SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

November 2013

 

Dull November brings the blast
Then the leaves go whirling past

 

Colour at Anglesey Abbey

 

We certainly had a blast last month, and the November woods are still littered with fallen trees and snapped branches, but on the whole November was mild with quite a bit of sun. It didn’t really live up to its ‘Dull November’ reputation.

 November 1st was a mild day, and consequently few birds were around the feeders. They preferred to feast on the numerous insects still in evidence. There was a smooth newt on the garden path; the amphibians are reluctant to hibernate while there is so much food around. On the following day, a trip to Cambridge resulted in an ‘almost positive’ sighting of a brambling in the hedgerow as we passed by in the car.

Mute swans at Hatfield Forest

The lake at Hatfield Forest

Last month's storm damage at Hatfield Forest

A visit to Hatfield Forest on the 3rd revealed many trees broken or fallen due to last month’s gale, and I was surprised to see some striped snails that had worked their way up the trunk of one upright tree. A lot of the trees are still green, especially those around the lake; the autumn colours haven’t completely taken hold though the leaves look tired and are beginning to discolour.

 There was a jackdaw perched by the nesting hole that the birds had nested in earlier in the year, so perhaps it was staking its claim already. Maybe it was one of those who had nested there before, or even one of the youngsters. On the lake were dozens of black-headed gulls, though naturally the black feathers had moulted to the winter plumage, leaving just a small blotch. A couple of mute swans were plying the shore hoping to be fed, and there were also coots, moorhens, greylags, mallards and Canada geese. Surprisingly, there were still red blackberries on the bushes, though the sun will probably be too weak to ripen them now. A very large stone, fallen from one of the walls or buildings, was covered in rabbit droppings. Obviously the creatures had decided it was a perfect latrine!

Rabbit latrine at Hatfield Forest!

Snail up a tree at Hatfield Forest

 

 

Moorhen at Rye Meads

Tufted Duck at Rye Meads

Mute Swan, Teal and Shoveler at Rye Meads



Lapwings taking to the air at Rye Meads

 November 4th was a perfect day to visit the RSPB reserve at Rye Meads, near Broxbourne, Hertfordshire. It was a beautiful, sunny day with a cloudless blue sky. Even so, I was surprised to see half-a dozen or so peacock butterflies in a group near one of the hides. Although Rye Meads is one of the smaller of the RSPB reserves, there are several trails and hides overlooking scrapes and lagoons. From the Tern Hide I spotted teal, gadwall, shoveler, coots and moorhens, as well as around 150 or so lapwings, which suddenly all arose in the air, a fantastic whirling spectacle against the blue sky. From other hides I saw gulls, mainly black-headed, and tufted ducks, mute swans and cormorants, and I watched a wren through one of the slats. Bushes along the paths were heavy with scarlet hips and haws, and there were even some roses still in bloom. There was a very strange fungus on the ground in one place. It closely resembled lumps of white polystyrene and was slightly slimy to touch.

Gadwall at Rye Meads

 

Black-headed Gulls and Coots at Rye Meads



Dunnock on the seed feeder

Many of our garden birds have been absent over the last couple of weeks, presumably because there are so many insects, fruits and berries around. On the 8th there were a few sparrows and tits around the feeder, and a magpie had been visiting the apple tree where a few apples still remain. On the 10th we moved the bird feeder pole from the lawn to its winter position on the garden path. It’s necessary to do this, as the lawn tends to get very boggy in the winter months and it’s much easier to replenish the feeders when they are so easily accessible, especially if we get snow. Great tits soon found the feeders, and gradually the other birds followed suit. A dunnock was spotted there on the 14th. At one time the dunnocks seemed quite shy birds in the garden, timidly shuffling around under the bushes, but now they are much bolder and will hold their own with larger birds on the feeder trays.

 



The oak tree was turning gold

The mild weather had continued, and by the 15th there were still plenty of insects about, so apart from the occasional sparrow, wood pigeon, tit or dunnock the feeders remained deserted. The trees were really turning now, and the oak across the road was mainly gold with just a few green leaves. It bore a good crop of acorns – oaks and horse chestnuts seem to all be cropping well this year. In fact, it’s been a bumper harvest for most trees and bushes, so if we do have a hard winter there will be a good crop of food for hungry birds. On the 18th a robin was following my husband around the garden, taking the worms and grubs as they were turned up in the soil. From the car on the 20th I spotted a kestrel hovering low near Bourne in Lincolnshire. It’s always so frustrating to get quick glimpses of birds from the car – there is rarely time to observe them, let alone grab a photo. This was yet another blue-skied day, feeling more like early autumn.

Starling on the Feeder

 



Magpie in the Oak Tree

 

The weather was getting a bit colder now and the birds were returning to the garden. On the 20th the sparrows had claimed their patch in the pyracantha and were very active on the feeders. The squirrel had been visiting frequently over the last few days, too. Surprisingly, on the 24th there were still some alpine strawberries waiting to ripen but it must be too late now. With the weather remaining chilly, as well as the sparrows in the garden there were two blackbirds, two dunnocks, three blue tits, and a robin. Magpies were in the oak opposite as usual. The following day the birds in the garden had been joined at the feeders by great tits, a wood pigeon and several starlings.

Stream at Anglesey Abbey

Stream at Anglesey Abbey

 

Beauty Berry (Callicarpa dichotoma)

Greater Spotted Woodpecker High in the Tree

A trip to the grounds of Anglesey Abbey, Cambs, on the 25th proved a delight as, once more, the sun was shining from a bright blue sky, showing off the trees to their best advantage. The autumn tints were stunning and there were plenty of berries, including some purple Beauty Berry (Callicarpa dichotoma). The algae that had been so thick earlier in the year on the stream had either been cleared or had died away, and the water was clear. Sightings included great spotted woodpecker, blackbirds, great tits, goldcrests, a large flock of goldfinches and a particularly friendly robin who pecked around our feet along the woodland path. Amazingly, we even saw a bee on one of the shrubs.

Great Tit in Hiding!

 

Friendly Robin at Anglesey Abbey

On the 27th there was a small mixed flock of blue tits and long-tailed tits in the hedgerow across the road from our garden, and there were collared doves back in the garden on the 29th. On the last day of the month the garden was visited by starlings, sparrows, blue tits, great tits, dunnocks and blackbirds.

 

This November has been, for much of the time, exceptionally mild in our patch on the Essex/Herts border, with plenty of sunny days. For once it hasn’t lived up to its dismal reputation as immortalised in the poem by Thomas Hood:

 

No sun - no moon!
No morn - no noon -
No dawn - no dusk - no proper time of day.
No warmth, no cheerfulness, no healthful ease,
No comfortable feel in any member -
No shade, no shine, no butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers, no leaves, no birds! -
November!

In fact, I think that Thomas Hood was proved completely wrong this November!

Autumn Sunset

 

SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

 October 2013

 Brown October brings the pheasant,
Then to gather nuts is pleasant

 

Dunnock

I’m not sure why October is designated as ‘brown’, certainly, this year it was still very green, with just hints of autumn tints.

Scruffy Blackbird

 In contrast to the previous day, which had been warm and sunny, October 1^st proved to be chilly, due to the wind. The sparrows were still enjoying the birdbath, however, while a dunnock patiently waited its turn. The next day was slightly warmer, and we had the usual garden birds, including sparrows, starlings, dunnock and the same scruffy blackbird from last month's blog, which seemed to be moulting around its neck and head. The mildness continued, and there were collared doves on the feeders on the 5^th October. I also saw robin, dunnock, blue and great tits.

 

 

 

On October 5^th I went to the British Wildlife Centre at Lingfield, Surrey, and as well as the creatures in the enclosures, such as otters, red squirrels, deer, stoats, foxes etc, a walk around the wetlands area, on the boardwalk, was quite productive as I saw many dragonflies still around. They seem to be hanging on really late this year, presumably because not only is the weather so mild, but summer started later – it was July before it really kicked in.

 

A Buzzard was circling overhead

Roe Deer at the BWC

There were several herons perched in the trees and a buzzard circled overhead. There were plenty of fungi around, too. It’s always interesting to watch the red squirrels in their enclosure, because many birds come to share their food; there are usually chaffinches and great tits around the feeders or on the ground below. Sometimes the tits boldly enter the feeders to take the peanuts, braving the squirrels’ wrath. It was really warm and sunny.

 

The warm sunshine continued, and on the 8^th, I went to Hatfield Forest, near Bishop’s Stortford. This Natural Trust owned land is a regular haunt of mine, as readers of my previous blogs will know. Amongst the birds spotted were jackdaws, green woodpecker, jay, buzzard, blue tit, goldfinches, coots, gulls, moorhens, mallards, greylag geese and Canada geese. There were also squirrels, butterflies and dragonflies. There was an excellent crop of berries, presumably because of the wet spring and later warm weather – blackberries, honeysuckle, elder, hips, haws, mistletoe and many others.

Canada geese

So many berries - these are Elder

Glorious rich colours of a conker

 

 

Grey wagtail by the tigers' pool

October 12^th – surprisingly, there are still ripe strawberries in the garden. Apparently there is a large influx of redwings this year, and the first waxwings have arrived. The following day we travelled to Hampshire for a couple of days. It poured with rain, and we noticed a green woodpecker searching for worms in the wet grass at Winchester service station.  The following day, we crossed to the Isle of Wight. A visit to the Zoo there produced a sighting of a fearless grey wagtail around the pool in a tiger enclosure, and we watched him for several minutes. As usual, the tigers, lions and other animals looked happy and healthy. We were intrigued by a cloud in the shape of a long-beaked bird - a cormorant maybe? – as we crossed back to Lymington on the ferry, and later there was a spectacular sunset.

 

The cloud was shaped like a cormorant or pelican!

 

Morning dew sparkles in the sunshine

The 15^th October proved beautiful. The grass was covered with such a heavy dew that it resembled frost, and shafts of sun filtered through the trees making the dew sparkle. There was some swirling mist, too; it was quite ethereal. As we drove through part of the New Forest we noticed an enormous, scarlet fly agaric toadstool by the side of the road. It must have been as large as a tea plate.  After parking at the Canadian Memorial, we walked through the Forestry Commission land, and there were dozens of different types of fungi in the grass along the edges of the track.

 

We could see the Red deer through the trees

Veering off onto one of the side tracks, we looked through the trees across the valley, and spotted a herd of red deer. We were able to watch them for several minutes before the stag roared and raced off towards another herd which we could see some distance away in the shelter of the forest. Then we went along to Bolderwood, and stood on the viewing platform there. We didn’t expect to see any deer, as they had stopped being fed, but luckily there were a few fallow deer in the shelter of the trees across the grassland.

Fallow deer at Bolderwood

 Later, we went to Millyford Bridge, where mossy trees flourish and where a fallen tree lies near the stream. The fallen tree was covered with fungi and lichen, as was much of the area. There were several fly agarics too, as well as a variety of other toadstools. It is a very picturesque place, very beautiful.

 

 

That evening, a trip to Mudeford Quay was rewarded by the sight of swans swimming in the estuary, illuminated by the rays of the setting sun. It was a tranquil, peaceful scene and we watched until the, almost full, moon rose above the trees. I always think that the Hampshire/Dorset region is one of the most beautiful areas of Britain – it is soft countryside. No dramatic mountains, just stretches of forest, moorland, estuaries and shore.

 

On October 20^th I had a very good sighting of a red kite from the car, between Harpenden and Luton. The trees have stayed green much longer this year, but by the 22^nd I noticed that many have turned yellow and gold, although the oaks are still green. The 24^th was sunny and mild, and the house sparrows were sunbathing on the pyrancantha in the garden. Wood pigeons were in the oak tree across the road. There was a ripe alpine strawberry in one of the garden tubs. October 25^th started out damp and grey, then brightened up and there was quite a bit on sunshine. Later it became overcast. There was a beautiful great tit on the feeder – the great tits seem to have really deep black heads this year. Several sparrows about, too.

 

On the night of 27^th/28^th October, a fierce storm swept through much of Britain. We were relatively unscathed in out part of Essex, but there was much damage elsewhere, especially tree loss. Apparently there were over a hundred fallen trees blocking railway lines, and Kew Gardens lost many mature trees. Trees were blown down along many roads, and Hatfield Forest suffered losses too. They had to close for several days whilst the rangers went round to check that trees were safe and had no fallen or had loose and unsafe branches. They also had to clear those trees that had plummeted to the ground.

On October 31^st there were three collared doves on a tree near the front of the house. Such beautiful sleek-looking birds.  And so October ends, an unseasonably warm month – a proper Indian summer – but with a sting in its tail in the shape of a hurricane force winds.