Nature Notes for November 2009

ENVIRONMENT

The graffiti that some moron put on our beautiful memorial stone was eventually cleaned off, to think Memory has been standing there for many many years before it was ever a recreation ground, untouched. It wasn't the first time this has happened and it probably won't be the last, and isn't it sad when the bronze urns and the flag pole have to be removed as soon as the service is over.

Wed 25th Nov - graffiti mostly tags on children's slides and climbing frame, probably done early Tues evening. I photographed it and phoned pc Joe Cooper approx 2.35 pm, she said she would go and look at it. I noticed the following day there was more.

NATURE NOTES

4th November a group of fieldfares (Turdus pilaris) approx 24 flew over the recreation ground, some settled on one of the lime trees by the entrance to the Ridgeway about 7.30 am. This night flying winter migrant from Scandinavia arrives here in October with the redwing and stays with us until March, others may continue their journey to south-west France and Spain, I look out for their arrival every year.

5th Nov while walking Broadstone nature reserve with my wife and our dog Peggy we saw a beautiful male Bullfinch (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) with his bright crimson chest feeding on some late blackberries, I didn't see the female she was probably nearby they usually stay in pairs throughout the year. The long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus) are back in numbers, these cute little birds disappear during the summer to nest in the hedgerows but always come back in the autumn to feed from the many feeders we have in our garden.

6th Nov Wood pigeon also known as the Ring dove (Columba palumbus) are gathering in numbers, many arriving from the continent, preparing to strip the land of seed and the trees of berries and your bird table of food put out for the garden birds if you let them, I know they are common and classed as a pest but to hear their pleasant cooing on a warm summers day followed by a cock blackbird singing at eventide is a wonderful experience.

11th Nov 7.45 am I saw a female roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) on the reserve browsing she looked up and saw me and my wife watching her and after a while carried on feeding taking no notice of us whatsoever.

15th Nov 3.15 pm I observed half dozen Fieldfares feeding on a rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) that we have on the reserve, it's nice to see them close up with their light grey head and grey rump, chattering "schack-schack". I hope this Rowan does not get cut down, the birds I have seen feeding on its berries in winter over the years is a wonderful sight, it is a feeding station I look forward to visiting. On making my way home I watched a Sparrow hawk (Accipiter nisus) being pestered by a carrion crow, it's usually the buzzard that gets this treatment.

17th Nov 7.30am I thought I would visit the rowan to see if the fieldfares were back feeding on its berries, there wasn't any but there were several Redwing (Turdus iliacus) the first I have seen this year. Anne Jeffries told me she had some visit her garden feeding on a large holly tree and she managed to get a couple of photos, one of them I have put alongside with my notes. The redwing is smaller than the fieldfare but is recognised by its rusty red flanks seen when perched and in flight, at this rate the rowan will soon be stripped of its fruit. I decided to check the area where I saw a Roe deer on the 11th Nov and to my surprise there were three female Roe deer feeding on heather, the most I have seen on the reserve at one time. I hope they continue visiting the recreation ground but judging by the amount of dogs that are not under control and left to race about the reserve I am surprised we have any.

20th Nov while walking Broadstone nature reserve I noticed one of the wasp spiders egg vases that I recorded on October 2nd was damaged by strong wind and rain, I decided to bring it home and put it in an old aquarium I have in my greenhouse. Perhaps with a bit of luck I will see the young spiderlings vacating the vase next spring and if they do I will release them on the heath where I found them.

22nd Nov while standing on the hill that overlooks Poole to the east of the reserve I watched a pair of Sparrowhawks hunting. They disappeared into some pines scattering wood pigeon in every direction. I also discovered a new fungi I had not seen in the recreation ground before, the Jelly ear (Auricularia auricula-judae) growing on an Elder tree (Sambucus nigra).

25th Nov the rowan I mentioned earlier is now almost stripped of its berries, the few that are left were being eaten by blackbirds and a pair of Bullfinches.

Throughout November tawny owls have been calling every night, more than previous years. I put up two owl nest boxes given to me by Mark Stanaway a couple of years ago hoping they would use them but they are still vacant, I wouldn't even mind if one of our local jackdaws took possession.

P.S If you are interested in Fungi from Tuesday 3rd of November there will be a display of the Fungi of Broadstone in the library, put on by myself and Dr Pat Mathers, the display will be on show until the end of November.

Keith Clements - Parks, Nature Reserves & Heathland

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