UK Nature Blog

Fussy eaters

This blog post over at the RSPB shows examples of berry-laden bushes that have remained untouched by the wildlife over the winter. Do they just not like them? I don't know, but I too have noticed whole trees smothered in red berries and was surprised that they hadn't been scoffed. Having watched the Pyracantha being systematically stripped by blackbirds and with the bleak winter we've had I'm particularly surprised.

Frogspawn

If the buzz on Twitter is to be believed, the last couple of sunny days have got frogs in the mood and frogspawn is appearing in ponds across the UK. The link is a live search for "frogspawn" so will pick up whatever's most recently been tweeted.

Growth spurt

The weather has warmed up a bit (at least in the South) to as high as 10c during the day. Positively balmy! This, perhaps combined with all the rain, seems to have triggered a growth spurt, with lawns now needing mowing and bulbs thrusting up everywhere you look, even in beds that I could have sworn I dug over very thoroughly just 6 months ago, without finding any bulbs! Each morning on my walk to work I see gardens full of fresh green shoots so I'm looking forward to a riot of colour over the coming weeks and months.

Confused weather, confused birds

Another bout of snow for the UK, but head south by a few thousand miles and it's warmer than usual, so birds have been migrating north from Southern Europe and Africa earlier than usual. The linked article mentions this phenomenon in its last couple of paragraphs.

It also states that Bitterns are calling ('booming') for mates and Willow warblers are warbling - both months early. As far as I'm aware Bitterns don't migrate north to the UK for the summer so I don't quite understand that link, or why they reckon that snow means it's April. If you see one be sure to ask it.

Hibernating snails

I happened across a blog post today at BugBlog about hibernating snails, with a great picture that shows how they block off the opening to their shell. I've found plenty of these same large brown snails dormant around the base of the outer walls of the house, behind pipework etc.

Clearly the example in the picture above is not hibernating (I took it last may)!

Snowdrops

February begins tomorrow, which means it's time for Snowdrops. Indeed they have emerged on schedule, though the flowers haven't quite opened up yet. Some things you might not have known about Snowdrops, if the Wikipedia page is to be believed:

• Snowdrops were probably introduced to the UK by the Romans.
• The seeds are distributed by ants, and contain substances that attract them.
• In most countries it is illegal to collect Snowdrop bulbs.

Many gardens open at this time of year especially to show off their carpets of snowdrops. There is a page listing Snowdrop gardens for 2010.

Cold weather increases bittern sightings

Much has been written over the last month or so about the impact of the cold snap that we've been having in the UK on our bird life. Much of it has been fear as to the impact that the weather may have in reducing bird numbers, but it seems that the impact on bitterns is in the opposite direction.

Bitterns are generally very secretive birds that are hard to spot as they stalk through reeds looking for fish. Part of the same family as herons, they are most known for the booming sound that the male makes in the spring. 

This year's cold weather has resulted in record numbers of bittern coming to the UK from Northern Europe (where it's been even colder still) and some have also been spotted outside of their usual reed bed habitats. The white back ground and frozen water in their usual feeding places means that spottings have even come in of some being seen in people's back gardens and one sighting on top of an office block. 

Out of concern for the birds, some reserves have taken to feeding the bitterns (and herons) sprats in recent weeks as it is thought that many may not have been able to fish for themselves. Cold weather has previously resulted in reductions in the number of heron family members and wardens will be watching with interest to see how the number of bitterns changes over the next twelve months.

Little Egret

I saw this big, snowy white bird - a Little egret - as it flew over and I legged it round the corner to where it had landed in the margins of a small shallow lake. It only stayed there for about a minute before flying away, but I got a couple of good photos from afar as it stalked briefly through amongst the plants.

Its long black legs are mostly hidden in the water, as are its bright yellow feet. You also can't see any evidence of the typical long slender plume on the back of its head. Overall it's most similar to a Heron, but smaller and pure white and hard to mistake even in flight.

These birds are most numerous around the South and East coast, though it's still relatively rare (but increasing rapidly - mostly as a winter migrant) so I was fairly lucky to see this one 40 miles from the coast in Hertfordshire.

Autumnwatch: get closer to nature

It's not Autumn any more, but now the snow has cleared (well it has where I am) it's time to throw yourself back into the great outdoors. This BBC Autumnwatch page with several videos contains notes on bat tracking, wild flowers and bird ringing.

Personally I'm off wassailing tomorrow in a local orchard. Wassailing you ask? It's where you go places in a boat with no engine. Not really - I jest - it is in fact an ancient tradition to bless the forthcoming year's apple harvest. I'm not into the superstition, but it's a fun community event all the same and currently regaining in popularity in the UK.

Redwing and Fieldfare in our gardens

Many people will have noticed an influx of interesting new species of birds to their gardens since the snow fell. Partly this is because those people are at home during the day when they should be at work, and partly it's because there really are refugees from the bleak countryside coming into our gardens in search of food. It's clearly captured the imagination of the Great British public, with Snow Watch on the BBC this evening taking a good look at the exotics appearing in garden (including Woodcock) and even The Sun carrying an article with bird identification guide (glimpsed over a shoulder on the train).

Redwings in particular have been very numerous and are relatively easily identified, looking like a thrush (in fact it is a type of thrush) with a stripier head and an red/orange area beneath the wing. The photo above is a Redwing plumped up on a snowy branch.

Amongst the Redwings, look carefully and you may also see a Fieldfare (photo above) which is a bit bigger and with a slightly different paint job: bright yellow on the base of the beak, mostly grey head, dark brown shoulders and back, and of course no red blob under the wing. Fieldfares are rarer than Redwings in my garden, having only seen the first one today whilst Redwings have been ever present for the past few weeks (but even more numerous in the last few days) - so here's another photo of a Fieldfare to celebrate and to help you identify them. From this angle at a moment's glance you might think it was a female blackbird but the grey head and glimpse of more mottled belly give it away.