 14 blackcaps, some juvenile. Two had discovered an Elderberry bush with berries, hidden away amongst willows. There may be a few of these warblers which will decide to overwinter here. Given the abundance of fruits and berries here they may do well.

Abundant fruits for birds and small mammals - sustenance for the winter

It was good to see three goldcrests moving fast along very slim branches of a Field Maple, again well away from their conifers. Finches were numerous today, (except greenfinch and chaffinch which were not seen) - with about 40 goldfinches in several groups, some in the air whilst others flew down into the long grasses, now full of seed, then suddenly a large close group of linnets appeared over the expanse of long grasses in the distance, a few more goldfinches amongst them. It was excellent to see about 80 at least, where they have always been seen in the past! They all dropped down onto the grasses then all flew up again, circled around and dropped down again, repeating this many times. They had certainly found a fine location to feed  - the wild grasses and wild flowers all a fine source of dry seed.

House Sparrows, always present in good numbers, were seen in many locations - in hedgerows, verges and bramble banks - feasting on ripe blackberries as well as seeds. (about 80 in total) They have thrived during this hot summer, rearing more broods that usual. Another bird doing well this year is the sparrow hawk - one was seen today in the air - flying purposefully into the wind.

But there was more to come!

Returning over a footbridge with a view of the river banks either side, a 'roving' flock of blue ts, great ts, and long-tailed ts suddenly appeared upstream, through the trees, all heading in the same direction, downstream, not really roving or roaming - not slowing to feed amongst the leaves but all moving quite fast . Amongst them there was an odd bird out, going the wrong way, slightly confused, it avoided them and waited, clinging to a dead branch, then flew out a short distance, caught a an insect, dropped it, caught it again and flew back to its perch. After the 'flock' had gone it resumed its activities, fly-catching. It remained in the same tree with some dead branches, giving a very good close-up view. Definitely a spotted flycatcher! More than 70 birds in the flock had flown past it but it stayed put and continued flycatching long after they had disappeared.

Butterflies and dragonflies were keeping out of the wind in sheltered spaces: A Banded Demoiselle damselfly male was flying close to the surface over the river whilst four Southern Hawkers were ranging low over grasses and banks with one Brown Hawker dragonfly and a Common Darter seen. Large White, Small White  Speckled Woods,  Gatekeeper and Red Admiral butterflies were seen ranging the bramble banks. Fleabane, thistles and Brambles were the main attraction for most of the butterflies.

Too hot, too windy, too dry - this was August 2020

 The whole of the month of August 2020 was about wildlife having to adjust to changing conditions with record temperatures in the first and second weeks - sometimes too hot for butterflies but with good numbers appearing, together with dragonflies as soon as conditions were right.  A sort torrential rain shower cooled the earth on 13th leading to humid conditions but at least juvenile robins were active in the undergrowth.

On 15th there was unbroken cloud all day with fine misty rain and another torrential rain shower the next day. Birds soon became very active, with great-spotted woodpecker, calling nuthatches, colonies of goldfinches quietly singing in the thickets, song thrushes under cover with house sparrows nearby. Blue ts, great ts and blackbirds were foraging - perhaps that's the wrong word as they were surrounded by ripe fruits, mostly on the bramble banks without any need to search. 

Once the rain had cleared the butterflies reappeared with Speckled Woods the most numerous the on the following day, the 17th,  after another heavy shower, several Banded Demoiselle damselflies, mostly chasing males were seen low over the Arun with some immatures warming up. Two Comma butterflies were ranging over the bramble banks close by.Gatekeeper butterflies were still flying. It became fresher after continuous rain on 19th and from 21st very windy with gales all day on 21st. The wind dropped on 22nd and four Southern Hawker dragonflies were seen in four different locations with two very bright young ones - one hanging vertically onto a nettle stem, jus watching. Gatekeepers, Large Whites and five Holly Blue butterflies were active and looking down amongst the long fine grasses, there was constant movement with huge numbers of small grass moths and grasshoppers. Hidden in the grasses were windfall fruits. tempting blackbirds. More wet and windy weather followed. The full survey was done on 30th August. See next post.

                                                                  

              

                                               Young Fleabane provides food and dense shelter

                                                for butterflies in late summer.

Gatekeepers and Fleabane

The transition from July to August 2020 was remarkable for unrelenting heat. The earth was baking at least on the surface and butterflies reacted by dropping down into the cool shade of the long grasses or into dense hedges during the day, flying earlier in the mornings and in the cool of the evenings in the low sun. 

Fleabane flowered later than most wild flowers here as usual but immediately attracted insects. Here is a Gatekeeper butterfly on a Fleabane flower with a small Hover fly (probably) on a smaller flower.

The broad and bright yellow flowers last well but rain and cooler weather soon encourages them to form round seed heads. The seeds are shaken by the wind and are not winged like the Dandelion and thistles therefore Fleabane is more likely to be found growing in clumps which spread over the years.

The soft leaves provide good protection from rain and sun for insects.

By the third day of August a 10mph north-westerly wind provided cooler temperatures and brought cloud but still no rain.

Young nuthatches were calling from river bank trees - four in different trees, exploring their surroundings. Gatekeepers were of course the most numerous butterflies  but Speckled Woods, Ringlet, Large White, Brimstone, Meadow Brown, Holly Blue and Comma were all present with a Southern Hawker dragonfly ranging along the banks, ignoring them.

In the air a Red Kite was sailing north, wings bent against the wind. Looking at the Red Kite, it was clear that many smaller birds were catching insects directly under the base of a very tall cumulus cloud. They were swifts, house martins and some sand martins, visible for some time, keeping under the cloud.

July Survey - brightening up after rain

The 28th July - the day of the survey was partially cloudy, brightening after dark clouds moved off. A westerly wind meant that traffic was now audible - we are missing the somewhat strange silence of previous weeks. Recent rainfall was very welcome, with fruits ripening. Bramble bushes were covered in red berries, not yet ripe, with bees on thistles waiting for the sun to appear every few minutes. Butterflies were poised for action too, waiting low down on grass stalks and vegetation, most reappearing within a second of the sun shining. 

Butterflies seen were Ringlets:

Ringlet perching on willow leaf July 2020.

They can be active even in cloudy damp weather when other butterflies would not appear.

Others seen today were:

Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Holly Blue, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, and Comma.

The ground was well soaked and the scents of the wild flowers, grasses and shrubs magnified. Clear water flowed well in the rivers. A Bank Vole was seen running to safe cover under brambles.

Few birds alerted others to their presence, remaining silent when moulting  - but nevertheless some gave away their presence. About 60 house sparrows were present in various hedges and bramble patches and amongst Blackthorn and a total of 34 wood pigeons were counted some feeding on the grass and others  calling from possible nest sites.

It was interesting to find some blue tits eating fruits from the trees where they usually forage for insects (25). Great tits were more elusive (11) along the banks. An amazing sight today, seeing birds in such small numbers, was a troupe of 25 long-tailed tits following each other flying from west to east over to our side of the river where there are more mature trees. Some were perching on Willows halfway across 

the river and one started out from a willow then turned back, perching on a dead branch, waiting until another came and both flew across together. They were mostly juveniles, led by several adults. In the same area with young Willows were two blackcaps, a juvenile and an adult male, moving around slowly in comparison the the long-tails, with no desire to join the crowd.

 Blackbirds (7) remained very alert, frequently giving alarm calls when disturbed by other birds. Song thrushes, always alert to new possibilities, were investigating recently disturbed ground left by fallen branches and at least two still had nests low down in the undergrowth where they were feeding young (5). One on a steep bank

 gave a very short song. Wrens were remaining well hidden all along the river and the sound of the wind in the Poplars drowned out any attempts to sing. (6). Robins (4), usually everywhere along the river were silent, moulting, with only one heard - giving an alarm call.

  Seven carrion crows , a magpie and a single jackdaw were seen and just one starling - the juvenile starlings having all left to join other young starlings ranging along the south coast. They cause quite a stir when they have just fledged and are still reliant on adults - being noisy, very hungry and demanding the best perches from which to survey the landscape or dry off after bathing. A great-spotted woodpecker called from a river-bank Ash whilst another was calling loudly from an oak further downstream. Nearby a sparrowhawk made quick dash across the bridge. On the opposite bank a nuthatch called out, perhaps a warning to a group of mostly juvenile goldfinches. More were seen upstream calling quietly (21).

The Endless Summer continues

The second half of July 2020 proved to be just as active with no sudden changes to the weather although the phrase 'another fine, warm day 'changed to 'another fine hot or very hot day'.

The river continued to flow well and clear with calls from moorhens heard under the steep banks and groups of Banded Demoiselle damselflies seen on most days. Song thrushes made the most of the damp early mornings after overnight showers, seeking out snails to hammer on the stoney paths. Goldfinches were forming larger groups and swifts were a daily sight feeding on insects overhead.

On 17th July, butterflies dominated the landscape with Gatekeepers the most numerous, Large White and Green-veined White, Brimstone, Ringlets and Holly Blues were seen together with many bumblebees on the brambles. Near the Hornbeam hedge a pair of mating Gatekeepers were seen on a young Ash:

Gatekeeper butterflies mating. The eggs are usually laid on fine leafed grasses, which are plentiful here on the embankment. The caterpillars are slow growing and will overwinter low down under dense cover. The are not spring butterflies but are usually first seen flying towards the end of June.

Birds present on 17th July included goldcrest, green woodpecker, robins swifts blackcaps goldfinches, song thrushes,  blackbirds and dunnocks.

A typical day towards the end of July, the 23rd, wildflowers noted were Vetch, Fleabane, creeping thistle (good), ragwort (good), Knapweed, Tufted Vetch, Purple Loosestrife, creeping Buttercup, Bird's foot Trefoil and more - all good for insects.

Birds present were grey wagtail, chiffchaff, song thrush, bathing blue ts and great ts, herring gulls, wrens, dunnock, robin and a large common frog dropped by a grey heron onto the footpath.

Endless Summer - but it's only July

Summer started early this year, with more fine weather before July than in a complete summer in past years.

Here is a summary of notable 'events' for the first half of July 2020:

On the first day, the usual birds were about - wrens, several singing blackcaps, goldfinches, Blue and great tits, a juvenile robin, foraging song thrushes, a Herring gull chasing a grey heron and a young buzzard flying low.

The first Small Skipper butterfly of the year here was seen over the flowering brambles and grasses together with more Marbled Whites, flying low to avoid the wind.

 On the second, Brimstone, Gatekeeper and Meadow Brown butterflies were seen with

 another first butterfly, a Small Copper.

The day after, several Red Admirals appeared, and one Ringlet. Several swifts were seen under the cloud layer. Light drizzle followed with blue tits eating or collecting  caterpillars off the leaves of a young Oak on the fourth. with more Ringlets, Red Admirals, Meadow Browns, Brimstone, Large and Small Whites, Gatekeepers joined by Holly Blues and a Comma.

Holly Blue butterfly July 2020

This is quite common wherever Hollies and Ivies are growing on the banks and can often be seen flying very high amongst the foliage.

The 6th July was notable for many high-flying swifts, some directly overhead (over the river).

A buzzard was being 'mobbed' by a single carrion crow. With less wind on the 7th, even more swifts were seen under low cloud, catching insects and the first Southern Hawker dragonfly was seen flying straight and fast. Blackcaps and silent chiffchaffs were in the bank side willows, and Green-veined Whites and Peacock butterflies joined the others in a sheltered clearing.

Warblers, some moulting, were busy foraging low amongst the dense brambles and nettles. Great-spotted woodpeckers, song thrushes and nuthatches were heard in several places, with several small groups of quietly singing goldfinches. Swifts again ruled the skies.  On 10th another Southern Hawker was patrolling a Blackberry hedge in the sun in the presence of Red Admiral butterflies. There were still small flocks of juvenile starlings exploring the landscape.An over-flying kestrel was hunting on 12th whilst the presence of a sparrow hawk caused some birds to seek dense shelter. 

Butterflies were the most numerous so far this summer with the grasses occupied with many small grasshoppers.

Gatekeepers were now the most frequently seen butterflies everywhere, even along the Hornbeam hedges bordering the embankments. They are very territorial and chase any other butterfly that flies into  their own 'flyway' or basking patch:

12th July 2020 - Gatekeeper male defending its patch on the  Hornbeam hedge.

It's the first time Gatekeepers have chosen this fairly new hedge although it is very close to some fine bramble banks and embankments with a variety of native grasses and wild flowers.

Survey , the end of June 2020

Full record - Monday 29th June 2020 was windy but dry, with sunny intervals - a very different scenario from the May survey done during the restrictions on travel. Now there was the extra distraction of noise from a distance to take into account. Where birdsong had dominated before, now road noise was blown across by the prevailing wind. In addition,  small contact calls from birds could be overpowered by the natural sound of the wind in the leaves. The vegetation was still green as rain had fallen on several days and the sound of water in the rivers was welcome. Many Bramble blossom flowers were now falling, with green berries appearing. Meadowsweet was flowering well in many patches, the scent filling the air with the wild Honeysuckle on the fencing. Bees were crowding around freshly flowering Common Ragwort Senecio jacobaea and the flowering Creeping Thistle Cirsium arvense, each plant hosting a crowd of bees and other insects, butterflies a speciality. On the Bramble margin of grassland, a Red Admiral butterfly was seen basking on a small mound of dry grasses, soaking up the sun, whilst another, far more active, flew in to join it but was chased off and flew to the brambles.

Red Admiral butterfly basking in the late June sun 29th June 2020

House sparrows could be heard singing from the bramble patch here whilst more were singing from their usual hedges and day perches on the river bank (52) Many more were still nesting.

Every few meters another blackbird (21) would be seen foraging on the damp grass verges, not for itself but to carry to young in nearby nests. Others were seen preening after bathing in the river. The next activity is often to do some 'sunning' if the sun is out. This means flattening down on the ground with wings outstretched, oblivious to surroundings. Normally the bird comes to life just as danger approaches or is alerted by the sound of a wood pigeon taking off from its perch, flapping madly. Most birds owe a lot to ever observant wood pigeons! There were 26 seen today. Robins (8) were seen in fewer numbers than usual - moulting for many means hiding away. Two dunnocks were under the banks, far less visible than the singing wrens (17) - one was very visible, singing from the branch of an Elder bush, guarding it as it was full of tiny green berries which after a some weeks will be ripe.

A sparrowhawk just flew up and disappeared whilst a song thrush started a short snatch of song. Others were heard in different locations (7) with most singing now and again, only one was loud.

Blue tits were far less visible and audible, keeping under canopy cover, juveniles following adults (31).

Even less visible were great tits (12) keeping low in the undergrowth and mossy roots unlike blackcaps (8) which were singing from higher branches and moving fast amongst the willows.

A single garden warbler was heard singing, also in the willows, whilst 10 chiffchaffs moved around,

their simple contact calls very audible. They started nesting quite early on as are amongst the first arrivals of the migrant warblers. A few over-winter here too but need plenty of vegetation to provide shelter. It has been a good summer for them as they did not face hard conditions on arrival this spring.

Brief calls were heard from a nuthatch nesting in an old oak - they are still very quiet at this stage.

Of the larger birds, starlings were doing well with 56 seen, most in small groups of juveniles flying or feeding together. Later they will disperse into the countryside.

Flowering Meadowsweet on the wild field

A single jay was flying across from the area where a pair nested after initial loud squabbles.

Carrion crows had a hidden nest in an old tree with a very good wide view over the field below and could be seen eating their catches on the field. Little could distract them, even loudly squealing micro-dogs did not bother them. (7 in total, other crows seen flying across).

Only a few herring gulls were seen (7) and a buzzard flew across - this did disturb the crows when it flew over their nest.

Several high-flying swifts were catching aerial insects above the river and lastly a kestrel flew over into the wind.

There were many Bumblebees, including white-tailed, red-tailed and buff-tailed together with many smaller bees and hoverflies concentrated on wildflowers and brambles with many butterflies despite the windy conditions:

Meadow Brown, Large White, Small White, Brimstone, Comma, Red Admiral, Small Tortoiseshell

Gatekeeper and MARBLED WHITE