Nature Notes January 2020
Date Published: 03-02-2020
On the whole, January was a wet month with only a few fine days and a couple of frosty nights. The Reserve remained fairly quiet, with our resident birds being the predominant point of interest.
SIGHTINGS
Birds (seen or heard): Carrion Crows, Magpies, Jays, Buzzards, Sparrowhawk, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Pair of Tawny Owls, Wood Pigeons, Stock Doves, Collared Doves, Nuthatches, Treecreepers, Wrens, Goldcrest, Firecrest, Male Blackcap, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Robins, Dunnocks, Greenfinches, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Grey Wagtail, Siskins, Stonechats, Coal/Blue/Great/Long-tailed Tits.
Insects/Spiders: Midges, Bees.
Mammals: Grey Squirrels, Mole activity.
Plants in flower/Berries: Holly, Ivy.
Many of our resident bird species showed definite signs of being paired.
Magpies were seen snapping twigs of trees, to start the nesting process. They often add twigs to an existing nest built the previous year by Crows, Buzzards and Sparrowhawks.
Blue tits, Great Tits and Nuthatches were all seen visiting nesting boxes.
Sightings of a Firecrest continued throughout January at the West end of Hazelwood.
A pair of Tawny Owls were heard most nights in the Hazelwood area, calling to each other.
A Male Blackcap was seen daily along the Hazelwood fence line, visiting gardens for food. Usually an insect feeder when here in the Summer, if remaining for the Winter they will resort to eating suet from feeders in gardens.
NATURE FACT
The Blackcap is a specie of Warbler. They are mainly Summer visitors but as Winters are proving to be milder, the numbers of staying are rising. They are silent during the Winter months, but those that do remain make their presence felt by singing from March onwards.
Recorder: C. Wilcox
SITE MANAGEMENT
The work party cut back,and burnt, gorse on the dry heath area. The cattle have now been removed from site probably to return
in the Spring.
