Nature Notes January 2019

Date Published: 04-02-2019

A month of mixed weather – wet days through to mild sunny days with a few harsh overnight frosts. Snow fell on the last day of the month giving a picturesque view of the Reserve.

SIGHTINGS
Birds: Carrion Crows, Magpies, Buzzards, Black-headed Gulls, Common Gulls, Tawny Owls, Sparrowhawk, Green/Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Wood Pigeons, Stock Dove, Nuthatches, Wrens, Treecreeper, Goldcrest, Robins, Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Dunnocks, Chaffinches, Goldfinches, Bullfinches, Siskins, Redwings, Coal/Blue/Great/Long-tailed Tits.
Mammals: Grey Squirrels, Mole activity.
Insects: Midges, Bees.
Butteflies: Peacock.
Plants: Holly Berries, Ivy seed heads.
Fungi: Lichen Species.

A very quiet month, with no unusual sightings.
Tawny Owls heard during the evenings.
In the latter part of the month, a flock of Redwings, visitors from northern countries, were sighted along the southern woodland.

Many of the bird boxes are now being used for night and day roosting, giving much needed shelter in the inhospitable weather. The Bird Box survey results were as follows:- 22 boxes occupied, 15 boxes not used, 2 boxes with Wood Mice nests. Several boxes have been removed for repair or replacement.

Recorder: C Wilcox

NATURE FACT
The essence of effective nocturnal hunting is the silent approach and in the Tawny Owl, evolution has come up with the necessary adaptations. Primary and secondary feathers are soft to deaden the noise of the Owl’s descent, giving it the element of surprise and enabling its sensitive ears to do their job without disturbance.

SITE MANAGEMENT
Two work parties were held during the month. Vegetation and brash were cut back from the southern enclosure fence to allow easier access whilst gorse, holly and crowded saplings were thinned out in the woodland area. All cuttings were burnt.