Wildlife Reports for December 2005

Trevor Rippingale The Street, has regular visits from both Green and Great Spotted woodpeckers to his garden. A Green Woodpecker nested in a greengage tree in his garden a few years ago.   A Badger also visited the garden at dusk in August.
Ken Turner returning home on 18th November at dusk saw a Barn Owl north of Mounts Farm Shalford Road.   This is probably the same bird previously reported by Robert Buchnall around Saling airfield. It does not seem to have found a mate yet. Ken on visiting Rayne Hall also saw a Pigeon’s nest with young.   In previous years we have had them nest in December in our garden.   I know of no other bird in this country that tries to reproduce over such a long period of time.
Jim Gepp saw a Little Egret on Pods Brook on the 20th of November, possibly one of the same birds as last year.
Genie Embury and her husband, School Road had a close view of a Sparrow Hawk when it collided with a porch window when in hot pursuit of a Chaffinch.   The dazed Sparrow Hawk with its wings outstretched stood over the distressed Chaffinch.   After about 20 minutes the Sparrow Hawk had started to recover and was considering starting his meal but when Genie opened their window it rapidly departed leaving the Chaffinch.   The Chaffinch surprisingly also recovered over a period of two hours and eventually also departed.   Sparrow Hawks often come to grief usually suffering broken wings when they dive into hedges after their prey.   I am surprised that the Chaffinch escaped as often they die of shock and if a Sparrow Hawk strikes its prey there is little hope of survival.
Wendy Moss Kidder Road, had a family of six Long Tailed tits on her bird table feeding on crushed nuts and seed.   Wendy also comments that having removed the roof from their bird table they have had more birds visiting.
Pat Hoath has made the suggestion that the bird seen last month by Sid James might have been a European Bee Eater.   It is certainly the only bird I know of in this country with a ‘bright sky blue breast’ but does not have a particularly short tail.   A pair did try and nest in this country this year I believe it was in Staffordshire.   Has anybody else seen this bird in the area?
Andy Goodey has sent me some interesting sightings of Buzzards in Essex after I wrote about them in October.  There were at least 18 pairs recorded in Essex this year and possibly 21.   Many were successful in rearing young.   One pair was in a parish very near to Rayne.   A sighting by a farmer in the same Parish in mid August was of 16 Buzzards all sitting on the ground.   They would appear to be more numerous than I suspected in Essex.

Last month I said that the migrant Blackbirds had not arrived in our garden but on the 18th a flock of over 20 male migrants descended on our Sea Buckthorn and cleared the berries.   The other migrants the Fieldfares and Redwings have only just started on our fallen apples, they have obviously found more nutritious feeding up till now.   Mark Giles saw a Badger by Greenacres, Shalford Road during the very frosty spell we had.   They have crossed the road at this point for many years, their path then heads across towards the school playing field where they probably look for worms on the grass.   An area under a blue cedar in our garden has been rooted over by what looks like a herd of wild boar but is in fact badgers probably looking for some invertebrates.   One of Syl’s volunteers at the Phyllis Curry reserve had a male Common Darter dragonfly sitting on his knee at lunchtime on the 17th another indication of the mild weather.   I will not chance fate by making any further comment on the mild weather.   If we do get snow, frost or wet mud this winter look at the ground for tracks, you will be surprised at the number of animals we coexist with in this parish.

Roger Jiggins 01376 324 311 or r.jiggins@btconnect.com