my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[Robert]

Robert, perhaps spores from Lichens and Fungi get into the jet-stream and arrive here from North America?

Ian,

Aerosols in the form of dust, smoke, volcanic ash, air pollution, etc. certainly get around. I see no reason why lichen spores could not behave like an aerosol and end up almost anywhere on the planet.

[ian mcdonald]

Yesterdays visit was in calm sunny weather. I met one of the local naturalists and later we met three other local naturalists. The first birds seen were eleven whooper swans flying low. Marsh harriers and buzzards were hunting, harriers low, hoping to flush birds. The buzzards were circling higher up. A not so common sight these days on the site were flocks of starlings. We decided to look for a spurrey which had been seen a few days earlier but could not re-locate it. A very small plant, it is difficult to locate when not in flower. We found a spider on a piece of equipment set up last week to monitor air pollution. The spider was identified by my companion as Lariniodes cornutus. Flocks of pink footed geese are still arriving. Also seen were Fieldfares and Redwings. Both come to the UK to avoid the colder winters in Northern areas. Water Rail were heard calling in two areas. Small mixed flocks of birds were active in the birch trees. Three species of tits were seen together with Redpoll. We went to look for another plant which had been found by our absent collegue last week (he is on one of the warmer Islands off spain, bird watching). The plant was found and identified as Marsh Yellow-cress, Rorippa palustris. We stayed until it started to get dark in the hope of seeing Short-eared Owl but no luck.

[ian mcdonald]

A fungus of the Puffball family.



Tiger Moth caterpillar?



A deer wallow.



Flowerhead of Perennial Sow-thistle, Sonchus arvensis.

[ian mcdonald]

Lariniodes cornutus.

[ian mcdonald]

Birds seen were, mallard, teal, marsh harrier, buzzard, starling, linnet, reed bunting, water rail, magpie, pink footed geese, grey lag geese, blue tit, willow tit, great tit, wood pigeon, fieldfare, redwing, chaffinch, long tailed tit, crow, jackdaw, cettis warbler (at least three), redpoll, crane, snipe, wren, robin, blackbird, shoveler, bullfinch, stonechat, greater black backed gull, lapwing, goldfinch, whooper swan, pheasant, butterflies seen were small copper and speckled wood. Red deer.

[Robert]

Ian,

From what I observe in the first photograph, cold weather has not arrived yet? It appears that the deciduous trees in the distance still have green leaves?

Once again some excellent close-up photographs. 

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, we have only had one light frost so far. The leaves are starting to change colour but many are still green. Our area is only about twenty feet above sea level and is fairly sheltered from weather extremes. Today was a warm sunny one with temperatures about 50F.

[ian mcdonald]

Yesterday was sunny with a stiff breeze. The wind turned cold in late afternoon. I went to look at one of the woods which were flooded after the winter weather. It is now mostly clear of water. The water seems to have drained away during the summer, without the help of the new pump, which has not been working. A drain in our village, which has always had running water, has dried. Upon investigation by a local councillor it was discovered that a soil dam has been placed in the drain. No-one seems to know why. I wonder where the water is going now. Autumn colours are spreading on the site and there is a distinct feeling that winter will soon be with us. Many rooks, crows and jackdaws were in surrounding fields, along with about three hundred pink-footed geese. Jays were heard calling in the wood. I looked for a rare moss which had been found on a willow branch some years ago but could not find it. The moss is Antitrichia curtipendula, Pendulous-Wing moss, mainly a Northern species. The site of the moss has been in-accessible for some time due to the flooding of the wood. Several large examples of White Willow, Salix alba, grow in the wood and their leaves at this time of year look silver against the duller colours of the other trees, mostly species of willow. There were fewer ducks on the pools, perhaps due to the wind, with mainly teal, a few mallard and a lone wigeon. I had a look in another wood where the two local naturalists had found common polypody on a hawthorn branch last year. I could not re-find the plant but did re-find a second plant on a mature willow. The two naturalists have now found another plant in the same area but they could not re-find the original polypody. Polypody, Polypodium vulgare is mainly a Western species. Our area contains a number of plant and insect species at the edge of their range in the UK. Later, I met the two local naturalists who I see often. They had been in another part of the second wood. We stayed until dusk, hoping to see owls but none were seen.

[ian mcdonald]

In one of the woods.



One of the white willows.



A track along the side of the wood.



Looking the other way.



Overgrown track by the wood side.

Birds seen were, teal, crane, mallard, crow, rook, jackdaw, wren, robin, fieldfare, pink footed geese, blue tit, great tit, goldfinch, wood pigeon, chaffinch, wigeon, blackbird, magpie, moorhen, buzzard, stonechat, marsh harrier, pheasant, meadow pipit and stock dove. Also seen were two female red deer and a red admiral.

[ian mcdonald]

Today started clear and sunny after a light frost. I decided to look at an area where Rhododendron clearance has taken place. There is quite a bit of re-growth which is scheduled for spraying next year. In the sun a good number of Darters were flying about as well as several Dragons. The two local naturalists I often see on site were exploring in one of the woods. Later they said that although most of the surface water had gone the going was slow due to the mud. While I was sat waiting for them to appear I saw a Peacock butterfly. A fairly late sighting. Several marsh harriers were hunting low over the reeds etc. When the others came out of the wood we saw a tree creeper poking about on some of the trunks. We stayed until it was getting dark in the hope of seeing owls again. There have been several sightings of Merlin in the past few days.



Frost on one of the paths.



Gall on willow, possibly caused by Aceria iteina.



Rhododendron re-growth.



A tussock of White Sedge, C,. curta.

[ian mcdonald]

Birds seen today were, teal, blackbird, jay, marsh harrier, goldcrest, pheasant, crow, moorhen, wren, pink footed goose, tree creeper, robin, fieldfare, grey lag goose, meadow pipit, mallard.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

It is always nice to see a late fight of butterflies. We are still seeing Gulf Fritillaries and Fiery Skippers at our Sacramento home.

[ian mcdonald]

Yesterday was dull and windy but fairly mild. Later in the day we had some rain, our first for many weeks and the forecast is for dry weather for some time. I met the two naturalists on site and we decided to look in one of the woods, out of the wind. This wood has been too wet to enter since last year. Even then it was flooded in most parts. We went slowly, looking at the many mosses, lichens and liverworts. There were a good number of fungi growing on the ground and tree trunks. It starts getting dark by about 4 pm. here. Many pink footed geese were arriving all day until dusk. Large numbers of mallards and teal were on sheltered water, among them were wigeon, shoveler and goosanders. We stayed until it was dark and we could no longer make out the birds which were still arriving. Herb Robert is still flowering in the wood.



Herb Robert, G. robertianum.



One of the cladonia lichens seen.



Forked veilwort, Metzgeria furcata, a liverwort.



Jelly Rot Fungus, Phlebia tremellosa?

[David Nicholson]

Lucky you having dry weather Ian. It's been pretty lousy in the South West of England for most of the last couple of weeks and according to the forecasters for the next couple of weeks as well.

[ian mcdonald]

We could do with some rain here David. The dry weather is not normal. A drain in our village has been dammed by someone (business park contractors?) and the dry weather is not showing that this drain is needed to prevent flooding.



Autumn colours.







Birds seen yesterday were, marsh harrier, sparrow hawk, buzzard, teal, mallard, wigeon, goosander, robin, jay, crow, long tailed tit, redpoll, pheasant, pink foot geese, blackbird, wren, fieldfare, wood pigeon, starling, meadow pipit, kestrel, shoveler, willow tit.