Wildlife Report for February 2006

Lloyd Brown, Brunwin Road saw a male Blackcap in his garden on several occasions at the beginning of January.  He also had one of my favourite birds, a Goldcrest in his garden.
Danny Bacon and the original reporter Adrian Hastings have both seen the Red Kite in the Pods Brook valley near Mounts Farm.  Robert Bucknall has since reported a second bird.  Adrian has asked why the area on the ordinance survey map is labelled Chapel Hill.  Any suggestions please let me know.
Ken Turner walking the hedge line from Pods Brook to Panfield flushed a Woodcock.  They are winter visitors to the Parish but are rarely seen.  When I used to shoot, a wood just outside the Parish often showed up to five or six birds.  The owner never allowed them to be shot though they are a legitimate quarry species.  I once had one land about 2m from me and we both eyed each other for several minutes before the woodcock flew off.  Their camouflage is superb and it often needs a dog to cause them to take flight.

Harold Giles saw three Buzzards near Old Hall and his son Mark saw Fallow deer near the Duckend Green allotments.  One night when in bed I heard a Muntjac deer very close and the next day found tracks within 10m of the house.  Syl who was probably nearly asleep thought it was a fox, no wonder it is known as the Barking deer as it sounds similar to a fox with a sore throat.  Robert Bucknall has seen a total of seven Roe deer in the Pods Brook valley in one evening and Adrian Hastings had a daytime sighting of two.  Now our garden has a deer fence round it I enjoy reporting their presence but as they become more habituated to humans then I suspect few gardens in the village will be safe from these mobile grazers.
Steve Jones waiting at the Swan traffic lights counted 17 Blackbirds on the fallen apples in the nearby garden.  It must be an indication of the good harvest of wild fruit that the apples have lasted into January this year, normally they are cleared by the middle of November.
Robert Bucknall had four Wrens that roosted at night in an old nest in a hay shed, the national record is over 60, I believe it was in a wooden box.  Surviving cold nights is difficult for very small birds.  In other countries some have evolved to slow their metabolism down and go into torpor at nights but they all need to become active and continue feeding the next day.  Robert has also seen a second Barn owl on our Parish boundary with Saling.  A breeding pair, we will have to wait and see.

At the beginning of February Phil Monk reported a Ring Necked Parakeet and soon after my wife Syl saw it and then Andy Goodey.   It’s always nice to report a first for the parish but this bird was a cage bird escape originally and has been breeding in London for many years.  It is now expanding its range in southeastern England.  It is considered a pest in parts of India and sub tropical Africa from where it originated.  I imagine that in the future we will regret having it as it competes for nesting holes with native birds and starts eating crops.  Like most members of the parrot family it can form large and very noisy night time roosts
Andy Goodey also reports a small flock of Meadow Pipits on the meadows by the Rookery ponds, which are near the old railway station.  A mixed flock of Goldfinches and Siskins have also been present round the Rookery ponds.  I have had numerous reports of Goldfinches throughout the Parish in recent years.  When I was young they were uncommon.  I only ever found one Goldfinch nest in my childhood and I can even remember which Hawthorn bush it was in.

Syl heard what sounded like a Great Spotted Woodpecker but found instead a Great Tit pecking at the entrance hole to a nest box apparently trying to enlarge it.  As it was already 32mm it must have been an overweight tit.
I have left to last one of the best reports of the month.  There is a road culvert about 30 m in length along Shalford Road, it has a 225mm (9ins) pipe.  Most of the winter and late autumn there has been a pile of dry grass outside both ends of the pipe.  It would appear that at least two badgers are using the pipe to sleep in one entering from each end.  I have not mentioned it before and by the time you read this, the rains will have started and the badgers will have left for drier quarters.  One night at about 10.30pm Mark Giles was walking along the road and looked down into the ditch and there was a badger.  It had just emerged from what must be very cramped quarters and was grooming itself with its front paws.  It then rolled over onto its back and started grooming its belly.  It was totally unaware of Mark and after about 5minutes Mark continued home.  The badger had been only about 3–4m from him but because of the wind direction was still unaware of the audience.  Please keep sending the reports.

Roger Jiggins 01376 324 311