| Birds
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
31/03/11 Singing male Chiffchaff & Blackcap were seen and =
heard in=20
Areas 1,2,4,5,7 & 8 today in a fairly extensive survey. The =
Kingfisher was seen along the Emm in =
Areas 7&8.=20
The rest of the highlights included Buzzard,=20
Cormorrant, Grey Heron and 4 Redwing=20
still hanging on.=20
30/03/11 2 male Blackcap=20
were seen & heard this morning pouring out their =
beautiful=20
fluty song. Another nesting Nuthatch =
was seen=20
reducing the size of the entrance of an old Woodpeckers hole. =
This is=20
done with mud and a sure sign that nesting is shortly to follow. =
28/03/11 A Meadow Pipit=20
was seen flying N in Area 4 by Paul Bright Thomas=20
27/03/11 It was the turn of the =
Nuthatch today to be found nesting in =
Area 4. A=20
Buzzard was also seen. In Area 8 =
possibly the=20
same Buzzard was seen later in the =
day with a=20
Kingfisher and 3 Chiffchaffs. A Phesant=20
was seen in front gardens of Woosehill Lane in Area 4 this =
afternoon. In=20
Area 1 parents and 6 goslings of Egyptian =
Goose=20
were seen by Vivian Conlon.=20
26/03/11 Another nestbox was in =
use today in=20
Area 5 by a pair of Blue Tits . A =
Wren was also seen gathering beaks full =
of nest=20
material. At least 4 Chiffchaffs =
were heard=20
calling. A single Kingfisher was =
flying on=20
the brook. The first sighting in Area 5 for 2 months. In Area 4 =
Paul=20
Bright Thomas saw the following 4 raptors Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Buzzard & Kestrel =
and=20
Pied & 2 Grey Wagtails=20
25/03/11 The first evidence of =
nesting today=20
in Areas 4 & 5 with a Robin in =
the=20
Willows and a pair of Blue Tits =
using one of=20
the FOTEB nestboxes. Also seen were pairs of Goldcrests & Grey Heron . Pairs of =
Mallards were seen at 3 different =
locations along=20
the Emm. Waxwings , Buzzard & Red Kite =
were also noted.=20
22/03/11 Another day and another =
new bird In=20
Area 4 today 2 Greylag Geese flew =
NE and=20
singles of Skylark. Pied Wagtail, =
Sparrowhawk &=20
Chiffchaff were seen by Paul Bright Thomas. In Area 5 =
Waxwings were seen again. A Buzzard & Chiffchaff were seen in =
Area 2 to the=20
rear of Tesco's.=20
21/03/11 15 Waxwings=20
were seen in the Poplars at the rear of Brookside this =
afternoon.=20
A Red Kite & a Buzzard were seen in Area 5 A Chiffchaff was heard calling in Area 9 =
near Colts=20
Bridge. A Buzzard was also seen in =
Area8.=20
20/03/11 The highest day count =
this year=20
with 33 species seen in Areas 4 & 5. The highlights of which =
were=20
the daily 20 Waxwings seen in the =
Poplars at=20
the rear of Emmview Close and a single Mute Swan=20
was seen flying S. A Cormorrant was=20
heading E (probably towards Dinton Pastures). In the afternoon 3 =
Red Kites & a Buzzard=20
were seen circling on the thermals. A Treecreeper was near Dragonfly Bridge. =
The Mute=20
Swan brings the years total to 60 species of birds seen along =
the Emm.=20
19/03/11 20 + Waxwings=20
were seen in the Poplars near Woosehill roundabout. =
A Grey Heron was fishing in the Brook.=20
18/03/11 More Waxwings=20
were seen in Area 5 today and yesterday. A Lesser Redpoll was seen in Area 4 by Paul =
Bright=20
Thomas.=20
16/03/11 The first 2 Chiffchaffs of the year and a sure sign =
of spring=20
were seen feeding in the weeds on the banks of the Emm at the =
rear of=20
Morrisons this morning. However the winter migrants are still =
very much=20
here with Redwings, Waxwings & =
Brambling,=20
all seen. A first for me this year were 4 Lesser Redpolls in Area 4.=20
15/03/11 50 + Waxwing=20
were seen on telephone lines at the jct of Caroline Drive =
&=20
Arthur Rd in Area 5 this morning at 08:00.=20
13/03/11 Another good day by the =
brook in=20
Areas 4 & 5, 30 species of birds were seen including Bullfinch, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, Red Kite, =
Siskin=20
& Waxwing .=20
12/03/11 A sunny start to the day =
caused the=20
birds to be become even more vocal. Song=20
Thrush appeared to be singing from every tree and Blackbird, Robin, & Dunnock were also =
all=20
singing for their lives. A pair of Bullfinch=20
were seen at feeders in Area 5 and Red=20
Kite & Kestrel were seen later in th day.=20
11/03/11 In Area 1 today Buzzard, Red Kite and a new one for the =
FOTEB year=20
list Lapwing . This brings the =
birds seen=20
this year to 57 species.=20
10/03/11 The Little=20
Egret was seen by Ruth Ainsworth in Area 8 today.=20
08/03/11 A good afternoon for =
raptors today=20
with Red Kite & Kestrel in Area 5 and 2 Red=20
Kite & Buzzard in Area 2 =
behind=20
Tesco's.=20
07/03/11 20 + Waxwing were seen this morning in the =
trees behind=20
the FOTEB feeders by Vic Hare.=20
06/03/11 Winter migrants were =
very much in=20
evidence this morning in Areas 4 & 5 with a large flock of =
30 +=20
Redwing feeding on the open space, =
20+ Waxwing very briefly in trees rear of =
Brookside .=20
30 Siskin feeding in the Alder =
trees, but=20
unfortunately no sign of Brambling. A Red =
Kite=20
was flying N and the usual calling Herring=20
Gulls flying south. A male & female Bullfinch were seen on garden feeders =
nearby.=20
05/03/11 Todays highlights =
included a male=20
Blackcap , =
Kestrel=20
& Grey Wagtail.=20
03/03/11 A noisy start to the day =
in Area 5=20
today with the dawn chorus starting to take off. Drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers , yaffling =
Green Woodpeckers mewing Herring Gull , rattling Mistle=20
Thrush & one of our best songsters the Song Thrush using short, melodic phrases, =
each=20
repeated two or three times.=20
01/03/11 It was more of the same =
today with=20
a male Brambling at the FOTEB =
feeders in Area=20
5 and 2 Red Kites were seen in Area =
6. The=20
rest of the birds included 30 + Redwings =
, 2=20
drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers =
&=20
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Mistle =
Thrush,=20
Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Herring =
Gull, Wood=20
Pigeon, Collared Dove , Wren . & female Bullfinch. |
Insects/ Spiders
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
30/03/11 A new species of =
Bumblebee was seen=20
in Area 5 today gathering nectar from a Pussy Willow. The Tree Bee Bombus hypnorum . This =
bee was=20
recorded as new to Britain in 2001 in Landford, Wilts. Since =
then, the=20
bee has spread rapidly, and is now quite plentiful, particularly =
in the=20
home counties, For more information see News page.=20
27/03/11 Area 8 was the place to =
be today for=20
butterflies with Peacock, Comma & =
Small=20
Tortishell all on the wing in the glorious afternoon sun. =
In Area=20
5 the moth trap was run overnight and 25 moths of 5 species were =
trapped. Highlights of which were Clouded =
Drab &=20
Pine Beauty . The Early Mining=20
Bee Andrena haemorrhoa was seen in Area 5. It is =
one of=20
the earliest to be seen. It is a very common species.. The =
thorax is=20
foxy brown on top, the abdomen is black, except for the rear =
end, which=20
is foxy brown again. These bees burrow into lawns. =20
The Nursery web spiders =
(Pisaura=20
mirabilis) are narrow bodied and can be grey or brown =
in=20
colour. There is a pale stripe just behind the head, and the =
sides of=20
the abdomen are also pale coloured. The top of the abdomen =
features a=20
leaf shaped marking. In early spring you can often find Nursery =
web=20
spiders stretched out on stems and leaves sunning themselves. =
They wait=20
for flies and other insects to pass by, and then use quick =
sprinting and=20
strength to overpower them. These were seen in Area 5. A Juniper Shieldbug was seen in Area =
4 by Paul=20
Bright Thomas=20
25/03/11 A Beefly=20
was seen in Area 5 this afternoon. It starts to appear with warm =
weather=20
in March and is rarely seen after early J It prefers warm days, =
when it=20
can be seen hovering above bare ground or at flowers. =
Identification is=20
relatively straightforward: its long proboscis distinguishes it =
from=20
almost any other insect at this time of the year. Combined with =
this,=20
the body is covered with a fur of golden hairs and the wings =
have a=20
solid black leading edge. A magnificent male Orange=20
Tip butterfly was also seen. =20
23/03/11 A Peacock=20
butterfly was sunning itself in Area 5 this afternoon.=20
21/03/11 With the days warming =
up the first=20
Brimstone butterfly of the year was =
seen in=20
Area 9 near Colts Bridge today. A Comma =
was=20
also seen in Area 5 at the rear of Morrisons.=20
16/03/11 Whilst empyting the =
moth trap this=20
morning an Early Bumblebee, Bombus =
pratorum=20
appeared in the garden. It is .one of the smaller =
species of=20
bumblebee,=20
15/03/11 I ran the moth trap =
overnight in my=20
Area 5 garden with the following results. 9 Common=20
Quaker, 8 Small Quaker and =
singles=20
of Twin spotted Quaker, Hebrew Character =
& Oak=20
Nycteoline.=20
13/03/11 During todays litter pick =
an=20
overwintering Hawthorn Shield Bug ( =
Acanthosoma=20
haemorrhoidale ) was seen under a stack of dumped =
free=20
newspapers.=20
12/03/11 A sure sign that Spring =
is on its=20
way 5 Buff-tailed Bumblebees were =
seen.=20
06/03/11 A 7 Spot Ladybird=20
(Coccenilla 7-punctata) was seen basking in the =
afternoon=20
sunlight in Area 5 with a Blue Bottle =
Spiders
06/03/11 2 Pardosa=20
armentata were seen this afternoon in Area 5 . These wolf =
spiders=20
are often active very early in the spring. They can be seen =
scurrying=20
around hunting for prey and warming themselves in the sunshine =
on=20
patches of bare soil. Unlike spiders who use a web to catch =
their food,=20
these wolf spiders catch their prey by running it down. =
|
Other Wildlife
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
Amphibians
08/03/11 Not suprisingly the =
first Frog was also seen in the balancing pond. =
A second=20
larger amount of frog spawn was also seen in a pond in Area 5. =
Both=20
locations are the same as last year.=20
05/03/11 The first Frog=20
Spawn of the year was seen today in the balancing pond in =
Area 4.=20
Coarse Fish
Mammals
31/03/11 3Roe Deer=20
were seen in thwoods in Area 1.=20
15/03/11 2 Hedgehogs=20
were rummaging around in a back garden in Area 5 tonight. =
08/03/11 5 Rabbits=20
were seen grazing the fields adjacent to the Emm to the =
rear of=20
Tesco's=20
Plants/Trees=20
27/03/11 A swathe of Wood=20
Anemone were seen in flower in Area 4.=20
12/03/11 As the spring weather =
improves, the=20
catkins of the pussy willow - or sallow =
tree=20
unfurl, and the male catkins turn yellow with ripe =
pollen.=20
Insects just out of hibernation are attracted by the bright =
yellow=20
colour and carry pollen between the male and female trees. These =
can be=20
seen in most areas of the brook.=20
12/03/11 The Lesser=20
celandine (Ficaria verna) can now be seen starting =
to=20
flower all along the brook. . It is=93one of the first heralds =
of Spring=94.=20
Its rich, bright yellow flowers can form a carpet under the =
empty,=20
leafless canopy of woodland, (like bluebells, they take =
advantage of the=20
light that is available for growth at this time of year); . The =
flowers=20
of the lesser celandine can be an important source of nectar for =
early=20
insects, such as bumblebees emerging from hibernation.=20
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