The heat returns

Wow, what a week we have had in the UK, despite the coldest spring for 50 years the sun has finally got his hat on and is spreading his heat over Belvedere fields. I have a few visits to note down in this blog entry, just a catch up on these last weeks.

The 7th May was a quiet visit, a humid day made for a slow walk in the afternoon. A brimstone butterfly was spotted, a first for me over Belvedere, they put me in mind of the high visibility safety jackets, that vivid greeny yellow reflects the sunlight beautifully. A watchful Kestrel sat on the rooftop of one of the buildings that make up the Water Treatment Plant, suspected female, while two juvenile kestrels swooped around, occasionally having to escape the attacks of the annoyed Jackdaws.

Just to the south of Point 5 there is a small pond, a typical British pond full of weeds and reeds and positively bursting with life. I only learned of it's existance a few days ago, it's just off my usual route. I have made trips for the last 3 days and found a variety of different species such as small surface dwelling spiders, Midge Larvae, Caddis Fly Larvae, Pond Skater, Backswimmers, Water flea, Common Blue Damselflies, Crane Flies and Hover Flies. My plan is to continue monitoring the pond, there are some tadpoles in there and many more species.

Just further on from Point 5 is a Greater Spotted Woodpecker nest, the young are easily heard from inside. Both male and female have been doing a great job of feeding, they return every few minutes  with small invertebrates. On the same tree Blue Tits are nesting in a split in a branch, woodpeckers have been known to break into nests, especially nest boxes and predate young so these blue tits need to be careful. To add to the excitement two Buzzards have taken to hanging around this tree, they lazily drift over the adjoining fields and sometimes perch high in the tree, all the time calling to each other.

North from Point 5 a path leads up and along the farm, a few Linnets were active in the high grass, sometimes perching on the wire fence around the farm. The star bird of today was a Treecreeper, that was oblivious to me crouched down taking it's photo. It seemed content to settle on a slim branch about 10 feet away from me, and it stayed there for around 2 minutes before flying further up into the tree to join another one. I have seen Treecreeper once before over Belvedere and on that occasion there were also a pair and not very far from this second sighting but with a gap of a bout one year.

Morning Stroll

Yesterday i awoke suddenly at 7am, this was due to the fact that my throat feels like it's on fire and my nose has ceased to work, thus rendering sleep as a distant memory. So, with my man-flu in full flow i don't feel 100% but the opportunity of a morning walk over Belverdere roused my spirits.

As it happened the day seemed a pleasant one and for periods it was warm and bright, however large black clouds drifted over threateningly every so often dropping showers of rain before moving on.

 

Entering the fields at Point 1 a Jay flirted through the trees to the left of the Bridge, a glimpse of pink and blue caught my eye as it settled in a tree on the very edge of the stream. The scrub on the way to Point 2 was alive with song, a scratchy little tune that i have not heard for many months. Soon the culprit flitted out from the dense thicket into the base of a  small thorny tree where it perched in the bright (but fleeting) sunlight. A Whitethroat. As it turned out Whitethroats were in abundance throughout Belvedere fields, everwhere i went on my walk that morning that scratchy song followed, every movement in the scrub turned out to be another Whitethroat, it was a very pleasent walk.

 

On the journey to Point 3 a Kestrel skimmed low over the field heading towards the Water Treatment Plant, a few Canada Geese watched it fly by as they rested on the small island in the centre of the pond. As i approached the Water Treatment Plant myself (albeit a few minutes behind the Kestrel), the notable difference since my last visit was the number of Swallows seemed to have doubled. A look through my binoculars confirmed why, they had been joined by both House and Sand Martins.

 

Martins are smaller than Swallows and their tails are not as deeply grooved in the middle. House Martins are black but have a white patch on their rump, easily identifiable when it turns, whereas Sand Martins are uniformly a chestnut brown. After a few minutes of observation at this large number of Hirundines, all swooping and swerving, the rain returned, this time heavier and i decided that it was time to should turn back and head home.

 

 

Looming clouds

 

 

 

  Manure loving Fungi

Escaping the noise.

At the moment my house is basically a construction site, due to the imminent failure of our boiler. This means the entire central heating and radiators have to be changed, the carpets are upturned and there are holes in the floors and walls. From 9am till 5pm everyday the walls echo and vibrate to the sound of drills and hammers and other manly tools. Still, it's for the better and i'll take any excuse to escape the commotion and stress and retreat to the fields and relax with a book.

 

As much as i would love to take my book over Belvedere fields, it would be impractical, not because of the temperature, it's actually quite pleasent, but because of the ever strengthening wind. My walk yesterday was an exciting one, the insects are becoming more active, Bumblebees hummed low to the ground, the odd butterfly flapping irratically over the tufts of long grass. I have always thought that each season has it's own smell, it seems strange but they do. Winter smells very fresh and makes your eyes water, in Summer you can smeel the dry arid heat, in Autumn the musty, damp stench of the rotting vegetation and Spring smells sweet and purfumed, wafting about lazily in the gentle breeze. Lately that familier cheery smell of Spring seems to be returning, ever so slightly to these fields. 

 

As the Water Treatment Plant came into view so did a great number of Swallows, swooping and diving to catch the clouds of midges, the meadow pipits flirting beneath them in the grass. To the right of the path 2 Grey Partridges suddenly appeared from the scrub and flew off back towards Point 3 and the fields beyond.

 

I walked to Point 5 with no sign of the Kingfisher, past the body of the Fox and stopped to scan the field. At the opposite end 2 birds glided around the outskirts, at first i thought they were Crows but they looked unusually large, despite my distant view point, but i will keep a note of them and hopefully in the future can confrm if any Ravens are present.

                                    
                                      Some Fungi, growing out of the Manure around Point 3

Spring has Sprung

Finally the UK has had a break in the weather and the early signs of Spring are visible across the North West after a pretty formidable March. Daffodils and Snowdrops have started to appear and on my visit over Belvedere this afternoon the first migrants have landed in the form of Chiff Chaffs.

 

I spent a few minutes in silence just sat listening to my first Chiff Chaff of the year,  singing it's name sake song while flitting in the very tops of the trees. Another surprise find of today appeared on the track from Point 2 to Point 3, my eyes, drawn by some movement in the undergrowth, focused on the smallest species of bird in the British Isles, a Goldcrest. I had a great view of this wonderful little bird, it is not a bird that i commonly see, only a few times every year.

 

Two Buzzards circled lazily over the far fields at point 5, the Fox has been moved from the farmers land and lay bloated underneath the trickling water of the stream that runs parallel. On my way back, one of the Kingfishers darted past me, that stunning streak of bright blue flashing in the sun. It's nice to know that they are still knocking around.

 

Hopefully the coming week will herald the return of some Hirundines darting low over the fields catching the midges and other invertabrates.

What Spring?

We are now at the back end of March, and Spring is nowhere in sight. Terrible weather has plagued the UK and Ireland this month, gale force winds combined with heavy snow. I spent last week in North Norfolk and conditions there were no better than up here. My outing today was to see if any of the migrants have made their way up, and it was no surprise to find that they had not. A driving east wind has put the migration on hold, evan in Norfolk there was no sign of Sand martins or Chiff Chaffs and they are usually the first to arrive. If the weather improves and the wind starts to drop then i expect some activity within the next week or two.

 

There was still some snow in patches over Belvedere, on the higher ground of Rivington  it's still reasonably thick, some outbreaks of light snow would break out every so often but not enough to stick. The biting wind was cruel, stinging any extremities that happened to be uncovered.

 

7 Lapwings have taken residence in the farmers field at Point 3, no doubt they will stay there over spring and summer as they usually do. The Meadow Pipits are still hopping around the Water Treatment Plant along with Pied Wagtails and a solitary Grey Wagtail.

 

However it was the field at Point 5 that sticks in my mind today, a dead Fox was just off the track. I suspect it was a female, it looked quite small and slim. There were no visable wounds that i could see, an unfortunate end none the less. I do not expect it to be there long, many crows are present nearby and a buzzard was circling the adjacent field.

 

 

 

Bitter Winds

I have been on a few walks over the fields in the past week, all have been similar. The grey overcast skies cast a grim mood upon the fields, still bare and empty. The wind is extremely bitter, driving in from Scandinavia. Despite the chill, the Redwings and other Thrushes have started their return journey back north, only a few Redwings are now dotted around the fields.

The meadow Pipits remain happy on the Water Treatment Plant, scavaging what they can along with the Pied Wagtails and occasional Grey Wagtail. We are now in the last week of February, soon these fields will be thriving with life and vigour. Spring is approaching, for now the fields seem dull but i know that in the coming weeks the wildlife will return. I am extremely excited.

Today was a quick walk, the only species of note was 2 Siskins feeding upside down in some hedgerow trees, just east of the Water Treatment Plant. Its been a while since i saw Siskins, they were very common at Pennington Flash Reserve a few miles away in Leigh. The males are a  brilliantly beautiful bird, bright yellow with a black cap and chin. A very agile feeder, they usually feed high in the tree tops.

 I was unable to get a picture myself but i feel it would be wrong not to include an image of such a stunning little bird:

The thaw.

As the snow receeds, the temperature also lifts. My walk today was on a gloomy overcast afternoon, the Winter seems to be less vicious today, the ice and snow have begun to melt and the fields turn back to a muddy brown with just the odd spots of pearly white. 

 

A large flock of Long Tailed Tits were active around the spot where i put down a bag of seed earlier in the week at Point 1, further on at Point 2 a pair of Willow Tits flitted around the dead branches of the trees. Approximatly 10 Blackbirds were feeding on the Manure piles, the farmers field behind Point 3 was completly deserted apart from a lone Woodpigeon darting across.

 

The Water Treatment Plant was the hot spot today, a vocal Song Thrush was present on my arrival followed by a single beautiful Fieldfare perched a top a small tree. In the grounds of the Treatment Plant a large flock of Meadow Pipits were feeding, jumping over the slowly revolving arms every minute or so. Also joining them was a Pied Wagtail and a glorious Grey Wagtail.

 

More snow has been forcast for the weekend, i shall be on hand with seed if the snow should fall heavily again.

New Year!

Happy late New Year.

 

Throughout December the busy Xmas schedule plus the terrible weather made my visits over the fields very difficult. As a result my blog updates are slightly behind, there are 2 visits to write up here. The first is from the 9th Jan 2013. here is what i wrote in my journal on that day:

 

"Two firsts today, the first outing with my new binoculars and my first visit of 2013. I did not visit here over Xmas due to the bad weather, i have missed it terribly. I was thinking the other day about death, my death to be precise, as i often do. Where would i want my ashes spread? the conclusion was that at this moment they would be split into 3. A third at Titchwell reserve, Norfolk, a third at Ambleside, Lake District and a third right here over these fields, these underlooked fields that i have made my refuge and my place to escape. I'm sat on the gate again at Point 2, my usual place for writing. I'm listening to Howard Shore, The Breaking of the Fellowship on my Ipod, a relaxing song for a relaxing atmosphere.

 

I head off to Finland early tomorrow morning, i can't wait. The ground today is as bad as i have ever seen, my boots are thick with mud. The temperature is very mild, i need to brace myself for the predicted temperature of -4 to -10 in Helsinki. The last time i experienced cold like that was at Pennington Flash, a local bird reserve. That day a Fox walked onto the frozen pond in front of me, not very far away and in broad daylight. It's funny how certain things remind you of memories, it's like they are trying not to be forgotton. It's time to carry on my walk, a Waxwing would be an absolute treat, but i am not hopeful."

 

There was not much wildlife about that day other than the usual small passerine's. A Cormorant flew over the Water Treatment Plant and a Kestrel was present in a small tree, being mobbed by a few Crows.

 

18th JANUARY 2013

 

 

This visit was only a few days ago, i could not miss the opportunity to vist the fields on this day. The night before we had a good amount of snow, the fields were blanketed in white. The temperature was at -2 (nothing compared to the -16 that i experienced the week before in Helsinki). My main objection on the visit was to put out lots of seed and fat balls for the birds. With the frozen ground and thick snow cover it's extremely difficult for the birds to find food. After this was done, my walk resumed.

 

The path from Point 2 to Point 3 seemed to be the most productive. A flock of beautiful Yellowhammer were flicking from bush to bush, sometimes joined by a few Reed Buntings that were feeding on the vast piles of steaming manure that are piled up beside the path. Just further down the path a few large Thrushes were in a small tree. My first thought was Mistle Thrush, they are normally knocking around the farmers field at Point 3. I got the binoculars on them and to my great surprise, Fieldfare! They sat in the tree for around 5 mins, letting me get quite close before the flock of 4 flew off. Finally some Fieldfare this winter, i was beginning to think that i would not see them here this year.

 

At the far end of the farmers field, beyond Point 3 a Buzzard dropped out of the tree and glided around the outskirts of the field before dropping over the treeline and disappearing from view. The snow allows you to see what wildlife is present by looking for tracks in the fresh snow. I took some photos of the weather along with some Rabbit trails and what i suspect are the footprints of the Deer that i sometimes see.

Blanket of snow.

 



 

A reasonable amount

 

Rabbit prints

 



 

 What i suspect are the Deer prints. Clearly a hoof impression in the snow,

no cattle are present anywhere over these fields.