Goodbye

 

A rather gruesome end to my blog and to 2020. The bird feeders in our garden don't only feed seed and nut eating birds. This kestrel helped itself to a blue tit and took it to a nearby tree to eat. It probably happens more often than we see.

As so few people see my wildlife notes here, I shall continue with them on a Facebook page 

https://www.facebook.com/100304405353831/posts/100306338686971/

Hope that you will continue to follow my posts there. Thank you for reading this!

 

Slightly worried about the buzzard today, not that we can do anything.  It was sitting with its wing hanging oddly this afternoon and it looks a bit tatty. We thought maybe it had been hit by a car but it disappeared so we assume it flew off. 

The fog has been a key feature of morning walks here for a few days.  Yesterday it was freezing fog, making some amazing ice patterns. I can only assume that there was a cobweb that caused the ice stretching between these buds.  

Today's fog was above freezing but with a distinct chill. It was definitely an advantage to walk at lunchtime today. The sun was shining here, although it still couldn't be described as warm. Worth wrapping up and getting moving.

Busy birds in winter

 It always feels as though not much is happening wildlife-wise in winter but nothing could be further from the truth as many birds are frantically feeding throughout the short hours of daylight.

The heron was fishing in the stream as I arrived (but I was far too slow for a photo), the woodpeckers have spent all day on the feeders, together with large numbers of tits and the robins have been feeding in the freshly dug earth. One robin has been searching between the paving slabs and under the fallen leaves outside our front door. It was a bit of a surprise yesterday when it flew through he open door and checked out the sitting room!  We managed to get it out of the back door without too much trauma but it hasn't reappeared at the front of the house yet. Perhaps there is better food out the back. 

Goldfinches continue to raid seed heads but we were especially pleased to see this greenfinch in the garden.  They used to be so common but rapidly declined following disease about 15 years ago and we hadn't seen one for many years. This is why it is recommended that if you feed the birds, you should clean the feeders regularly.

Tawny owls are still calling loudly in the evenings and the foxes are still visiting collecting the apples.

The deer have also been busy grazing at night (I won't be boring you with the thirty videos of them from last night.) 

The skies have been stunning: it really is worth getting outside if you can at some stage when the sun is rising (very late at the moment, about ten to eight) or setting (very early: about five to four.)

Mesmerising

 

Sometimes patterns in nature can be mesmerising.  I couldn't stop watching the bubbles on this stream but just watching leaves in the wind or looking at frost patterns can be so relaxing. Do stop and look when you get the chance!

Today was a day for lots of discussions about wildlife for us. Thinking about the genetics of trees resistant to ash dieback and the best way to manage woodlands. We were lucky here to have a beautiful sunny day: it was very clear which ash trees had produced keys (seeds), although ash trees may be male, female or both so lack of seed does not necessarily mean that they are suffering from disease.

Looking up at the treetops against the sky is another of my favourite ways to relax. Definitely better on a sunny day than when it is raining 😂

Seeds

 

With the lockdown drawing to a close, it might be a little late to mention this.  Many people have worked hard in their gardens and they are looking tidier than ever, but now is the time that birds and small mammals can take advantage of seeds left on plants.  The goldfinch flock were making the most of natural seeds in our garden today, so the other birds were able to eat from the feeders.

I was looking at another example of seeds on my walk. These fluffy seeds of Greater Reedmace (often called Bulrush) were very noticeable as we passed the pond.  Each seedhead has thousands of seeds packed together in the familiar cylindrical shape and they can be seen breaking apart at this time of year. We are still walking on carpets of acorns and sweet chestnuts on some walks nut don't always notice the less obvious seeds.

Roe Deer again

 It is obviously still National Tree Week, so I set out in the wood this morning.  Virtually all the leaves have fallen now and it was so foggy and dull that photographs were unlikely to capture the beauty of trees. However, this Roe deer came crashing towards me, obviously pursued by a dog.  The dog returned to its owner and the deer took a moment to catch its breath, checking for the dog behind it, not noticing me watching it.  Walking in woodland doesn't give the views of the open heath but watching any animal in this way is magical.

National Tree Week

Today marks the start of National Tree Week, which was really set up to make people think about planting trees.  I have to admit that I think people should really think twice before planting trees: they could be doing more damage if they are importing diseases or non-native species and they can often reduce the wildlife value of the area they plant on.  However, the overall idea of increasing tree cover and just thinking about the habitat is a good start.

 I have probably said this before but I love to think about the history of the place where I am walking (even though I hated history at school.)

This area was largely Beech woodland when I first knew it and was completely flattened in the 1987 storm and is now full of (what I consider to be) young trees (obviously about 30 years old.) They are mostly birch, which is considered to be a pioneer species.

 There are a few Beech remaining in the area, mostly at the edge of this old quarry.  Nature conservation is a tricky subject. This area will have had different habitats and species at different times in its history: which one should we aim for now? Beech woodlands are found only on free-draining soils and are less common than other broadleaved woodlands in the area. They tend to have a specialised list of species associated with them.  

The quarry though has remnants of heather and lowland heath is a particularly scarce habitat with specialists that rely on it.  Perhaps clear-felling the trees should be the way forward? Certainly, where there was true heathland thirty years ago, the aim was to conserve it but there has been quite a lot of birch invasion in heathland areas. So the priority for any management should be those sites.

I have mentioned before that after the 1987 storm, there was a panic to replant woodland but it was not as successful as natural regeneration.  Several tubes can still be found: it is not very clear here but the planted trees are no stronger than the natural ones.  There is also the school of thought that trees with the same genes as those growing locally are more likely to be well-adapted to the local conditions, although diversity in the gene pool could be beneficial in times of disease or climate change.  

There is a lot to consider but as it is National Tree Week, this is an opportunity to think about supporting sensitive tree planting or even planting one in your garden if you have room.