3rd September 2016
It is a cool but fine afternoon after torrential overnight rain, which has refreshed the landscape. The Oak trees in the lane are dropping acorns, the majority of which seem to be suffering from the Oak knopper gall (Andricus quercuscalicis) This phenomenon only appeared in the last 20-30 years and does no harm to the Oaks but will prevent them producing viable acorns. (Knopper galls develop as a chemically induced distortion of growing acorns on pedunculate oak trees, caused by gall wasps, which lay eggs in buds with their ovipositor.Wikipedia)
At yesterdays work morning fresh Otter spraint was noted on the stone under the spout, but today a torrent of water has washed it all away.
September is a quiet month, nature is winding down after the rush to grow and reproduce. Migrant birds will soon be gathering for the epic journey back to Africa, but there are still House Martins and a few Swallows flying around the river and the carr.
The ponds are now both full of water after the heavy rain and the newer pond has been planted up with Irises and Lilies from the first pond to help it look more established. The removal of blanket weed is an on-going task. (photo by Mike Woodley)
The hedges and bushes are showing Autumn colours with the berries of the Hawthorn, Blackthorn (Sloes), Ivy and the Black Bryony, which has red berries!
A correction to August’s blog regards the plant I decided was Rough Hawkbit. On closer inspection of the leaves I now believe it is much more likely to be Smooth Hawksbeard! I would not want to mis-lead anyone with my amateur botanising! It is all too easy to jump to conclusions with many plants and grasses where the similarities make identification difficult. It will be interesting to see if this one patch increases at all next summer.
10th September
There has been heavy overnight rain again, but the sun has come out late in the day and the temperature is around 21 degrees as I set out on my walk at about 5pm.
Summer lingers on with these lovely warm days but it is widely reported that huge numbers of Swallows left our shores on the 6th and 7th this month. I am delighted to see that there are still a few stragglers flying over the river. There is also a Buzzard around the carr, which is a more or less permanent feature.
Every time I visit this site I find I am rewarded by at least one treat, and today it is a little Wren. I can always hear them around but seldom see them as they are secretive birds who skulk about in the undergrowth! I am standing in the shelter of the path between the carr and the embankment looking for any butterflies, when a Wren appears on a Hogweed stem and goes about the business of looking for grubs seemingly unaware of my presence. I’m guessing that it this is a young one, as I can hear the group calling to each other. The collective noun for a group of wrens is a ‘herd’ (Chambers Dictionary). I would say we definitely have a small flock here at least!
16th September
The last 2 weeks have set temperature records for September in this country. We have had continuous sunny days with the gauge getting up to between 24-26 degrees locally.
Therefore the ground and the grass are bone dry, ideal for haymaking. It is later than recommended for good hay, but we are finally getting a contractor in today to do the job. The temperature is back down to a more normal range of 18/19 degrees. Positively chilly!
Ian and I have gone down to the site to supervise the mowing as we want some areas left long for our birds of prey. The tractor rattles round the meadow making short work of the long grass and straight away the local wildlife puts in an appearance to take advantage of easy pickings. The Kestrel is on its usual perch on the telephone wires intently watching the activity and soon has supper in its grasp! I think this a female, as it doesn’t have the dark grey head of a male. This Kestrel stayed around all afternoon I took another picture of it later on sitting on a shed roof in a garden on the other side of the river. This makes identification more certain.
When the mowing was finished, Ian and I had a quick look round for anything which needed rescuing and Ian was sharp eyed enough to spot the movement of this tiny Toadlet which had somehow managed to evade being mashed by the tractor! We put it in a safe spot in the long grass by the pond.
When all had gone quiet, I noticed that the kestrel was not the only predator around - movement at the far side of the field on the boundary of the Middle Yeo revealed none other than a black and white domestic moggy! It has been what you might call a “field day” for the local wildlife.
Before and After
All photos by Hilary unless otherwise stated.
18th September
Another lovely summer’s day, the reprieve from Autumn continues! People are out enjoying the weather and I encounter a family whom I have met before playing in the river. The children (ages 8 and 10) enthusiastically tell me about their finds - they are very knowledgeable. They tell me that a short time ago they saw a Kingfisher go by - I’ve missed it again!
In a large jam jar they show me a Bullhead fish which was hiding under a rock and now finds itself in full view! Thebullhead(Cottus gobio) is a freshwaterfishthat is widely distributed in Europe, mainly in rivers. It is a member of theCottidaefamily, a type ofsculpin. It is also known as themiller's thumb,freshwater sculpin,common bullheadandEuropean bullhead.The bullhead is a smalldemersalfish that lives both in cold, clear, fast-flowing small streams and in middle-sized rivers. It also occurs on gravelly shores of cold lakes. (Wikipedia)
Bullhead photo by Hilary This is the preferred food of the Kingfisher, so that explains what sustains our residents. People often ask whether there are any fish in the river and you do have to really look hard to spot any. The children tell me that they also commonly find Stone Loach (Barbatula barbatula) and Sticklebacks as well as Crayfish.
Stone loaches live amongst the gravel and stones of fast flowing water where they can search for food. The most distinctive feature of this 14cm fish is the presence ofbarbelsaround the bottom jaw, which they use to detecttheirinvertebrateprey. The body is a mixture of brown, green and yellow. (Wikipedia) They are good indicators of a healthy environment as they will not tolerate even mildly polluted waters. More evidence that we have exceptionally good habitat here.
The three-spined stickleback is a small fish found in ponds, lakes, ditches and rivers. The stickleback is an aggressive predator, feeding on invertebrates and other small animals including tadpoles and smaller fish. In the spring the male develops a bright red throat and belly and performs a courtship dance to attract a mate. He builds a sheltered nest out of vegetation, under which the female will lay up to 400 eggs. The male then defends the nest from other fish until the young hatch up to four weeks later. (The Wildlife Trusts)