SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

March 2013

March brings breezes loud and shrill

Stirs the dancing daffodil

This March didn’t just bring breezes – it brought bitter, snow-carrying winds. Some parts of the country had 15ft snowdrifts, so we were lucky in our corner of Essex to escape with just a few inches. Much of March last year was balmy, with sun and blue skies, but this year we have seen the coldest March for fifty years. Normally, March is the time of year to get out and about, but the biting winds later in the month made any trip unpleasant, and often dangerous.

However, the first few days of March were more promising. The old saying is that if March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb, but it certainly didn’t come roaring in, in fact there was little wind at all, though it was rather a damp, gloomy day. A grey squirrel spent several minutes on the bedroom windowsill, using it for its morning ablutions. It was whisking its paws over its face and along its tail, having a really good wash. There were no special birds in the garden to celebrate the new month, just our usual crop of starlings, blue tits, sparrows, blackbirds, wood pigeons and robins. One of our robins has a white edging to its wings and a white mark above the eye, which is distinctive. Later, we discovered that it is the female as we saw the male feeding her. We are hoping that the robins will nest in the garden as they have started to hang around near the pyracantha at the end of the garden, though whether the sparrows will be happy about their presence remains to be seen. The pyracantha is the traditional haunt of our sparrows. A couple of years ago we fixed a sparrow nest box in the hedge, though as yet it has not been used.

March 3^rd turned out to be really spring like, certainly the warmest day of the year so far. A few crocuses finally bloomed, and the birds were singing. The next day the female blackbird was bathing in the fountain, and then drying out on the corner of the shelter nearby. Once dry, she flew to the square feeder which is temporarily standing on the table – as soon as spring really asserts itself, the feeder will be moved to the lawn. It was even milder on the 6^th March, very warm in the sun. The crocuses were fully out and a great tit was calling loudly.

The next day it was good to see two smooth newts in the wildlife pond, all being well they will breed. Last year there were lots of young newts in the summer, and I’m hoping that some of them will have survived this cold winter. Perhaps they will have found some mossy hideaways where they could bed down safely.  When my husband was walking along the road a few hundred yards away, he noticed that a van had stopped by a dead animal. At first, he thought it was a kitten, but as he drew near he saw that it wasn’t. The van driver said it was a mink, and that there were quite a lot around the area. It was a deep chocolate brown, but had gone by the time my husband could return with a camera. We must have had a nocturnal visitor that night, because the next morning an earth-filled tub, a heavy plant trough and the pump in the pond had all been knocked over. Maybe a cat, or even a fox. It was much colder than the previous few days, and by the 11^th, it was bitterly cold. There were a few snow flurries, though hawthorn was starting to bloom in some of the hedgerows. On March 13^th I was delighted to see a song thrush on a roadside verge in Sawbridgeworth, because thrushes seem to be disappearing around here. Once, they were regulars to the garden, feeding on the snails and leaving cracked shells as evidence, but I hadn’t seen one for several years. On her way to work, my daughter saw a pair of kestrels in flight and also three tumbling magpies – she was worried they would fall into the path of the car. We had a few snow flurries during the day, and  it snowed a bit more in the evening, dusting the bushes, plants and grass with a sprinkling of white, though had melted away by mid-morning of March 14^th. On the 15^th of March there was a dead smooth newt in the pond, possibly one that had climbed inside the pump – my husband said he had removed one a couple of days ago.

A visit to Hatfield Forest on March 18^th was a delight. It was sunny, with blue skies and fairy mild, a respite before the severely cold weather front that the Met Office have been forecasting arrives. As we drove along the roads leading to the forest, a swirling mist drifted across from the ploughed fields. At the forest, the ground was really plashy in places, with small rivulets forming on the grass, but it was a very enjoyable walk, though I was thankful I was wearing wellingtons as there was plenty of mud, to say nothing of deep puddles. There was a cormorant perched at the top of a tree, his prehistoric-looking beak and neck looking quite surreal when the sun caught the white skin patches on its head. There were cormorants with young on the lake at Hatfield Forest last summer.

London Plane at Hatfield Forest

Along the track the magnificent London Plane tree was still completely bare, its twisty branches arching high above. Whatever the season this tree is a joy to behold, whether in full leaf, spring bud, autumn gold or in the depths of winter when its contorted grey/white branches show to their best advantage. The track near this tree follows a long, narrow stretch of water, a kind of top-up to the main lake, and along parts of the bank, in the softest mud, were many deer prints. This section of the water is fairly still, and, unlike the bustle of the main lake, is much quieter with just a few coots, moorhens and mallard. Occasionally I see a heron here, wading the shallows, and have seen a kingfisher, too. Sometimes there are nuthatches in the trees along the path. A heron flew over, silhouetted against the sky, and a dozen or so jackdaws were busily gathering nesting material on the grass on the opposite side to the plane tree. There are many jackdaws at Hatfield Forest, their ‘chacking’ forms an accompaniment to a walk along this stretch,

Deer tracks in the mud

                                                                                        

                      

 On the lake were grebes, mallards, coots, black-headed gulls, Canada geese and greylag geese. Many of them had paired up, swimming around in couples. However, everything seemed very placid, with none of the usual mating routines in evidence. There was no sign of the swans while we were there; usually there are a couple on the lake near the jetty. The gulls have now regained their black (actually chocolate-brown) heads after their winter plumage of a white head with a black comma-shaped mark.

                          

                                            

There were grey squirrels chasing each other in the wood and rummaging in the leaf litter for food, and a rabbit popped out from a bush then smartly retreated when it saw us. We caught sight of a couple of muntjac deer, running across the track. Muntjac and fallow deer are found in the forest. The pussy willow was now fluffy; a couple of weeks ago when I last visited it was still in tight bud, but now it really did resemble the texture of a kitten’s paw. The bramble bushes were showing new buds and there was coltsfoot in bloom, making a welcome splash of yellow along the path by the lake. Usually by now there are dandelions along here, too, and plenty of new leaves on the bushes. The water was so still that the reflections of trees, ducks and clouds were crystal clear.

March 20^th was meant to be the first day of spring, though traditionalists like me still think of the 21^st as being the day to celebrate. Surprisingly, the Meteorological Office had earlier proclaimed that the first day of March was the first day of spring. As far as I’m concerned, spring arrives mid-March.  I don’t think that the Met Office should alter the date of the seasons which have been the same for centuries. Apparently MPs are quite disgruntled that the Met Office has changed the traditional date, apparently on a whim, just to make things simpler. There were two robins in the garden, one feeding the other. My daughter reported seeing a dead polecat along the motorway just outside Bishops Stortford.  She said there was no mistaking that classic face.

 I spent a long while on the 21^st watching a crow perched on a thin branch of a tree across the road, determinedly trying to snap off a twig, presumably from its nest. It finally succeeded and flew down to claim the fallen bounty. March 23^rd saw heavy snow, which covered much of the country. It was accompanied by biting winds. Most unusually, there were two magpies in the garden at the feeding trays, they must have been desperate for food, as they are usually very wary of coming into the garden. The starlings came down too, and the wood pigeons hung around gorging till it was almost dark. This fresh fall of heavy snow will cause plenty of wildlife disruption, as many birds had started nesting and frogs and toads were spawning. The weight of the snow broke many of the daffodil stems, just as they were about to flower, and no doubt the cold will freeze many of the buds that were just beginning to show on the bushes.

According to reports on March 26th, waxwings are back in the area, but a visit to the likely spots failed to show any signs of those exotic-looking birds. There is still plenty of snow and the crocuses are pushing their way through. All the usual garden birds, such as robins, sparrows, starlings and wood pigeons, are still around, and there are black-headed gulls overhead. One gull flew past, quite low, as I opened the back door and twisted its head around to look at me – so in effect, it was flying blind! March 27^th revealed a dead wood pigeon by the side of the road – later, the bird had disappeared but there were feathers scattered along the pavement. Maybe the bird was brought down by a sparrowhawk, which later returned to claim it, or perhaps was hit by a car and then an opportunist raptor had taken it. Certainly something seemed to have plucked those feathers. I have from time to time found piles of feathers around our garden and the area just outside, and have also seen sparrowhawks skimming the hedge.

The next day, the 28^th March, was slightly milder though still very cold. The crocuses were beautiful in the sun with their purple, gold and white cups, and the daffodils were trying to open. A blue tit was investigating a nest box – after the burst of activity last month, they seemed to have given up, probably because it was more important to find food and conserve energy. There were three robins in the garden which is a very unusual sight considering the small size of the plot. Several times lately we have spotted herons flying over the town, so there must be a nearby heronry.

Dunnocks are often overlooked, but are handsome birds

The last day of the month coincided with Easter Sunday – March 31^st was very cold, the coldest Easter since records began. Although the snow had melted here, it was still snowing in many other parts of the country. Birds in the garden included starlings, sparrows, robins, dunnock, wood pigeon, blackbirds and blue tit. Special visitors to the feeder were two long-tailed tits. It was good to see them back again, and hopefully they will nest locally. We do see them most years, their musical twitter announcing their presence when they arrive. As yet there has been no sign of the coal tits, and I just hope that they haven’t perished in the snow, though we have been putting out plenty of food. Beautiful as they are, I sometimes wish that the wood pigeons didn’t spend so much time on the food trays, as they prevent the smaller species from feeding. They take so much of the seed that we supply. The squirrel was down again as well, coming across from the tall oak tree opposite the garden, on the other side of the road. It likes the peanuts on the tray, and is a very dainty eater.

Annoyingly, the unseasonably cold weather has been forecast for much of the month of April, and I just hope that the weather predictions are wrong.

SKYLARK SUE’S REFLECTIONS OF NATURE 

February 2013

Sunlight glints on the icy lake

February brings the rain

Thaws the frozen lake again

I’m not convinced about the validity of the rhyme, because much of the lake was still frozen on the 19^th, when I visited Hatfield Forest on a glorious but cold day, and we have had more than our fair share of snow this month, too. However, this shortest month of the year began on a calm note. The previous couple of days had been extremely windy, but on Friday, the first day of the month, the wind had dropped. I was pleased to discover that we had a clump of snowdrops in flower, an indication that spring is just round the corner. Two squirrels are regularly coming down together now, so hopefully they will breed this year, maybe in the large old oak tree across the road.

By the 6^th, the weather had turned bitterly cold, and the birds in the garden were coming down early to the feeders. They must be keeping watch, because as soon as the trays and holders are refilled, the robins arrive, soon followed by the starlings and house sparrows. At the moment, as well as the birds already mentioned, we’re regularly getting blue tits, great tits, starlings, wood pigeons and blackbirds. When the pigeons come down the other birds tend to scatter, though I’ve noticed the canny robin sits nearby under the shelter ready to grab anything that is dropped. The squirrels sometimes scare the birds off, too – not intentionally, but just through their natural boisterous nature which must seem intimidating when you’re the size of a blue tit.

A visit to Harlow Town Park on the 7^th, a bitterly cold but sunny day, found a gathering of mallards on the lake exhibiting rivalry, for instance two drakes angrily circling with their heads close together in a threat display. Other birds around included moorhens, black headed gulls, coal tits, chaffinches and robins. I watched a wren foraging on a mossy log that straddled the narrower part of the water, no doubt there were plenty of insects there, sheltered from the extremes of the cold. Also on the 7^th I was amused to see a crow on wasteland by a main road triumphantly carrying a crisp packet it had found. It stalked around, head high, but was soon pursued by a group of magpies, intent on stealing it from him. Soon there was quite a procession, but instead of attempting to fly off with the packet, the crow panicked and it was grabbed by a magpie. As I was leaving a nearby garden centre, a female sparrowhawk skimmed low in front of the car and sped off like a rocket across the road to the fields.

February 10^th saw a return of the snow in the afternoon, and the spider’s web outside the window looked beautiful festooned with snowflakes. The grey squirrels that visit the garden seem to be a pair now, as they often go around together and will sit near each other. Earlier in the year they were more cautious and if one went to the feeder, the other would move away. Not far from us, my daughter spotted a fox on the pavement that, oblivious of the passing traffic, was chewing on what seemed to be a joint of meat. Maybe he had stolen it from the nearby restaurant or perhaps the waiters had felt sorry for the fox and donated it. Over the next three days the snow lingered, and at its maximum we had 2½ inches. As usual it was interesting to see the bird and squirrel prints in the garden snow. The squirrels not only leave paw prints, they leave tell-tale slithery tracks where their tails have dragged.

Pigeons in flight from a nearby loft - beautiful when the sun shines through their wings

February 15^th dawned brightly, with blue sky. Someone nearby has a pigeon loft, and every day the birds gracefully perform acrobatics in the sky. Some of the birds are grey, and some are white. Today, the sun shining through the feathers, especially of the white birds, was beautiful and the birds seemed to shimmer. There was quite a bit of sun over the next few days, even though the wind was still cold. On the 17^th, a blue tit had decided to make a start on clearing the nest box, and it pulled out the grasses and feathers bit by bit. At first, it took each beakful to the apple tree a couple of yards away, to drop the debris onto the path, but it soon tired of that and so just dropped it to the ground  as it pulled it clear. (Normally, we would have cleared out the nest boxes last autumn but that one seemed to have escaped the net.)

That same day we visited the Gibberd Garden in Harlow, renowned for its natural gardens as well as its sculptures. The snowdrops were out en masse, presenting a beautiful sight – a snowy sweep of blooms up the banks edging the woodland paths. There were yellow aconites, too, and around the lawns were beds of hellebores. The birds were in good voice there, especially the robins, dunnocks and great tits. This will be a good place to return to later in the year, it’s an informal garden with woods, a stream and numerous mossy paths leading off tantalisingly in all directions.

The sunlight emphasises the grace of the gulls as they swoop

On the 19^th February, the weather was glorious and so we went to Hatfield Forest for a walk by the lake. The mallards and Canada geese were pairing up, with plenty of chasing going on, while a crowd of black-headed gulls were swooping over the water. The sunshine reflected off and through their feathers, and were a striking sight against the sparkling lake.  It was a pleasure to see the catkins out – they looked stunning against a cloudless blue sky. The pussy willow was in tight fuzzy bud. As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog, all around the edge of the lake was a thin layer of ice, and there was ice over the small pond which looked sparkling and ethereal in the sun.

Blue sky makes a perfect backdrop for golden catkins

The pussy willow is just starting to fluff!

                

By the 22^nd, we were beginning to get birdsong early in the morning. The singing starts around 4.50am. The wood pigeons had found their voices again, too – I hadn’t heard them for ages. We’ve had a squirrel on the bedroom windowsill, so must be cautious not to open the window too wide, as a squirrel indoors is probably not a good idea. One of the robins is so tame now that it doesn’t flutter off, just sits and watches as we put out some food in the tray, while the blackbird keeps more of a low profile, sitting behind the plant pots. Lots of moss has been dug up around the edge of the path, and I’m sure that the blackbird is the culprit, no doubt searching for grubs.

Two days later, a goldcrest appeared in the garden. Just the one, so it seemed very vulnerable. A similar thing happened in January and February last year, though I would doubt it was the same bird. The goldcrest is our smallest British bird, very dainty, with a grey-green body and featuring a striped crown with a black and yellow stripe. Its relative, the firecrest, is even more attractive with its stunning orange head stripe and white eye stripe.  A few years ago we would get a mini flock of goldcrests, maybe half-a-dozen or so.

It was still bitterly cold and the blackbird, robins and sparrows were clustered around the feeder, trying to get enough food to convert to fat and energy to help them combat this icy weather. Snow was in the air, tiny flakes like pinpricks of dust and for a while some of them settled. A blue tit that was perched in the apple tree appeared rather distressed and kept flying to the nest box then back to the tree. Close inspection revealed that a large thorny stick had fallen on top of the box and was worrying the bird.

On the 25^th I threaded some monkey nuts onto wire and hung it from the feeder pole. The squirrel sat on one of the trays then stretched up on his hind legs, daintily reaching for the nuts, which it cracked open to remove the kernels. Finally, though, the knot at the bottom of the nuts gave way, and so the squirrel was able to have a feast without too much effort. Many years ago I regularly threaded monkey nuts onto cotton or string – most bird lovers did, because the bird food industry was nothing like as comprehensive as it is today, and it was difficult to buy ‘wild bird food’ let alone peanut kernels.

A return visit to the park at the end of the month showed that a few of the mallards had settled down on previous nesting sites along the water, but there was still much rivalry between males, with plenty of splashing and quacking. Some of the fights look really vicious, and after each bout the combatants soothe their ruffled feathers by bathing; dipping below the water surface, then holding their heads high and vigorously vibrating their wings. We tend to dismiss mallards as just ‘ducks’, but how stunning they are, especially when the sun illuminates their emerald green heads, and when they reveal that glorious blue flash hidden in their wings.

The moorhens were thinking about nesting as well. One seemed to have chosen a spot in the reeds while its partner was searching for suitable stalks to collect as nesting material. I have a soft spot for these rather nervous, skittish birds with their long green legs and bright red frontal shield and beak. Unlike ducks and many other water birds, they don’t have webbed feet, their toes are lobed. They seem to keep themselves to themselves, though will fight in the nesting season. It has been reported that adolescent birds from first litters will often act as guardians to the younger birds of later broods, and the moorhen is the only British bird that exhibits this kind of behaviour. Moorhens are also resourceful and according to a BBC website, an incubating bird has been filmed covering itself with some polythene sheet like a cape, which it removed once the rain had stopped.

Moorhen's toes aren't webbed, they are lobed.

There was plenty of bird song in the park, notably from robins trying to out trill each other. One in particular made no move to fly off, and just sang, perched on the bridge rail, even though I was within a couple of feet. It’s amazing how much sound can pour forth from such a small bird. There were long tailed tits, blue tits and great tits in the trees, as well as the usual woodpigeons, black-headed gulls and magpies. In the garden, a check on the 28^th revealed winter jasmine, hellebore and snowdrops as well as a few polyanthus which have been in flower since last year. The daffodils are budding, and as soon as the weather warms up a little the crocuses should be in bloom. Even though it is so cold, there are signs of new life on the branches. Next month is when everything starts to happen, and we should see an abundance of procreation and colour.