| Birds
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
28/11/11 A suprise frosty morning =
meant that=20
once the bird feeders were replenished a steady stream of Blue Tits, Great Tits & Greenfinches =
followed=20
by a Nuthatch were feeding on the =
Black=20
sunflower hearts. Collared Doves =
were soon=20
eating the seed in the ground feeders. The Robin=20
& Dunnock were picking up dropped seed from the =
floor. A=20
reminder that with winter approaching make sure that you put out =
food=20
and water for the birds.=20
27/11/11 The only real bird of =
note today=20
was a Grey Wagtail feeding and =
bathing again=20
in the Balancing pond channel.=20
20/11/11 With a misty and claggy =
start to=20
the day before the sun burnt the mist off I was reminded of how =
usefull=20
knowing bird song is. Even if you cant see them the song gives =
them=20
away. A good site for bird song can be found here =
. In=20
Area 5 a Song Thrush was singing =
before it=20
was light, accompanied by a Robin & =
Blackbird=20
. The distinctive calls of Wood =
Pigeon,=20
Collared Dove, MistleThrush & Starling were also =
heard. The=20
Grey Wagtail was seen in the =
Balancing Pond=20
again. On the brook 5 Mallard 2 =
male & 3=20
females were a bit easier to see. A Ring-necked=20
Parakeet was heard flying over Area 5 whilst raking up =
leaves in=20
my garden.=20
19/11/11 Another good day in =
Area's 4 &=20
5 today. All 4 Tits were seen with Great, =
Blue, Coal=20
and Long tailed Tit Woodpeckers were represented by Green & Great spotted Woodpecker and =
a Grey Wagtail was bathing in the Balancing =
Pond in=20
Area 4. Finches were very visible with Goldfinch,=20
Siskin, Greenfinch & Chaffinch in flocks along the =
Emm. The=20
Kingfisher was seen near Meadow =
Road Bridge.=20
18/11/11 In Area 4 seen by Paul=20
Bright-Thomas this morning were 3 Meadow=20
Pipitsand singles of Lesser Redpoll =
&=20
Linnet 2 Goldcrests and 450 =
Woodpigeons flying south.=20
13/11/11 Raptors were riding =
the thermals=20
on what could have been mistaken for a summers day. Both Common Buzzard & Red Kite were flying =
high in=20
Area 5 at midday. Herring & Black =
headed Gulls=20
were also making use of them. Early morning brought =
another=20
passage of Wood Pigeon's with al =
least 600=20
moving S over a couple of hours. The biggest flock being close =
to 250=20
birds. A fly over Skylark went S =
and a Grey Wagtail was in the brook by =
Kingfisher=20
Bridge. The Finch flock which now numbers more than 50 birds =
exploded=20
from the brook side Alders behind Morrissons. No sign of what =
scared=20
them however .Todays total for Area 4 & 5 was 28 species=20
12/11/11 With the weekend =
,hopefully comes a=20
bit more time to stand and stare. Thankfully today was one of =
those=20
days. With 24 species seen on the 10th could I beat it?. =
Thrushes seen=20
included Robin, Blackbird, Mistle Thrush =
& Song=20
Thrush but alas no winter visitors. A Tit flock was =
moving=20
through the trees near Woosehill Roundabout including Blue Tit, Great Tit & Coal Tit . =
Several Golcrests were nearby picking insects =
from an Ivy=20
clad tree. In the open space by Ripplestream Bridge 2 Green Woodpeckers were fedingin the =
grass. Gulls=20
were represented with Herring & Black =
headed=20
Gulls . was still rattling from a nearby tree. Some of =
the rest=20
included Nuthatch, Dunnock, Chaffinch, =
Wren, Jay,=20
Pied Wagtail, Red Kite & Gt spotted Woodpecker . =
Alltogether=20
a total of 30 species=20
10/11/11 It never ceases to amaze =
me that=20
even with a limited amount of time , and at this time of year =
how many=20
species of birds can be seen along the Emm. Mid week in November =
with=20
only just over an hour to spare including the walk to work 24 =
species=20
were seen in Area 4 & 5. The day started with the usual =
early=20
risers. Robin, Blackbird & Carrion =
Crow=20
as the dawn broke the Finches started to fill the nearby =
Ash=20
tree, now minus its leaves making them easier to see. Mostly =
Goldfinch, Greenfinch & Sikin waiting =
before=20
hitting the feeders . Fly by's were provided by Stock Dove, Jackdaw, Song Thrush & Wood =
Pigeon=20
. The Mistle Thrush was =
still rattling=20
from a nearby tree. The usual supporting cast included Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Dunnock, =
Chaffinch, Herring=20
Gull, Wren, Jay, Green & Gt spotted Woodpecker . On =
the brook=20
itself were Mallard, Moorhen and =
allways my=20
favourite the Kingfisher flying =
downstream=20
from Kingfisher Bridge.=20
07/11/11 A Common=20
Buzzard was drifting across Area 4 this morning on my =
walk to=20
work. However seen by Paul Bright-Thomas were 1250 Wood Pigeon flying S, 2 Grey=20
Wagtails & a Snipe =
flying N.=20
06/11/11 More than 150 Wood Pigeons were seen moving S. A Kingfisher was seen flying downstream of =
Ripple=20
Stream Bridge and then again later flying over the houses on =
Arther Road=20
. A Grey Heron flew N at 07:45. In =
the=20
afternoon a Red Kite was over Area =
5. In Area=20
4 Paul Bright-Thomas had 5 Lesser Black =
backed Gulls=20
and a Cormorrant to add to =
the days=20
list.=20
05/11/11 The Finch flock is still =
growing=20
with Goldfinches,Greenfinches & =
Chaffinches=20
and 35 Siskins seen in the =
tree tops=20
in Area 5. The Mistle Thrush was =
noisily=20
defending its favourite tree from allcomers. A Goldcrest was feeding in a Yew . 15 Herring Gulls flew S.=20
04/11/11 No birdwatching this =
morning due to=20
the heavy rain, but a Sparrowhawk =
was seen at=20
16:30, probably hoping to catch something on its way to roost.=20
02/11/11 At this time of the =
year , Wood Pigeons can be seen moving south =
often in huge=20
flocks. This morning between 07:15 - 07:45 approx 850 were seen =
flying=20
over Area 4 by Paul Bright-Thomas. The picture shows 180 that I =
managed=20
to photograph. Also seen were 8 Meadow =
Pipits=20
and 5 Crossbill all flying =
S. in Area=20
5 at 07:45 Kingfisher was perched =
above the=20
Emm before flying upstream from Dragonfly Bridge. .=20
01/11/11 Todays big suprise was a =
Swift seen flying E over Area 5 this =
morning. Also=20
seen were 5 Mistle Thrush=20
Magpie, Jay, Nuthatch& 15 Herring Gulls=20
flying S. An afternoon visit to Area 2 today produced 10 =
Redwings and 35 Jackdaws=20
perched on the electricty pylons near the brook .=20
|
Insects/ Spiders
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
23/11/11 A very lethargic =
Bumblebee Bombus pascuorum was seen resting =
on the=20
leaves of Nettle this morning.=20
13/11/11 A warm & sunny =
day certainly=20
brought the Insects out. Warming themselves on the bark of the =
Lombardy=20
Poplars by Kingfisher Bridge were approx 50 flies mostly Bluebottles & Flesh-Flies . 3 species =
of=20
Hoverfly Helophilus pendulus, Syrphus =
vitripennis=20
& Eristallis pertinax were basking on Ivy leaves. =
A Common wasp Vespula vulgaris was =
also seen.=20
12/11/11 With the continuing =
mild weather=20
a Red Admiral butterfly was seen in =
Area 5=20
today. A Drone fly Eristallis pertinax=20
landed on my hand while I was walking by the =
Woosehill=20
roundabout today. Also seen were 2 7 Spot =
Ladybirds=20
and 2 Coreus marginatus =
a=20
Shieldbug.=20
06/11/11 A solitary Common wasp Vespula vulgaris was =
seen around=20
Ivy this morning.=20
01/11/11 With the recent =
mild evenings I=20
thought that it would be a good moth night. However only 1 moth =
was in=20
the trap. The appropriately named November =
Moth=20
.=20
Plants/Trees=20
19/11/11 Seen in Area 4 near =
Meadow Road=20
bridge Zigzag Clover Trifolium medium=20
named after the shape of its stem are a new addittion =
to the=20
FOTEB species list.=20
12/11/11 In Area 8 this =
afternoon and=20
still in flower were Common Toadflax =
Linaria=20
vulgaris , Smooth Hawks' Beard =
Crepis=20
capillaris ,Red Clover =
Trifolium=20
pratense and Common Ragwort =
Senecio=20
jacobaea
05/11/11 There is still some =
plants in=20
flower even at this time of the year. Hogweed=20
Heracleum sphondylium can be seen at several =
locations=20
along the brook. White Dead Nettle =
Oxyloma=20
pfeifferi , and floweringBlackberry=20
Rubus fruticosus . Another as yet unidentified =
Umbellifer=20
that looks like Cow Parsley Anthriscus=20
sylvestris , but the dates are a bit late was also =
seen (more=20
later). Is it coincidence that all these plants have white =
flowers?
The leaves are now =
dropping at=20
quite a pace, with some trees all ready completely bare.=20
Why do leaves change colour in the Autumn?
Find out herei Autumn=20
Leaves |
Other Wildlife
Click on any picture to see a larger =
image=20
Fungi=20
23/11/11 During the =
pollarding of the=20
Willows in Area 4 last year the branches that were removed were =
chipped=20
and left near the base of the trees. This has proved a good =
medium for=20
fungi. The magnificently named Redlead =
Roundhead=20
Strophana aurantiaca and Haresfoot=20
Inkcap Coprinopsis lagopus can both be found =
there. When=20
newly emerged this hairy fungi does resemble a Hares foot.=20
19/11/11 These Shaggy=20
Scalycap Pholiota squarrosa were in Area 4. This =
common=20
fungi is usually found clustered at the base of broad-leaved =
trees.=20
12/11/11 The Fly=20
Agaric Amanita mudscaria toadstools have =
reappeared in=20
Area 5. Approx 20 would have been on view if some had not been =
knocked=20
over. A new addittion to the FOTEB fungi list is the Stinkhorn Phallus impudicus this =
one was=20
seen in Area 5 near Woosehill Rondabout.=20
Molluscs
06/11/11 Whilst tidying up =
my Area 5=20
garden I came across this Strawberry Snail =
Tricha=20
striolata .The somewhat flattened (low spire) shell =
of the=20
strawberry snail measures 6.5-9 mm high and 11-15 mm wide, with =
6 convex=20
whorls. The growth ridges of this species are very prominent. =
The shell=20
is dark brown or red-brown. Light brown spots/flecks may be =
present.=20
This specis is common in gardens and can be a pest of =
Strawberries.=20
05/11/11 In the Balancing =
pond in Area 4=20
were 15+ Pfeiffer's Amber-snails Oxyloma=20
pfeifferi . These Succineids snail prefer permantly =
wet=20
places such as marshes. This is one of 3 very similar species =
that are=20
hard to tell apart.=20
Mammals
Amphibians
Coarse Fish
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