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Latest Sightings March 2011

Click on the link to send in your sightings [email-masked]

For previous months sightings see Archive

The"Area Seen" refers to the 10 sections that the Brook has been
split into for monitoring purposes (see Wildlife page). .

All sightings unless stated by Eddie Napper

Birds

Click on any picture to see a larger image

31/03/11 Singing male Chiffchaff & Blackcap were seen and heard in
Areas 1,2,4,5,7 & 8 today in a fairly extensive survey. The Kingfisher was seen along the Emm in Areas 7&8.
The rest of the highlights included Buzzard,
Cormorrant, Grey Heron and 4 Redwing
still hanging on.

30/03/11 2 male Blackcap
were seen & heard this morning pouring out their beautiful
fluty song. Another nesting Nuthatch was seen
reducing the size of the entrance of an old Woodpeckers hole. This is
done with mud and a sure sign that nesting is shortly to follow.

28/03/11 A Meadow Pipit
was seen flying N in Area 4 by Paul Bright Thomas

27/03/11 It was the turn of the Nuthatch today to be found nesting in Area 4. A
Buzzard was also seen. In Area 8 possibly the
same Buzzard was seen later in the day with a
Kingfisher and 3 Chiffchaffs. A Phesant
was seen in front gardens of Woosehill Lane in Area 4 this afternoon. In
Area 1 parents and 6 goslings of Egyptian Goose
were seen by Vivian Conlon.

26/03/11 Another nestbox was in use today in
Area 5 by a pair of Blue Tits . A Wren was also seen gathering beaks full of nest
material. At least 4 Chiffchaffs were heard
calling. A single Kingfisher was flying on
the brook. The first sighting in Area 5 for 2 months. In Area 4 Paul
Bright Thomas saw the following 4 raptors Sparrowhawk, Red Kite, Buzzard & Kestrel and
Pied & 2 Grey Wagtails

25/03/11 The first evidence of nesting today
in Areas 4 & 5 with a Robin in the
Willows and a pair of Blue Tits using one of
the FOTEB nestboxes. Also seen were pairs of Goldcrests & Grey Heron . Pairs of Mallards were seen at 3 different locations along
the Emm. Waxwings , Buzzard & Red Kite
were also noted.

22/03/11 Another day and another new bird In
Area 4 today 2 Greylag Geese flew NE and
singles of Skylark. Pied Wagtail, Sparrowhawk &
Chiffchaff were seen by Paul Bright Thomas. In Area 5 Waxwings were seen again. A Buzzard & Chiffchaff were seen in Area 2 to the
rear of Tesco's.

21/03/11 15 Waxwings
were seen in the Poplars at the rear of Brookside this afternoon.
A Red Kite & a Buzzard were seen in Area 5 A Chiffchaff was heard calling in Area 9 near Colts
Bridge. A Buzzard was also seen in Area8.

20/03/11 The highest day count this year
with 33 species seen in Areas 4 & 5. The highlights of which were
the daily 20 Waxwings seen in the Poplars at
the rear of Emmview Close and a single Mute Swan
was seen flying S. A Cormorrant was
heading E (probably towards Dinton Pastures). In the afternoon 3 Red Kites & a Buzzard
were seen circling on the thermals. A Treecreeper was near Dragonfly Bridge. The Mute
Swan brings the years total to 60 species of birds seen along the Emm.

19/03/11 20 + Waxwings
were seen in the Poplars near Woosehill roundabout. A Grey Heron was fishing in the Brook.

18/03/11 More Waxwings
were seen in Area 5 today and yesterday. A Lesser Redpoll was seen in Area 4 by Paul Bright
Thomas.

16/03/11 The first 2 Chiffchaffs of the year and a sure sign of spring
were seen feeding in the weeds on the banks of the Emm at the rear of
Morrisons this morning. However the winter migrants are still very much
here with Redwings, Waxwings & Brambling,
all seen. A first for me this year were 4 Lesser Redpolls in Area 4.

15/03/11 50 + Waxwing
were seen on telephone lines at the jct of Caroline Drive &
Arthur Rd in Area 5 this morning at 08:00.

13/03/11 Another good day by the brook in
Areas 4 & 5, 30 species of birds were seen including Bullfinch, Grey Heron, Pied Wagtail, Red Kite, Siskin
& Waxwing .

12/03/11 A sunny start to the day caused the
birds to be become even more vocal. Song
Thrush appeared to be singing from every tree and Blackbird, Robin, & Dunnock were also all
singing for their lives. A pair of Bullfinch
were seen at feeders in Area 5 and Red
Kite & Kestrel were seen later in th day.

11/03/11 In Area 1 today Buzzard, Red Kite and a new one for the FOTEB year
list Lapwing . This brings the birds seen
this year to 57 species.

10/03/11 The Little
Egret was seen by Ruth Ainsworth in Area 8 today.

08/03/11 A good afternoon for raptors today
with Red Kite & Kestrel in Area 5 and 2 Red
Kite & Buzzard in Area 2 behind
Tesco's.

07/03/11 20 + Waxwing were seen this morning in the trees behind
the FOTEB feeders by Vic Hare.

06/03/11 Winter migrants were very much in
evidence this morning in Areas 4 & 5 with a large flock of 30 +
Redwing feeding on the open space, 20+ Waxwing very briefly in trees rear of Brookside .
30 Siskin feeding in the Alder trees, but
unfortunately no sign of Brambling. A Red Kite
was flying N and the usual calling Herring
Gulls flying south. A male & female Bullfinch were seen on garden feeders nearby.

05/03/11 Todays highlights included a male
Blackcap , Kestrel
& Grey Wagtail.

03/03/11 A noisy start to the day in Area 5
today with the dawn chorus starting to take off. Drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers , yaffling Green Woodpeckers mewing Herring Gull , rattling Mistle
Thrush & one of our best songsters the Song Thrush using short, melodic phrases, each
repeated two or three times.

01/03/11 It was more of the same today with
a male Brambling at the FOTEB feeders in Area
5 and 2 Red Kites were seen in Area 6. The
rest of the birds included 30 + Redwings , 2
drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers &
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush,
Blackbird, Robin, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Herring Gull, Wood
Pigeon, Collared Dove , Wren . & female Bullfinch.

Insects/ Spiders

Click on any picture to see a larger image

30/03/11 A new species of Bumblebee was seen
in Area 5 today gathering nectar from a Pussy Willow. The Tree Bee Bombus hypnorum . This bee was
recorded as new to Britain in 2001 in Landford, Wilts. Since then, the
bee has spread rapidly, and is now quite plentiful, particularly in the
home counties, For more information see News page.

27/03/11 Area 8 was the place to be today for
butterflies with Peacock, Comma & Small
Tortishell all on the wing in the glorious afternoon sun. In Area
5 the moth trap was run overnight and 25 moths of 5 species were
trapped. Highlights of which were Clouded Drab &
Pine Beauty . The Early Mining
Bee Andrena haemorrhoa was seen in Area 5. It is one of
the earliest to be seen. It is a very common species.. The thorax is
foxy brown on top, the abdomen is black, except for the rear end, which
is foxy brown again. These bees burrow into lawns.

The Nursery web spiders (Pisaura
mirabilis) are narrow bodied and can be grey or brown in
colour. There is a pale stripe just behind the head, and the sides of
the abdomen are also pale coloured. The top of the abdomen features a
leaf shaped marking. In early spring you can often find Nursery web
spiders stretched out on stems and leaves sunning themselves. They wait
for flies and other insects to pass by, and then use quick sprinting and
strength to overpower them. These were seen in Area 5. A Juniper Shieldbug was seen in Area 4 by Paul
Bright Thomas

25/03/11 A Beefly
was seen in Area 5 this afternoon. It starts to appear with warm weather
in March and is rarely seen after early J It prefers warm days, when it
can be seen hovering above bare ground or at flowers. Identification is
relatively straightforward: its long proboscis distinguishes it from
almost any other insect at this time of the year. Combined with this,
the body is covered with a fur of golden hairs and the wings have a
solid black leading edge. A magnificent male Orange
Tip butterfly was also seen.

23/03/11 A Peacock
butterfly was sunning itself in Area 5 this afternoon.

21/03/11 With the days warming up the first
Brimstone butterfly of the year was seen in
Area 9 near Colts Bridge today. A Comma was
also seen in Area 5 at the rear of Morrisons.

16/03/11 Whilst empyting the moth trap this
morning an Early Bumblebee, Bombus pratorum
appeared in the garden. It is .one of the smaller species of
bumblebee,

15/03/11 I ran the moth trap overnight in my
Area 5 garden with the following results. 9 Common
Quaker, 8 Small Quaker and singles
of Twin spotted Quaker, Hebrew Character & Oak
Nycteoline.

13/03/11 During todays litter pick an
overwintering Hawthorn Shield Bug ( Acanthosoma
haemorrhoidale ) was seen under a stack of dumped free
newspapers.

12/03/11 A sure sign that Spring is on its
way 5 Buff-tailed Bumblebees were seen.

06/03/11 A 7 Spot Ladybird
(Coccenilla 7-punctata) was seen basking in the afternoon
sunlight in Area 5 with a Blue Bottle

Spiders

06/03/11 2 Pardosa
armentata were seen this afternoon in Area 5 . These wolf spiders
are often active very early in the spring. They can be seen scurrying
around hunting for prey and warming themselves in the sunshine on
patches of bare soil. Unlike spiders who use a web to catch their food,
these wolf spiders catch their prey by running it down.

Other Wildlife

Click on any picture to see a larger image

Amphibians

08/03/11 Not suprisingly the first Frog was also seen in the balancing pond. A second
larger amount of frog spawn was also seen in a pond in Area 5. Both
locations are the same as last year.

05/03/11 The first Frog
Spawn of the year was seen today in the balancing pond in Area 4.

Coarse Fish

Mammals

31/03/11 3Roe Deer
were seen in thwoods in Area 1.

15/03/11 2 Hedgehogs
were rummaging around in a back garden in Area 5 tonight.

08/03/11 5 Rabbits
were seen grazing the fields adjacent to the Emm to the rear of
Tesco's

Plants/Trees

27/03/11 A swathe of Wood
Anemone were seen in flower in Area 4.

12/03/11 As the spring weather improves, the
catkins of the pussy willow - or sallow tree
unfurl, and the male catkins turn yellow with ripe pollen.
Insects just out of hibernation are attracted by the bright yellow
colour and carry pollen between the male and female trees. These can be
seen in most areas of the brook.

12/03/11 The Lesser
celandine (Ficaria verna) can now be seen starting to
flower all along the brook. . It is“one of the first heralds of Spring”.
Its rich, bright yellow flowers can form a carpet under the empty,
leafless canopy of woodland, (like bluebells, they take advantage of the
light that is available for growth at this time of year); . The flowers
of the lesser celandine can be an important source of nectar for early
insects, such as bumblebees emerging from hibernation.