Rushcliffe Nature Notes
March 2006
Bird Song
This is a wonderful time of year for inspiring the amateur naturalist to get out-and-about! Bird song is reaching a peak, though most of the incoming summer visitors from
The first butterflies are on the wing too. The earliest; Small Tortoiseshell and Brimstone, hibernate through the winter and emerge on the first warm days. Comma and Peacock also fly early in the year but their big numbers appear in the late summer from the eggs produced in the spring.
Rushcliffe is a heavily farmed rural area with pockets of exceptional natural interest, many of which are nature reserves, but the farmland looks set to become more wildlife-friendly with the Countryside Stewardship Scheme. This should make the local footpaths and by-ways even more worth exploring and the long drive to the Peak District and the east coast less worthwhile - good for the environment on all counts and good news for us too.
If learning some bird song is something you always meant to do, why not join Dennis Heffernan and me at Old Wood, Bunny. You'll have to be an early-bird though - we are meeting at
April 2006
Snakes
Rushcliffe is the best part of Nottinghamshire for Grass Snakes. They are totally harmless to people and would love to live their lives undisturbed by us: in return they would never bother us at all.
In Nottinghamshire, two of
April and May are the months to see our reptiles, as they emerge from hibernation, but if you come across a snake in Rushcliffe, remember - it almost certainly won't be an Adder, it will do no harm to anyone and would be pleased to be left alone.
The earliest spring flowers are mainly in woodlands where they take advantage of the sunlight that gets through the barely foliaged trees and where pollinating insects have shelter from cold winds. The open days at Bunny Wood on 7th May and at Stonepit Plantation on 14th May, where enthusiastic guides will be on hand, are great opportunities to enjoy this flora. Please phone me on 0115 9144896 for more information.
May 2006
Moths
The French call moths, “papillons de nuit” i.e. butterflies of the night, which is much nicer than our term, which is a dowdy sounding word, and inevitably brings to mind the dowdiest moths. Some of them are dull indeed but many are stunningly beautiful as their English names, given to them by the Victorian collectors imply: Garden Tiger, Burnished Brass, Waved Umber, Oak Beauty and Merveille du Jour for example. Those Victorians were objective in their epithets however; they christened one the Clouded Drab!
The “mothing” year sees a progression of different species on the wing between March and October, and mid-summer is the peak period for the most spectacular, for the hawk-moths include our biggest moths with wingspans of around 90mm.
You may be astonished to learn that Elephant Hawk, Poplar Hawk and Eyed Hawks are not at all uncommon. If you grow plants that have nocturnal scents, such as night-scented stock, or flowers like Nicotiana, which can only be pollinated by long-tongued specialists like the Humming-bird Hawk moth, you may come across them without the need for specialist light traps.
A restless moth plummeting around your bedroom on a sultry night might well be annoying, but when it has settled down, do spare it a second-look – you may be surprised by its subtle beauty.
Subject to suitable weather, some examples should be on show at the Keyworth Meadow Open Day on 21st May. Another open day, not to miss is Wilwell Cutting near Ruddington on 4th June where Gordon Dyne will be on hand to show off the diversity of early-summer flowers on this Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust Reserve.
June 2006
Scots Pine
There's a twenty-year old Scots Pine tree in my garden. It’s still quite bushy so the lower branches can be inspected for wildlife and recently I found two species of ladybird that are normally only found in coniferous woodland. This is in addition to the Pine Sawfly and two moths – Pine Beauty and Pine Hawkmoth which are obviously associated with it. What better illustration can there be to show how gardening for wildlife can be successful and that if we provide the habitat, species will find and colonise it. In January, a Goldcrest foraged in the tree for a week, probably gobbling up small spiders which for all I know are restricted to Scots Pine as well.
As well as a good range of native plants, every wildlife-friendly garden should have a pond (child safety permitting). 12-year old Alex Glenn and his younger sister, Minty, had a wonderful time recently dipping for newts and frogs and presented me with a Smooth Newt that had such a pronounced crest we thought it was a Great Crested Newt for a time. The pond has always contained Smooth Newts and the males of this species have a crest, but theirs is nothing compared to the dragon-like embellishment of their larger and rarer cousin. 'I've seen some smooth newts but this one beats them all!' as Minty said at the time!
Just across the Trent, Colwick Country Park plays host to "BioBlitz" on Sunday 25th June – more details from
Lianne.Evans@nottscc.gov.uk
or phone 0115 9774213
July 2006
Colonisers
Hedgehogs seem to be making a comeback judging by the number of squashed ones now littering the roads. For the last decade or so I’ve been convinced that their numbers in Rushcliffe had collapsed with very few road kills and none in my garden where previously they’d been seen or deduced from their tell-tale droppings on the lawn. Nationally this perception is only just receiving attention with the Mammal Society asking people to send in records of road kills. It seems perverse to estimate the population by counting how many dead ones are seen!
Hares seemed to be very few and far between in the 1990’s but after Foot & Mouth in 2001 they now seem to be very regular once again. Are diseases responsible for these cycles?
The most obvious change in populations in my lifetime is with birds and the return of the Sparrowhawk and the Buzzard. Both now nest throughout Rushcliffe although they can be elusive during the nesting season. Collared Doves seem to have been around forever but they didn’t even make it to the country until the early 1950’s.
Populations also change in the insects: Magpie moths used to be one of the commonest moths attracted to house lights and now they are virtually absent even from powerful light traps. Other species, associated with the
Whatever your age, if you're into nature, Go Wild in the Park on 30th July at Rushcliffe CP from 10.00 am till 4.00 pm. There'll be something to interest you.
August 2006
Black Poplars
Black Poplars are probably
Black Poplars were used to make arrows found on the Mary Rose and were planted as boundary markers. The landscapes that Constable made along the
Surprisingly though, they are not protected as a species, apart from the general rule that it is illegal to take or destroy any wild plant without the permission of the landowner. So if you have the space for what will eventually become a big tree, consider the Native Black Poplar (beware of hybrids). They grow happily away from water and you will have acquired a tree with a great history and folklore.
September 2006
Bird Migrants
Swifts, those aerial acrobats, with their joyful and exuberant screams as they chase over our houses will have gone now. They are one of the latest summer visitors, not arriving here until May and are definitely one of the earliest to depart. They are beaten only by the adult Cuckoos, who, job done by June and no responsibilities remaining, wander their way southwards at a leisurely pace through the height of the summer. If you see a cuckoo as late as August, as well you might, particularly at the coastal migration points, it will be a juvenile, embarking on a journey to its wintering grounds in
By October, here in Rushcliffe, we can experience the best of both worlds: the lingering summer migrants such as Swallows and Willow Warblers and the incoming thrushes that have spent their brief summer in
The first indication of immigrant Redwings is their distinctive monosyllabic whistle, delivered during their nocturnal migrations and often first noticed by the alert pub-goer on their way home around
The lack of berries on the overly-managed farm hedgerows, means that they have to resort to feeding in the fields, far earlier nowadays than used to be the case: the tractor-mounted flail cutter and an expectation of tidiness in our countryside, threatens the future of these winter farmland birds that are so characteristic of the Rushcliffe countryside.
October 2006
Moths and Mice
2006 has been a great year for migrant Lepidoptera. Painted Ladies were the most evident, especially during the hot weather in July, but they were accompanied at the buddleia by Silver Y moths in even bigger numbers. These fly by both day and night and migrate here from the continent. There have also been large numbers of other moths in Rushcliffe that have flown from Europe including Bordered Straw and Scarce Bordered Straw, Humming-bird Hawk Moth and Rusty Dot Pearl.
The Harvest Mouse is our smallest rodent; an adult weighs about the same as a twenty-pence piece; their scientific name, Micromys minutus, means “smallest tiny mouse”. They have extremely short life spans and although they may produce three or four litters of around five babies in a season, it is touch and go that any will survive the winter. This means that they can be present in an area one summer and absent for several subsequent seasons. They are very difficult to see in the wild, requiring luck whilst doing some grassland management, or extreme patience and quietness to study them at a known locality. Their presence or otherwise is most easily established by searching for their used breeding nests which are tennis-ball sized spheres of woven grass, some distance above the ground. The time to do this is in the winter when surrounding vegetation has died back.
I mentioned in a previous note about signs of a return of hedgehogs and I’m pleased to report the presence of one in my Keyworth garden for the first time in about ten years. I was less happy to find two grass snakes that had suffered the fate of many hedgehogs and been squashed by cars, on the road from Wysall to Costock. It’s nice to know they’re around though.
November 2006
Winter birds
Feeding wild birds during the winter months has become widespread practice and is far more refined than the throwing-out of household scraps that constituted garden bird feeding twenty years ago. Peanuts in their shells, threaded onto a string, half a coconut, or peanuts in a red mesh bag were the most generous offerings then, and when they were consumed, they were only occasionally replaced . Blue and Great Tits were the targets but House Sparrows and Starlings soon mastered the art.
To many people now, the continuous availability of a diverse and nutritious food supply is a high priority. Mixed seed, shelled peanuts and a steady supply of sunflowers - black-shells because Greenfinches prefer them or shelled altogether because tidy gardeners prefer them! - these are the basics. A bird table with a range of scraps and a scoopful of mixed seed, for the less athletic or competitive visitors such as Robins and Collared Doves is the next step. And for the crème de la crème - those bouncy and colourful entertainers, the Goldfinches, a special feeder filled with Niger seed is de rigeur! These tiny black seeds are guaranteed to attract this delightful finch to most gardens (and result in previously unknown yellow blooms, it has to be said!).
The issue of all this flocking together by birds not of a feather has raised concerns of bacterial infections becoming widespread and the regular application of a mild disinfectant is recommended. Please don't confuse bird-flu (a virus) with this concern and cease feeding altogether, as the delight the visitors bring and the benefits they accrue, currently outweigh any potential disadvantage.
December 2006
Hibernation
Winter was a long time coming but by mid December I expect we will have had a series of frosts, regardless of the best efforts of global warming. Our wildlife will have adapted to this unproductive season in a variety of ways, the most intriguing of which, is hibernation. Very few of our mammals do actually hibernate but Hedgehogs and Dormice are the classic winter sleepers and until the spring they will have reduced their body temperatures and heartbeat rate to a barely survivable level, so that the reduced metabolic rate enables them to survive on their fat resources alone.
Hibernation is not a long sleep, from which animals can quickly recover if necessary and they are at great risk from disturbance and predators during this period. However hedgehogs at least, regularly emerge from hibernation several times during the winter - it takes four to five hours for them to regain their functional body temperature - only for them to go back into their dormant state, perhaps after a brief stroll.
Badgers and Grey Squirrels do not hibernate, but they do rest for long periods during adverse weather conditions and all other British mammals with the exception of bats are active normally during the winter. It is the availability of food that determines the right strategy and in mild winters with plenty of earthworms readily available, Hedgehogs are quite able to go without any hibernation at all.
Many insects use hibernation as a winter survival strategy, including those late-flying Red Admirals and Brimstones and also some moths and whereas most Lepidoptera pass the winter in their egg or larval stage, these species can take advantage of the early spring sunshine and the untapped nectar sources of primrose and violet.
January 2007
Birding at Holme Pierrepont
There are three country parks in Rushcliffe, but for winter bird-watching, Holme Pierrepont is undoubtedly the best. This is because of the large areas of open water and their attractiveness to the wintering ducks and other water-birds: Amongst the ducks, Wigeon, which, in common with most of our species, breed across northern
Great Crested Grebes and Cormorants occur all-year round, but this wasn't always the case, with the former verging on extinction at the turn of the last century. It was saved through the establishment of the RSPB, whilst Cormorants have only populated Nottinghamshire in the last thirty years or so, when the continental race colonised the country. The British race is restricted to the coast.
The Little Egret is another species that has spread northwards through the country and can now be found in Rushcliffe though mainly in the autumn, rather than winter. Like the grebe, the threats to this species from the hunting for head plumes to decorate ladies hats, prompted the inception of the RSPB.
The enticement of bird watching is the unexpected: Whilst counting the regular ducks is essential in documenting their welfare, it is the surprise species that make the day memorable, and even the rowing course can have such species as Red-necked Grebe or Common Scoters early in the day.
February 2007
Phenology
Our woodland plants have adapted to their habitat by flowering early in the year, before the shade of the leafy canopy cuts out the light. Violets, Wood Anemones and Primroses typify these early blooms and provide the earliest butterflies with nourishing nectar. Red Admirals, Small Tortoiseshells and Brimstones all hibernate and emerge when the first flush of spring warmth sweeps the country. At least, that is normally the case, but the record-breaking mild winter that we have just experienced, saw some Red Admirals in flight throughout December causing concerns that they may have suffered in not being able to find nectar supplies on their forays.
Our wildlife has adapted, since the last ice-age retreat, to fairly consistent climate patterns and the recent changes present both opportunities and challenges to the way in which wildlife responds. A principal difficulty is the synchrony in timings such as that described above. It will be interesting to see if the willow and sallow blossom coincides with the emergence of the early spring moths that depend on that resource. The mildness of January is likely to advance the blossoming season – will the moths respond?
The Woodland Trust manages a scheme that documents the timing of ‘nature’s calendar’ through a network of volunteers. Contributing to the study is easy and educational with many of the observations being ideal for getting children involved in field biology by noting the date of the first ladybird or frogspawn. Visit www.naturescalendar.org.uk for how to enrol.
March 2007
Rushcliffe’s Owls
Barn Owls numbers declined dramatically during the latter half of the twentieth century. The intensification of agriculture drove their dwindling population to hunt along roadside verges where they were commonly killed by passing vehicles. They readily breed in captivity and there used to be quite a lot of releases of captive-bred birds into the wild in well-intended but unsuccessful attempts to boost their numbers. Far more successful results have been achieved by the Rushcliffe Barn Owl Project, through the provision of Barn Owl nest-boxes. This initiative is run by volunteers with the help of donations and has as its mascot, “Speedy” who is a small and now aged Barn Owl who visits schools and shows to promote the project’s work. Speedy won the Mayor’s Special Achievement Award (along with Clive James) in 2006. 130 boxes had been erected by 2005 and in that year alone, fifty young owls were fledged.
Tawny Owls hunt amongst trees and their numbers remain constant. Their song is the well known “tu-whit-to whoo” associated with graveyard scenes and they also deliver a high pitched “ke-wick” contact call which may be heard at night, almost anywhere in Rushcliffe. Our two other native owl species are the Long-eared and Short-eared which nest, respectively, in woodland and moorland and are quite scarce in Rushcliffe, and there is a fifth species which was once very common in the area. The Little Owl was introduced to this country in the 19th century and established itself very well, becoming one of very few introduced species that seemed to find a niche in the ecology without unfavourably affecting our indigenous species. Its stubby posture, undulating flight and cat-like calls are becoming very scarce in many parts of the country and no-one is sure why.
March 2007
Nesting Robin
As I write, there is a sense of spring in the air and the expectation of coming warmth and sunshine. It seems that the birds are thinking that way too, for amongst other signs of nesting activity, a Robin has built a nest and laid an egg. This wouldn’t be so strange except that it is now incubating the single egg. Robins normally lay 5-7 in early April in the south. Those are the facts, now the speculation: has the warmth promoted breeding activity ahead of the physiological conditions that determine it? Day length is the factor for much hormonal activity in birds and presumably in other groups, so is this asynchrony a threat to breeding success?
Well, robins breed as far south as northern
May 2007
Wilwell Cutting
Wilwell Cutting, to the north of Ruddington was excavated in 1895 for the Great Central Railway and abandoned around half a century later. It is now among Nottinghamshire’s best sites for wild flowers with more than 250 species recorded. Many plants that are rare in the county are to be found her and they include several species of orchid with Southern Marsh Orchid a speciality. It is both a Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Local Nature Reserve. But had it not been for vociferous protests by local people it would have been destroyed in the early seventies as it was planned as a landfill site!
It is often the case that such “brown-field” sites are rich in scarce plants and at Wilwell, this is because the rich, fertile soils that cover Rushcliffe have been removed and the less fertile sub-soils or underlying strata exposed. This means that the plants that thrive on high-nutrient soils, notably grasses, are stifled and those that thrive on nutrient-poor soils find a niche. And where there is a variety of plants there are the associated insects. Pick a sunny day at this time of year, arm yourself with a field guide to wild flowers or butterflies and Wilwell will not disappoint. Better still, the open day on June 3rd will have experts on hand to point out some of the most important or interesting features.
June 2007
Mothing
Around 2,500 species of moth have been recorded in
Two days later, in perfect weather, the open day at Keyworth Meadow attracted many visitors including many well-informed naturalists. Plants are not my strong point and it is a pleasure to have more expert botanists share their skills. I was shown Rough Chervil by one visitor which I would otherwise have missed. Click beetles proved entertaining, by obligingly showing how they got their name: upon being turned upside-down they recover themselves explosively with an audible ‘click’.
The events run by the trust are usually hosted by volunteers wanting to share the delights of a place or a particular branch of flora or fauna and are normally free. All ages and ranges of experience are welcomed.
July 2007
Roadside Verges
There are around four million square metres of roadside verge in Rushcliffe. That equates to 560 new Wembley Stadium pitches and that’s a lot of wildlife habitat – far more than is managed intentionally as nature reserves. For our most common plants, such as Cow Parsley and False Oat Grass, verges are the only habitat available since they are not permitted in our gardens and cultivated land. In amongst the abundant species are less-common plants and where soil conditions are favourable, small swathes of diverse flora. The County Council maintains verges and they are generally cut twice a year - or more where safety dictates it. A few notified verges, of recognised importance for their plants are managed sympathetically but it is not practical or affordable to apply this practice everywhere. However, I sometimes see the first flush of late-spring flowers beginning to decorate and embellish the lanes only for them to be laid low before they have had a chance to be pollinated, let alone set seed. Gotham by-pass (Gypsum Way) runs along the alignment of an old railway and has a variety of plants which look as though they would benefit from a more considered regime; If you know of others, please inform the County Council, and maybe they will qualify for notification. Let me have a grid reference and description and I’ll happily collate them and pass them on – neil.pinder@ntlworld.com or 0115 9144896.
August 2007
Butterflies
There are seventeen species of butterfly that can be seen readily by the observant wanderer in Rushcliffe during an average summer. Indeed most if not all, will at some time visit the average garden. But to see additional species it is necessary to be in the right place at the right time. During late August a good venue is
Congratulations to Howard Broughton and helpers on the Rushcliffe Barn Owl Project on the fledging of 100 young Barn Owls in the borough this year!
September 2007
Black-winged Stilt
Fifty or so years ago, Stoke Bardolph sewage “farm” was nationally famous for the birds it attracted; the most memorable of them being Black-winged Stilts. Those were the days when the treatment process involved the spreading of sludge over large areas of land. These expanses of deep, insect-rich mud attracted the waders following the
Nowadays the availability of wader habitats is much reduced and the sewage works is a complex of concrete tanks and enclosed steel chambers. Redshanks, Green Sandpipers and Greenshanks do still drop in on to the margins of gravel pits such as those around Holme Pierrepont especially at this time of year, but in vastly reduced numbers, and there’s always the chance of a surprise. However Black-winged Stilts are not a realistic prospect. Amazingly, two pairs nested and reared 3 young at Stoke Bardolph in 1945 but there have been none since. The species is the emblem of Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers – if Nottinghamshire’s birds interest you, contact the membership secretary, Lynne Demaine by email to lynnedemaine@hotmail.com.
Bird watching along the
October 2007
Grasshoppers & Crickets
There has been a remarkable expansion in the range of several species of grasshoppers and bush-crickets recently. Keyworth Meadow holds just one species of grasshopper, the Lesser Marsh, which only established itself in Nottinghamshire in 2000 but is now the most widespread species in the county. Whilst trying to see if others are present I discovered a Long-winged Conehead
in August – the first record of this species in the county and following hot on the trail of Roesel’s Bush-cricket, discovered near
These extraordinary records are mirrored by expansions and colonisations of damselflies and dragonflies, with Small Red-eyed Damselfly reaching Notts in 2006 and now present at many sites including Cotgrave CP. These are all sun-loving species and it is difficult not to connect the changes with climate change.
November 2007
Ivy Blossom
Profuse ivy blossom has a faint honey-like aroma and on mild autumn days hums loudly with the activity of myriads of insects. Most are hoverflies and the majority of these are the species known as the Drone Fly which closely resembles a honey bee. Drone flies have a larval stage which survives well in heavily polluted water with low oxygen levels, through their being equipped with a breathing tube, several times longer than the larva itself. This reaches up into the air above and earns it the name of rat-tailed maggot. Amidst the humming and commotion there is often the flash from the opening wings of a Red Admiral, imbibing of the late supply of nectar.
There is another species of butterfly which has become regular in Nottinghamshire in the last couple of decades that is dependent on ivy as a host for the larvae: Holly Blues lay their eggs on the tips of the flower buds in the summer and the young caterpillars munch away on the flowers and young leaves before pupating. They over-winter on the ivy and upon emergence in the early spring (before the other species of blue butterfly) mate and lay eggs on holly. These become the generation that lays on Ivy, so completing the cycle.
December 2007
Partridges and Pear Trees
With the exception of Turtle Dove, the precise species referred to in the Twelve Days of Christmas is unclear, but I thought it might be of interest to see how they have fared since the song was written, or at least since the first BTO Atlas of breeding birds was published in 1976. It’s a fair bet that the Partridge was Grey as the song is reputedly 16th century and there were no Red-legged in
French hens are domestic breeds and as far as I’m aware, are as rare in Britain as they’ve ever been, unlike Blackbirds which are widely distributed throughout the country and showed little change between 1976 and 1993. Why am I mentioning Blackbirds? Because “calling” is a corruption of “collie” – old english for coal (hence collier). So the 4 calling birds are actually Blackbirds – a strange gift, though no more so than the others. At least you can eat geese and swans, though you’d need a large freezer or a lot of friends to do justice to a cumulative thirteen over two successive days! The population of our resident swan, the Mute, was fairly static between the atlas years but has since increased due, it is believed, to the mild winters and replacement of angler’s lead shot with non-toxic alternatives.
January 2008
Ospreys
Ospreys were exterminated from the
February 2008
Brimstones
At this time of year as the days lengthen, there can be some positive warmth in the sunshine; enough to bring the earliest butterflies out of hibernation and often the first on the wing is the Brimstone. The distinctive sulphur yellow of the male makes it unmistakeable even in flight, which is fortunate, because they range widely and rarely seem to settle. When they do find a source of nectar they can be remarkably difficult to locate as they resemble a yellow leaf. These butterflies will return to dormancy when the weather deteriorates (as it surely will) but emerge again to find mates and lay eggs later into the spring. These are deposited on buckthorn and alder buckthorn, the caterpillar’s food plant and the adults may then live on until June or early July. By August, the egg, larval and pupal stages will be completed and the next generation will be on the wing. These may fly and fatten up on nectar very late into the year before hibernating in dense thickets of evergreens such as ivy. The adult butterfly then, lives for up to eleven months!
Buckthorn is a small and open tree and suitable for the larger garden. If planted along with some ivy that can be allowed to grow a bit rampant the gardener can observe these gorgeous insects throughout their life cycle.
March 2008
Green Gardening
Gardeners as well as farmers used to regard wildlife largely with mistrust and spray and secrete poisons with abandon. The result was the extinction of several birds of prey from most of
If vegetable growing is not for you, there need be no war at all for where does a balanced ecosystem suffer serious damage from its natural fauna? I can think of locusts but no others at the moment! Gardening for nature, using native species designed around a variety of “habitats” will rarely if ever need chemical assistance to look good. A pond with a small meadow and rockery nearby will provide year-round habitats for newts and frogs to control the pesky slugs and a mixed border and shrubbery of native species will supply green caterpillars for broods of Blue Tits which will keep down the aphids in mid-summer; you get the idea – ecology is rather more complex in truth!
Now is the time to be planning some garden themes so why not look forward to the delights of having butterflies, birds and bees to share it with.
April 2008
Spring Migration
Our summer migrant birds first arrive back between late March and the end of April. The earliest are not well represented in Nottinghamshire; Wheatear, Sandwich Tern, Garganey, and Ring Ousel, show up on the coast from mid to late March and the first inland species is more likely to be one of the hirundines – Sand Martin, Swallow and then House Martin (in that order). I’ve purposefully disregarded the Chiffchaff and Blackcap as these spend the winter here in small numbers and it’s impossible to determine a return date for them. These earliest hirundines will have been seen by keen birdwatchers, observing over sheltered open water where aerial insects can be found and the casual observer may not notice the first Swallow until mid or late April, when they establish territories and begin nest building.
There is a second major wave of arrivals in mid April when many of the warblers first show up; Reed and Sedge Warbler, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat are among these whilst Turtle Dove is one of the latest, but it is the Swift that epitomises true summer days and they rarely show up before the 1st May. The Cuckoo of course gets most attention and a date earlier than April 15th would be fairly unusual but sadly, many people are now saying that they just don’t hear this evocative bird at all.
May 2008
Rushcliffe’s Brooks and Streams
The hills around Old Dalby are the westward extent of the Belvoir escarpment and the source of three of Rushcliffe’s major watercourses: Kingston Brook flows westward through East Leake and spills into the Soar near Kegworth; Fairham Brook turns northwards after passing through Bunny and discharges into the Trent near Clifton Bridge whilst the River Smite, after wending its way to the north-east through the Vale of Belvoir, becomes the River Devon and reaches the Trent near Newark.
These so called “wildlife corridors” are vitally important to the dispersion and connectivity of our fauna and flora and not just the aquatic animals and plants. The bankside vegetation, though sometimes quite narrow, is usually fairly natural, though it has suffered from the drift of pesticide sprays and artificial fertilisers. Nevertheless, such creatures as grass snakes and harvest mice use these undisturbed routes to re-establish themselves at locations where they may have disappeared through natural pressures such as harsh winters or flooding. The field hedgerows which lead away into the wider countryside also serve as wildlife corridors but uncultivated headlands and sympathetic hedge management, now encouraged through agricultural subsidies, are needed for certain species, such as Brown Hairstreak butterflies, which needs the full cycle of hedgerow growth, to survive.
June 2008
Frogs
Frog tadpoles growth rate varies quite considerably but by now most will be well developed and about to metamorphose into frogs; the most critical change here being the loss of gills and the development of lungs meaning, on the face of it, that they have to breathe air. However this is really the wrong way of looking at it – from the frog’s aspect, what it means is that it can leave the pond and go off foraging for things to eat – largely slugs and snails as it turns out. And what is more, they can still have the luxury of a long, cool dip if they feel so inclined as they are able to absorb oxygen through their skin. Less luxurious is the thought of spending the winter hibernating in the bottom mud of a freezing pool, but some choose to do so and with their metabolism at a minimum, diffusion of oxygen through the skin keeps them going for months. Breathing is in fact quite a different operation for them than it is for us because of their unusual skeleton: they lack a ribcage and diaphragm with which to pump the lungs and instead take in a mouthful of air, close their mouth and nostrils and force the air into their lungs by tightening and extending their throat pouch – which most people will have observed.
We have just one native species of frog in this country and none of the several introduced ones occur in Nottinghamshire, however these Common Frogs can be strikingly different in colour and patterning leading to potential mistakes.
July 2008
Dragonflies
An early Fleetwood Mac song waxed lyrically about a visit to a garden by a dragonfly and questioned whether it was worthy of so fine a guest. I believe such sympathies are widespread now, though for a few people a big hawker may strike the fear of God in them presumably from the mistaken belief that they will bite! A garden with a pond is most likely to lure a wandering dragonfly and the most probable locally is the Southern Hawker. This is not quite the biggest of the bunch but nevertheless, as British insects go, four inches (100mm) is an impressive wing span. Even small garden ponds may also enable breeding by some species, such as Common Darter or Broad-bodied Chaser whilst the smaller damselflies (which rest with their wings folded) especially the Common Blue and the Blue-tailed may also breed. Telltale signs are the cast off nymphal skin (exuvia) on an emergent plant stem where the aquatic nymph has become an airborne adult. Twenty-five species of dragonfly and damselfly have been recorded in Nottinghamshire and a dozen or so are quite widespread across Rushcliffe and can be found readily along the
August 2008
Longhorn Beetles
Insects are so numerous and diverse that many naturalists are deterred from getting to know them and, though it is of course impossible for anyone to become expert on them all, great contributions to our knowledge of their status and distribution can be made through specialising in one or two groups. Butterflies and the larger moths are comparatively well known, but there are other groups that now receive enthusuiastic coverage because of the availablility of good quality identification guides such as the hoverflies and grasshoppers. The beetles are the largest order of insects both in
Septemb
er 2008
Insect Migration
The migrations of birds are well known and those of African mammals are often documented on wildlife shows but the migrations of insects are less known and less well understood. Many groups of insects migrate - does anyone remember the influx of ladybirds in 1976? However the butterflies and moths are the best known and in my garden moth trap in August I found a Bedstraw Hawkmoth; a rare migrant from southern and eastern
In
October 2008
Woodpeckers
We have three species of woodpecker in Rushcliffe. Both the Great-spotted and Green Woodpeckers are common and can often be seen on any walk where there is parkland or woodland. Both species draw attention to themselves by their large size, bright colours and distinctive calls. The Green appears quite yellow if it is flying away upon being disturbed and may recall a parrot if seen feeding on the ground (as they often do). The black and white patterns of the Great-spotted are unmistakeable. The call of the Green Woodpecker is a loud and prolonged “laugh” and earns it the local name of “yaffle”. Another, now disused local name for a woodpecker was “nicker” and is assumed to be the derivation of Nicker Hill at Keyworth. On still days, their call can be heard more and more frequently, as they seem to be increasing in numbers throughout the borough and often enter undisturbed gardens. All species have a distinctive flight involving a series of wing flaps as the bird ascends followed by a descending glide and this undulating pattern is a further pointer to the group. The third species is the Lesser-spotted and although this refers to the bird’s size it equally well describes current sightings! It is spotted now, far less frequently than in the late seventies, when Dutch Elm disease was responsible for lots of dead timber and when their numbers reached a peak because of the increased food supply from the invertebrates decomposing the dead wood. Few species use a mechanical means to attract partners and denote territories but the drumming of woodpeckers is only heard in the spring as this is their song. They have shock absorbers at the back of their skull to avoid maiming themselves in the process!
Hedgehogs
A few years ago, I became aware that hedgehogs had become very scarce in Rushcliffe. I’m pleased to say that this situation is now improved and I am seeing them or their distinctive droppings quite regularly in my garden, and sadly, dead ones on the roads.
They are not closely related to any other mammal but hedgehog-like creatures have been around for 15 million years and there are several species across
December 2008
Robins
It’s the time of year when Robin Redbreast again figures prominently amid snowy landscapes. This association with Christmas seems to stem from the red uniforms postmen once wore, earning them the nickname of Robin, which was unfortunate for the people of
More serious and reliable accounts, reveal the Robin to be highly territorial, even in winter when the sexes (identical in outward appearance) keep apart. David Lack, who studied them in the 1950s and who wrote, in my experience, the most readable book ever about a species, concluded that the only way a male Robin determined that an intruder in the Spring was female, was that she refused to be hounded out of his territory! Once the pair-bonding is established, even a few alien red feathers will ignite furious attacks and in experiments with dead Robins, the “intruder” is attacked at the base of the nape and flesh pecked out and eaten! Because of their year-round territorialism, their song is heard at all seasons (and often at night). It is a sweet song in brief phrases and when they were caged for this reason, in earlier times, the practise elicited William Blake’s well-known lines, “A Robin Redbreast in a cage, puts all heaven in a rage”.
Happy Christmas.
The South Notts Ringing Group is overseen by the British Trust for Ornithology and they ensure that ringers are properly trained before a permit is issued. A recent result made the headlines when two Common Tern chicks, flooded from their nest in at Attenborough in July 2007 and feared to have drowned, were “controlled” in
Winter Thrushes
Two species of thrush spend the winter in Rushcliffe, the Redwing and the Fieldfare. Both arrive in October and depart in April back to their breeding grounds in northern
A more striking bird is spending this winter with us; Waxwings, another Scandinavian breeder comes here in small numbers most years but when the berry crop is poor, as this year, they arrive in big numbers and congregate, often in urban streets to mop up rowan, pyracantha and cotoneaster berries. They are wonderfully attractive and confiding birds. A large flock was present in Gamston in January but they can turn up anywhere.
Ladybirds
Ladybirds are mostly an easily identifiable group of beetles and everyone is familiar with the 7-spot which will be emerging from hibernation during the warmer days of March. There is an invasive species which can resemble the 7-spot, and that is now common in Rushcliffe; the Harlequin Ladybird is about the same size but very variable. Both the 7-spot and the Harlequin are voracious predators of greenfly but the latter is undesirable as it resorts to eating other ladybirds when the greenflies have gone. They have spread rapidly across
There are 46 species in
Swallows
Forty or so years ago, during autumn, the overhead telegraph wires around Keyworth were often shoulder to shoulder with hundreds and hundreds of Swallows and House Martins gathered together and preparing to migrate. Nowadays even a dozen is notable and this must be a reflection of the decline in the availability of aerial insects – their sole food. Farmyards certainly seem far tidier and even sterile, compared to how they once were. Although their numbers are down, their reliability to return here from their wintering grounds seems undiminished and between now and the beginning of May almost all breeding sites will be occupied – usually by the same pair as previously. Whilst Blackcaps and Chiffchaffs only move as far south as southern Europe and North Africa, with many lingering here all winter, the Swallow’s winter stronghold is in South Africa, and yet the strategy of migration is a risky balance – negotiating sea crossings and the Sahara Desert sees lots of casualties and it’s a two-way journey. Most cross the narrow point of the
May 2009
Wildlife Gardening
Our gardens have the potential to be marvellous refuges, not just for us, but for wildlife too. As in many nature reserves, it is the diversity of habitat that ensures a variety of species will find it to their liking and if they can be designed to resemble miniature versions of their natural habitat then so much the better. The space available determines how much variety can be incorporated but the most immediate benefits can be had from a pond and even a small one may quickly attract, frogs and newts. If not too shaded, a closer look will reveal a diverse assortment of crustaceans, such as daphnia and cyclops. Dragonflies and damselflies will visit and may breed and it will always double up as a bird bath. Planting with native species is a golden rule but there are many plants that give year round benefits and ivy, given space to flower and fruit is one of the best. Holly Blue butterflies lay their summer eggs on the tips of the buds, the flowers in October pull in Red Admirals and a humming bevy of hover flies and honey bees. Then in March, the berries provide for thrushes and perhaps Blackcaps whilst in April it gives a secure nest site for Blackbirds. Next on design options, might be an untidy corner incorporating a log pile (for beetles and fungi) an open compost heap which a grass snake might like for a warm hibernaculum or a border with nectar-rich flowers to invite the summer butterflies (honeysuckle may even entice a Humming-bird Hawkmoth). There are many options that can be incorporated to create a pleasing variety of aspects and seasonal interest and although a wildlife garden is not maintenance-free, they generally benefit from a policy of minimal intervention: It’s just as well, as the free time can be spent taking pleasure from watching those sharing it with you.
Take a look at http://www.wildlifetrusts.org/?section=gardening
Even the 99p nets from toy shops will serve the purpose providing they are treated gently. The technique is to tip the strained contents into a white dish (an old ice-cream container will do) containing a couple of inches of water. Wait for any silt to settle and the creatures should soon be detectable by their movements. The Field Studies Council produce some inexpensive waterproof guides to aid identification and different ponds and stream will turn up different creatures because of the varying pH, oxygen levels and chemistry.
And yes, I did notice the pun!
August 2009
Hedges
Most of the hedges that we see around the south Notts countryside were set out by surveyors at the time of the enclosures. Various parishes were converted from the open field systems to the pattern we see today at different times during the late 18th century. Keyworth for example was enclosed in 1791. There are some hedges dating back to a period before then and careful inspection of maps or aerial photos for the less straight boundaries give a clue to these. Hooper’s rule is a system for dating hedges based on the number of
woody species in the hedge over a random 30 yard length. So,
if a hedge has hawthorn, elder and field maple it would be 3x110 = 330 years old (approximately!) and the rule seems to hold true when tested against documentary evidence.
Our enclosure hedges, being around 200 years old now would have died off long ago had their longevity not been prolonged through the traditional management practice of hedge-laying which promotes new growth from the old rootstocks. An unmanaged hedge develops gaps and will eventually become unsuitable for laying and would need to be coppiced. With so few farm labourers at work today, hedge-laying has become a rare indulgence for farmers without grant aid where previously it was a job for the winter months when other work was slack. As well as revitalising the hedge, laying provides a dense barrier which provides perfect shelter for many nesting birds whereas an annually flayed, open, hedge
provides neither nesting sites nor berries for their winter sustenance.
September 2009
Oaks
There are two native species of Oak tree in Rushcliffe, though the Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea) is naturally more typical of north-western
Harvest Mice
Harvest Mice have been a pet interest of mine since I was introduced to them at Fairham Brook nature reserve at
In the wild they are known to have a very brief life expectancy and a boom and bust population cycle. In some years I find little or no evidence of successful breeding and in others I find nests in most suitable habitat, including field margins, lane verges and marshes, but the one thing they seem to depend on, at least locally, is rank grassland growing up through stiff herbage such as bramble.
On November 29th I’ll be searching for their nests at
November 2009
Deer
There are seven species of deer in the
Seeing deer from a distance, as is usually the case, they seem much bigger than they really are; Red Deer stand about four feet high at the shoulders and Roe deer about three feet. However, our other wild Rushcliffe Deer, the Muntjac, is just eighteen inches and seems hardly bigger than a Hare. It was introduced from
There are thought to be more deer in
With Christmas approaching, a mention of Reindeer seems appropriate:
There is now a feral herd in
The Holly and the Ivy
The Holly and the Ivy and their pagan associations with Christmas have a much deeper meaning for one of our prettiest butterflies. The Holly Blue is the “blue” butterfly that you are most likely to see in your garden; the only other blue butterfly around Rushcliffe is the Common Blue which is found mainly on short-cropped lime grassland and poorly vegetated railway tracks where its food plants, mainly members of the pea family grow.
Holly Blues have good years and bad (like most butterflies) and they may not appear for a few years, here in Rushcliffe, before re-colonising. These fluctuations are believed to be caused by a parasitic wasp which lays its eggs in the Holly Blue larva, its sole host. The adult wasp emerges from the butterfly pupa.
Holly Blues are unique among British butterflies in having different food plants for their two generations. If the attentions of the wasp have been avoided, the adult (or imago) emerges from the over-wintered pupa in April and can be on the wing until June. This generation lays its eggs on Holly and these result in the late-summer generation which is on the wing from July into August. These imagos lay eggs on the tips of developing Ivy flowers. Whereas the spring pupal stage lasts only a few weeks, the autumn equivalent spends seven months or so near the foot of the Ivy before emerging.
The adult is a spotted pastel blue beneath and is less brilliant blue above than the Common Blue.
January 2010
Gulls in Rushcliffe
“Seagulls” as they are often called are not as similar as this group term implies. It is quite easy to see five species of gull in Rushcliffe in the winter and some of them spend very little time at sea. By far the most common is the Black-headed Gull and this is also the smallest of the regulars with red legs, and in winter, a dark smudge behind the eye that is all that remains of its breeding plumage, chocolate-brown hood. Next up in size is the Common Gull which is superficially similar to the still larger Herring Gull. The latter is the noisy frequenter of coastal caravan parks and promenades and in Rushcliffe these spend time around recreation grounds and arable fields. Lesser Black-backed Gulls are the same size as Herring but have a dark blackish back and upper wings, and yellow, rather than pink legs, whilst the biggest of the lot, the Great Black-backed, has a wing span of over 1.5m and is blacker above than most Lessers. I say most because there are different races of Lesser and now also of Herring Gull being identified locally with some of these races being “split” into defined species.
So, we now have Yellow-legged Gull to look out for and there is always the possibility for the more persistent bird-watcher of finding the arctic “white-winged” species, Glaucous and Iceland Gull, the migrant Little Gull and a wind-blown Kittiwake!
Perhaps “Seagull” is easier after all!
Trees in Rushcliffe
There are around 30 native tree species in Rushcliffe and on farmland Ash and Oak predominate. These, along with Elms, were planted or grew up along the enclosure hedges that are now around 200 years old. Elms still exist in the hedgerows and grow into tall bushes before being stricken with Dutch Elm disease once more, only for suckering re-growth to return. Hedgerow elms are mainly English Elm whilst Wych Elm is more a woodland species and is common in Old Wood at Bunny, the Nottinghamshire Wildlife Trust’s reserve on the A60, where mature Wild Cherries grow too. Hornbeam is not common but can be found along wooded margins near Gotham and Widmerpool for example, whilst mature specimens of Beech are a lovely feature on the Belvoir escarpment at Barkestone Wood (just across the county boundary). Willows and Sallows dominate in the wetter areas along with Alder and Aspen around Holme Pierrepont. Native lime trees are not common and one must cross borough boundaries into Ashfield to find good numbers of mature Small and Large-leaved Lime. Scots Pine, though native to the UK has not grown naturally here since the establishment of warm conditions after the retreat of the last great ice advance. The Yew is peculiar in being an evergreen that bears berries rather than cones. Ancient specimens exist in some churchyards.
There are far better botanists than me out there and I for one would love to see our native trees mapped and recorded. Such a map would, I think show Wild Service Tree and Native Black Poplar to be the scarcest. Perhaps someone would take up the challenge.
Garden Moth Survey
The Garden Moth Survey, which has been running since 2007 aims to pull together the data recorded by hundreds of moth enthusiasts throughout the land. In 2009 there was a push to get more “moth-ers” involved from the east midlands and there were over a dozen of us who contributed. The beauty of garden mothing is twofold: One it’s dead easy – just switch the trap on before dusk and rummage through it in the morning. Two it’s dead exciting because you never know what it might contain.
Moths have a reputation for being dowdy and annoying and there are some that are just that. Unfortunately, the results of the GMS show that the most frequent visitors to the garden traps fall into this category with the most common being Heart & Dart followed by Large Yellow Underwing and it is number nine on the list before anything obviously not dowdy appears; the Brimstone moth (as you might expect) is bright yellow and very pretty – “like a butterfly” many will say. There are so many species of moth; many thousands in Britain alone, compared to the 70 or so British butterflies that it is inevitable that there is greater variety and yes, some moths are stunningly beautiful with even the tiniest worth a closer look through a hand lens. For it’s not just in colour and pattern that they vary – the biggest moth I get in my garden has a wingspan of nearly 120mm (4¾ inches) and the tiniest is just 4mm
Let me know if you would like to join in with the GMS but otherwise look out for events being arranged on May 15th as this is the 2010 National Moth Night.
Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers
The county’s society for all serious birdwatchers (though there’s lots to interest the garden twitcher too) was formed in East Bridgford in 1935 and was known as the Trent Valley Birdwatchers until it changed its name to Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers to reflect what had long been the true extent of the society’s interest. Austin Dobbs was the county recorder and driving force for many years and he edited “The Birds of Nottinghamshire” published in 1975. Mr Dobbs also has the distinction of seeing a Nighthawk (a vagrant from N. America) from his home village of Bulcote.
Now is the time of year to be brushing up those song identification skills and getting out and about to see the summer migrants as they arrive and establish territories in Rushcliffe. One of the easiest songsters to identify is the Nightingale but you will be very lucky to hear one: Mr Dobbs’s book estimates 50 to 100 pairs nested in the county at the time of publication whilst the latest information to hand (courtesy of the above society’s Annual Report for 2007) shows that there were then perhaps two to three pairs in an area in the north of the county. But you don’t need to travel too far to hear the “light-winged Dryad of the trees” (as Keats wrote) for there is a “melodious plot” on the Hambleton peninsular at Rutland Water.
Joining the “Nottts Birders” gets you annual and monthly reports, local and more adventurous outings, talks and social events and, importantly, good company too. Their website is www.nottsbirders.net.
November 2008
January 2009
Bird Ringing
Amongst the bountiful information contained in The Natural History of Selborne is the reference to a duck (species unspecified) that was shot in England in the winter of 1708-09 and that bore a silver collar bearing the arms of the King of Denmark. This was proof for Gilbert White that birds can cross the
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
June 2009
Pond Dipping
Children love going pond-dipping and if the truth be known so do grown-ups. The fun is a bit like that from tombola; not knowing what might come out next.Since water is essential to life, and water is where life first life began, it is not all that surprising that there is such richness, both in diversity and numbers in a jar-full of unpolluted pond water. A 10x hand lens or, better still, a low power microscope is needed to see the smaller creatures clearly; such as Cyclops and Daphnia, but there are many easily observed beetles including of course, the backswimmers and Great Diving Beetle and even a spider, Argyroneta,
that spends most of its time submerged - in a bubble of air that it collects from time to time. It is also called the Diving-bell Spider. One of the more common creatures is the freshwater shrimp, gammarus, which swims on its side, but the three-tailed mayfly larvae should also be present. Perhaps the most spectacular are the nymphs of the dragonflies and damselflies which are all aquatic prior to their climb up an emergent plant stem and their metamorphosis into the jewelled aerial form.
July 2009
Grass
Grass, to many people means a lawn, and to gardeners it can also be both a pestilential weed and a specimen, variegated plant. To most people, including most naturalists, grasses are so similar, with some exceptions, that they are carefully avoided and left to specialist botanists with a dissecting kit and a microscope. Yet those who lived off the land, throughout the middle ages, knew their grasses intimately, without resource to books, because the different kinds, and their unique qualities, meant making or losing a living.
And they really can be very beautiful and diverse if the right places are looked at. Sadly, the ubiquitous Rye grass and roadside False-oat Grass dominate most of our despoiled grassy areas, but Keyworth Meadow is a great place for spotting relatively natural meadow or pasture grasses. With a little practice and reference to basic picture guides, the soft, downy Yorkshire Fog and the coarse, stiff Cocksfoot are easily distinguished, but then Timothy and Meadow Foxtail resemble each other and to tell these apart with confidence, a good botanical key and a lot of practice is needed. The flowers are fascinating in themselves and have a whole new vocabulary to describe the components accurately but grasses are another field of natural history where specialisation will pay dividends and surveys will reveal new distributions and tell a lot about the geology and soil condition.
October 2009
December 2009
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010