SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

May 2013

May brings flocks of pretty lambs

Skipping by their fleecy dams

This May has brought a lot more than fleecy lambs – we’ve had torrential rain, thunder, hail, and even some sunshine.  I was beginning to despair that this complete spring would be a washout, and that we would lose all our breeding birds this year, but as usual, nature fought back and suddenly we’re awash with young birds.

Even so, the 1^st of May proved very warm and sunny, with pink buds showing on the apple trees. The blossom is late this year, but, as we see later in the month, has proved to be a stunning display giving gardeners high hopes of a bumper crop of fruit. Certainly, the blossom on both the crab apple trees and eating apple tree in the garden has been the best we have seen it for years; the apples’ delicate white blossom with a hint of pink contrasting with the bright pink and pure white of the crab apple trees. The bees have been very active amongst the blooms, as well as many other insects – though strangely, this year I have not yet seen a ladybird. The robins and blue tits were down on the feeders on this lovely day, while a particularly hungry wood pigeon spent at least fifteen minutes working his way from one feeder to the next, gorging on the various seeds,

The next day was just as warm, with plenty of bees around the garden.  A robin enjoyed a long cooling bath in one of the fountains, and then sat on a shrub to dry off. Then he went back for another dip. A pair of blue tits had obviously bonded and were flying around the garden together, and feeding from a fat-filled half-coconut. Heavy rain, hail, thunderstorms and sunshine were the order of the day on May 4^th, though this odd weather was partly compensated by a superb pink, red and orange sunset with lots of pretty rosy clouds, hopefully a promise of a better day tomorrow.  May 5^th didn’t let us down – it was good to see white butterflies around, and also a young robin in the garden which was a bit of a surprise as we didn’t think the ones we had seen around had a brood yet, going by their behaviour. We also had a brand new garden visitor – a female blackcap, which was exciting and very welcome. The blossom was out on the cherry trees, and in our small wildlife pond I noticed three male newts madly chasing a female. There are newt eggs on some of the plants.

May 6^th was yet another warm and sunny day. The apple blossom was now really beautiful, and when the blue tits and robins perch amongst the blooms it was a delightful sight, with the blues, yellows and reds contrasting with the pastel flowers. It was a butterfly day, too; in the garden we saw comma, holly blue, orange tip and small whites. Commas are one of the easiest of butterflies to identify, as well as being very attractive – they have an irregular curvy edge to their wings, so they stand out even when you can’t clearly see the colouring. When they come to rest, the white curved comma-like mark on the outside of the wing shows why this butterfly’s name, Comma,  is so apt.  A particualrly magnificent hoverfly - a Helophilus pendulus, which has vertical stripes on its back - landed on the garden table, sunning itself. There were two male blackbirds on the garage roof, one angrily posturing, presumably to assert that it was his territory. I think the blue tits are now sitting on eggs, as the male has begun calling from the apple tree with some food, which he presents to the female when she leaves the box. Then they both fly off for a few minutes, before she returns once more to the box. There was another blue tit around, too, investigating a box at the end of the garden by the thorny pyracantha, though it didn’t seem very impressed.

Holly blue

Helophilus pendulus hoverfly

Plenty of insects were around, including several beetles and an earwig that had set up home in an empty peanut shell. A beautiful hawthorn shield bug seemed to glow in the sun. There was a water boatman on the pond, and tonight we counted over thirty newts, carrying out a torchlight search. May 8^th was much chillier, with a strong wind, but luckily most of the apple blossom stayed put. There were chick noises coming from the nest box on May 9^th, and soon the parents were frantically going in and out of the box, feeding the young on small green caterpillars with the occasional sunflower heart or fat pellet. Usually, when they emerged from the box they would be carrying a faecal pellet.

Hawthorn shield bug

The next day I travelled to Preston, where I stayed for two nights. On the journey I noticed that the gorse was in full flower, and there were still plenty of cowslips. As we travelled northwards, it was interesting to see that daffodils were still in bloom, whereas in Essex they had shrivelled. Near Peterborough, I was pleased to see a red kite, such stunning birds with that chestnut gleam and their forked tails. I also noticed several kestrels hovering along the A1M and M11, a welcome sight as this species seems to be on the decline. The oilseed rape was brilliant yellow, there seems to be so much about this year – it’s a garish colour that doesn’t blend well with the British landscape. I much prefer to see fields of soft blue flax. At last, the bluebells are in flower, such iconic plants that whisk many of us instantly back to our childhood – in those days a ‘bluebelling’ trip was a must to anyone who lived near the countryside, even though the flowers didn’t last long in a jug of water. In these more enlightened times, we visit woods just to see – and smell – the bluebells instead. By the hotel were plenty of trees, with linnets and jays.

Back in Essex on May 13^th, I was pleased to hear greenfinches singing their rather ‘wheezy’ song nearby, and the following day my daughter thought that she saw some in the apple tree in the garden. It had turned very cold again.

Blue tits were stunning against the apple blossom and blue sky

May 16^th was warmer, and I watched a swallow swooping overhead against a glorious blue sky. The blossom was stunning against the blue as well. The bluetits were working hard collecting insects and caterpillars for their young in the nest box, and the starlings, blackbird, sparrows, robin and a squirrel all came down for breakfast. There was a white butterfly around, too.  On May 18^th I noticed a couple of swallows flying near a local shopping centre, but I haven’t seen any martins or swifts this year as yet.There was a humorous incident on May 21^st , when a woodpigeon and a squirrel were monopolising the feeders on the pole. A robin tried to land, but the pigeon pecked at him, so the robin flew off. It waited for a few moments then flew, like a bullet, straight at the pigeon who fell off and flew away at speed, also scaring the squirrel who scampered off, leaving the robin to feed in peace.

Hawthorn is now in fully in bloom – it has been late this year. Although I spotted a few early flowering bushes amidst the blackthorn several weeks ago, it is only over the last couple of weeks that it has really come into its own. Also known as ‘May’, at one time people were warned ‘Never cast a clout till May is out’. My mother used to call hawthorn ‘Bread and cheese’ – apparently when she was a child, she and her friends used to eat the young leaves as a delicacy.

Snow leopard

Red panda

I saw animals not native to Britain today when we visited Paradise Park in Broxbourne!  Amongst them were tigers, lions, camels, zebras, snow leopards, lemurs and red pandas. There was a young white lion cub that was trying to gnaw some meat but was really just mumbling at it – the strength wasn’t in its jaws as yet. The tapirs were interesting, strange looking creatures, with trunk-like noses, and I was able to stroke an armadillo which was a special moment for me. They are strange creatures too – they resemble clockwork toys when they move with that jerky gait. There was a mini farm there, too – which did contain some British creatures! Here were sheep and lambs, pigs, goats and ponies. One of the lambs was an ‘Ouessant lamb’ which is the world’s smallest breed of sheep (actually from a small island off Brittany.). There were also plenty of rabbits.

Mayfly larva

Two days later, on the 23^rd, not only was it very cold, it was windy and we had hail. Despite the weather, the valiant little bluetits were constantly to-ing and fro-ing the nest box. On May 26^th, my husband noticed a large flock of at least a hundred starlings and young feeding on a grass verge around 8.30 am. They were probing the ground for grubs. Bluetits were still feeding their youngsters, and a starling came into the garden with a youngster to feed.  A small sample of water taken from the wildlife pond on the lawn revealed, as well as various daphnia etc., a mayfly nymph flaunting its three long tail filaments. The pond contains many smooth newts, they seem to do well in our garden, breeding in both of the small wildlife ponds. They lay their eggs amongst the plants, the females carefully sticking each tiny white egg to a leaf.

Lackey moth caterpillars climb the crab apple

May 27^th was a day of invasions – firstly, we noticed at least a hundred Lackey moth caterpillars climbing the trunk of a crab apple tree. There had emerged from a large silky tent or cocoon that had been created around a garden ornament at the base of the tree. There were smaller cocoons on some of the leaves. Interestingly, some of the caterpillars seemed to be communicating by twitching and jerking their bodies. Later, they retreated to their silky hide.

It seems that the caterpillars are spending their nights in this silken tent, and also using it to shelter from any inclement weather. Presumably, as they grow they will eventually leave the safety of the commune and spread out over the garden to feed and to eventually pupate into adult moths. The Lackey moths aren't very spectacular, they are quite small and a rather drab brown/buff. It's a shame as the caterpillars are pretty, with bright blue faces!

Silken nest of Lackey moth caterpillars

Then down came the starlings, there were a couple of dozen or so, and their cries were loud! There were many young birds with the adults, and the adults were feeding them, although the youngsters looked perfectly capable of feeding on their own. Unlike the adults, these juvenile birds were light brown with creamy patches especially around the throat. The parents were dark, glossy, green, purple and black. Beautiful birds. The next day we drove to Bourne, Lincolnshire, and once again spotted a red kite near Peterborough.

Greylag geese and goslings

A quick trip to a rather damp Hatfield Forest on May 30^th didn’t show as many babies on the lake as I had I hoped. In fact, I only saw four goslings, which were accompanied by a proud pair of Greylag geese. I didn’t see any young Canada geese, grebes or mallards although there were quite a lot of adults. A common tern was swooping and diving over the lake, and a swallow was searching for insects. High above, a swift was doing the same.  A dunnock posed beautifully for a long time on a willow by the small the lake, while the jackdaws were still going in and out of their nest hole in the tree that I noted last month. On the approach to the forest we saw many chaffinches, their white wing bars catching our eyes as the birds flew up from the roads.

Jack-by-the-hedge

The buttercups were out – Hatfield Forest is noted for its buttercups which are a blaze of gold in late spring. Although the sun wasn’t shining, the sight was still impressive, they spread across the open grassland as far as the eye could see. They were beautiful. Along the verges and paths the Jack-by-the-hedge or wild garlic was coming into flower; a touch of the leaf will explain its name, as it gives out a pungent smell. This useful plant can be used in salads, both the leaves and the flowers. On the way back from the forest a fallow deer burst from a hedge, running across the road just feet away from the car, disappearing almost instantly through the hedge on the opposite site. Almost immediately, another deer rushed from the hedge, following the first. This second deer was much darker.

Finally, the last day of May proved sunny and mild. A torchlight scan of the garden that evening revealed newts a plenty in the ponds. There were lots of slugs and snails, including a large leopard slug and an earwig. A caterpillar was feeding on clematis leaves. This month has proved a strange one, much colder than we usually expect for this time of year, although we did have a few May-like days.

SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

April 2013

April brings the primrose sweet

Scatters daisies at our feet

The weather in April is normally a mix, but somehow, this wasn’t ‘proper’ April weather. Cold winds of March continued through much of the month, and there was plenty of rain, although we did have a few warmer days which really felt spring-like. Unfortunately, owing to a back problem I was unable to get around much this month, and so most of this report is very local.

April 1^st saw some sunshine, though it was still very chilly.  Buds were forming at last on the fruit trees and a few long tailed tits came into the garden to investigate the feeders. I’m very fond of these small birds, with their soft pink and grey colouring and sweet twittery voices. They are constantly on the move, even when feeding they keep shifting position, often hanging upside down.

The blue tits were in and out of a nest box, and a strange tapping noise was coming from inside, as though one of them was pecking on the wood. The next day a blue tit was tugging at a withered plant stem for ages, presumably to take for its nest. Over the next few days, the usual garden birds were down, including a pair of blackbirds who really enjoy bathing in our ball fountain. I like to have blackbirds in the garden - nothing can match the blackbird's song last rhing at night or early in the morning. Such a pure sound.

The ball fountain was purchased several years ago, and though we have a couple of ither fountains in the garden, as well as the wild life ponds and a bird bath, it's the ball fountain that seems the favoutite bathing place of the sparrows, robins, tits, blackbirds and srarlings. Even the wood pigeons try to jam themselves into the water. The fountain has a small 'bubbler' on the top, with a shallow basin around, and the waterthen runs down the ball of the fountain into a a large shallow tray. It's the bubble part that the birds really liove, presumably the equivalent of a jacuzzi or a shower bath.

By the 6^th, it had turned milder and the cold wind had dropped. It was sunny, too. We were delighted to welcome a pair of chaffinches to the garden. They were perched on the old apple tree. We rarely see these birds in our garden, though we did have a youngster and a female last year. Although chaffinches are meant to be one of our most common birds here in Britain, they don’t seem to frequent our particular corner of Essex so much. Hopefully these will nest nearby; it’s a good sign that they have returned from last year. The long tailed tits were back as well, and as usual, robins were making full use of the feeder.

Many of the spring bulbs were in full bloom and the fritillaries in bud. One small prunus already had pink blossom, and there was an enormous bumble bee on the daffodils and crocuses. Two days later I spent a long time watching a wood mouse. It seemed to have found a home between the base of a fence and a low wall, and kept coming up the wall and climbing over to collect seed from under the bird feeder. Wood mice are pretty creatures with large eyes and large ears, and are probably the most common of the British mice nowadays. Unlike the drab grey fur of a house mouse, the fur of the wood mouse is a warm brown, and it really gleams in the sun. The wood mice have longer tails than the house mice, and seem daintier in their behaviour. They don’t have that strong mousy smell, either.

On the 12^th April I noticed a rook ‘anting’ over a chimney as we drove through a nearby village. It was next to the chimney with its wings splayed out over the top as it let the smoke filter through the feathers. I have seen this behaviour several times before, and last year on the Isle of Wight watched a couple of rooks anting over grass – spreading their wings wide so that ants could pass through the feathers. Some people say that rooks use smoke or ants in this way to repel parasites such as lice, while others believe it’s a way of preening, ensuring the feathers are kept in good condition. Whatever the reason, it is interesting behaviour to watch. Sadly I couldn’t get a photo as I only had time to glimpse the rook from the car. The next day I saw that the two blue tits were going in and out of one of the nest boxes again, so they have obviously decided it’s their home. The chosen nest box is an old one, originally made by my Father in the 1980s, and has always had occupants in the spring. Last year I bought a box with a camera, installed it where the old nest box was and removed the old nest box to a new position, hoping that the birds would be fooled into using the camera box. They weren’t – they simply found the old box.

On April 14^th, which was a warm, sunny day, we counted twelve newts in the old wildlife pond, and eight in the new pond that we created last year. Both ponds are very small, but they attract quite a lot of water creatures. Years ago we used to get plenty of frogs in the garden, but sadly they disappeared. I believe this was due to disease, most probably red leg disease. For years we didn’t see any. Then last year we saw a couple around the ponds, so we are hoping they will come back this year, but so far there is no sign. There was no spawn. As far as I know, no one else has a pond nearby, so I have no idea where last year’s frogs came from.

The little nectarine tree was showing blossom , and the snakeshead fritillaries were just beginning to open. Snakeshead fritillaries are attractive plants, with chequered drooping bells; the chequered pattern resembles snake’s skin, hence the name. There are many different species of fritillary, but only fritillaria meleagris is native to Britain. It’s a protected plant, but it is possible to but cultivated bulbs from garden centres. They look vaguely alien when the sun’s rays shine through the patterned magenta drooping flower head, which is supported by a fragile stem, and the light illuminates the bell, throwing the markings into sharp relief.

It was fairly mild the following day, though rather breezy. A trip to Hatfield Forest showed that the pussy willow was now really fluffy, the daisies were coming out and the celandines were still in flower. On the lake were a pair of swans, obviously nesting along the bank, and the male was angrily chasing Canada geese. The cob looked like a galleon in full sail as it stormed through the water, feathers puffed up, before flapping its wings and seemingly running across the surface. The geese made a quick retreat, with much honking and hissing. Other birds on the lakes included great crested grebes, moorhens, mallards and coots.

The jackdaws were building their nests. One pair had found a hole high up in a tree and were flying in and out.  I am sure there are many more jackdaws around nowadays. I seem to see them everywhere; on roadside verges, in fields and parks. Cheerful birds, and their ‘chack, chack’ cry (from whence their name derives) is much more melodious (if a corvid call can be called that!) than the raucous caws of the rook or crow. On the journey home, a yellowhammer flew from a hedge, and there were several pheasants around.

Many of the hedges around this area of Essex – those bordering the roads – seem to have been hacked really badly. It’s as though the cutting machines that the contractors are now using just rip and tear the branches instead of cutting cleanly through them. There are long stretches of hedgerow with ugly gashes, snapped branches hanging down and split trunks. It can’t be good for the bushes. I always worry about hedge cutting at this time of year; despite the cold weather some birds are nesting – how many nests have these cutting machines destroyed?

The dandelions are in flower now. They seem really large this year, and bright, too. Seemingly the heavy rain we experienced earlier in the year suited the plants, and maybe the cold spells did as well. Certainly, they are beautiful, especially when the sun is out, emphasising the deep yellow-gold of the petals and though gardeners might think the plant a weed, it is much appreciated by many forms of wildlife. I often think that if dandelions were not so common, they would be treasured for their splendour.

My husband inadvertently frightened a squirrel on the 17^th of April. It was nibbling nuts at the bird feeder, and when the back door was opened the squirrel was ‘spooked’. It fell backwards into the birdbath, then scampered up the apple tree shaking its wet tail and glaring angrily. The squirrels aren’t coming to the garden quite as much now, so I imagine that they are finding food elsewhere. I’ve noticed them pursuing each other up a nearby oak, so perhaps that is where they will make their home.

April 20^th was another sunny day. There was plenty of hectic activity, what with woodpigeons chasing each other in the oak tree across the road from the garden, and magpies careering after the pigeons. There was a great deal of wing flapping, harsh cries and crashing as the birds seemingly hurled themselves through the branches. A robin was bathing in the bird bath, and another robin came and fed it –maybe the male feeding the female. I am still hopeful that they are nesting in the garden, maybe in our thick conifer. Several bees were buzzing around the plants and they were particularly attracted to the fritillaries. There were two blue tits in the tree and on the feeders, so they can’t be sitting on eggs yet. We hung a fat-filled half coconut in the apple tree, and the blue tits are really enjoying it, hanging upside down as they peck off morsels of fat. They seem to prefer it to the fat balls in the holder.  

By April 23^rd, a warm and sunny day, there was quite a lot of blossom out, though not the apple tree or the crab apples, which flower later than many other types of fruit tree. The white magnolia stellata is also in flower, and is beautiful. We thought that the buds had been frosted this year and wouldn’t open, because they formed when we had the bitterly cold snowy spell in February, and seemed frozen. There are still plenty of newts in the ponds, from large ones to tiny ones. Some of the smaller newts still have feathery gills, so must have overwintered at the bottom of the pond. I’m surprised that they survived the low temperatures, the ice and the snow, but they certainly look healthy.

The colder weather returned with a vengeance over the next few days, the worst  thing was a bitterly cold wind which made it unpleasant even in the sun. Then, on the 27^th April, we had a hail shower. Goodness knows what effect these extremes of temperatures will have on the plants and wildlife. The birds must be very confused and I’m sure that’s why the blue tits seem to be so slow with their nest box activities this year.

The last day of the month, the 30^th April, was sunny but there was a biting wind yet again. A quick visit to Hatfield Forest revealed a mass of blackthorn and other blossom. Later in the year, the bushes will be heavy with sloes. All the trees were now showing green, a tremendous contrast to our visit a fortnight ago when most sported bare twigs. These were swallows skimming the lake, taking insects. It’s always a welcome sight to see these graceful birds back in Britain after their long journey. The lake was quiet, though – just a few mallards, Canada geese, moorhen and coot.  Blue tits and robins were seeking out insects amongst the trees and blossoms. I had hoped to hear a cuckoo, but had no luck. They are becoming so scarce around here now. It wasn’t that long ago that we would hear a cuckoo calling every spring near our home, but not any more.

On the journey back from the forest we saw lots of pheasants in the fields and along the road. The verges in several places were thick with cowslips; such a pretty flower. It seems to do well in this part of Essex.

Cowslips, sweet lips, smelling of the summer

Coming with the cuckoo, bringing in the May

Lift your heads in pastures

Where the cattle spares you,

Waiting to be gather’d when the children come to play.

And so another month is past, a strange mixture of extreme cold and temperatures in the high 60s. April always is renowned for its ‘sunshine and showers’ weather, but surely this April has been very strange indeed. I await May with interest to see what it has in store for us.