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Country Matters September 2003
Autumn is rapidly approaching but we are unlikely to see good autumn colours this year because of the prolonged dry spell. Many trees and shrubs are showing signs of considerable stress. Leaves are dying and falling off as the trees try to reduce their water need. Unfortunately the effects of this summer will not become fully apparent until next year or even later. The run of dry summers up to year 2000 led to stag headed trees (dead and bare branches in the crown) and many deaths. The following wetter years improved the appearance of many especially the very good growing conditions at the beginning of this year. Our climate is certainly going through a period of extreme variation and the fauna and flora will have to learn to cope with the change. We are already seeing some butterflies and dragonflies expanding their range but others will suffer and in extreme cases face extinction in this country.We have had a swallow roosting on a ledge only a metre from our main door. It has grown accustomed to visitors and us and continued to sit on its ledge no matter what happened around it. Unfortunately it did not find a mate this year. It departed on the 6th Sept. on its long migration back to South Africa. It seems a very long journey to make just to breed. Will it return next year, the odds are stacked against it.
Ray Peake our grounds man who lives at Saling was woken early one morning by a commotion outside his bedroom window. There is a rose growing up a trellis and just beneath his window was a pigeon’s nest with two squabs. Looking out he saw a weasel sitting a foot away from the nest eating one of the squabs but more remarkably the adult pigeon was still sitting on the nest. Ray thought it was so traumatised and shocked by the event that it just sat there. Its more likely that it was so ‘pigeon brained’ that it flew back to the nest and the weasel would then have eventually turned its attention to it. The other squab lay dead on the ground a single bite mark on its neck. Both weasels and stoats are very agile climbers and will kill apparently just for the sport like humans.
I once visited an estate with a gamekeeper who had a pheasant release pen. The pheasants were just flying out of the pen but had not yet learnt the dangers to be faced in the real world. The previous night a stoat had killed 89 young pheasant all had a single bite mark on the neck and most had been pulled into cover. This was probably the work of a single stoat and since most of the birds weighed considerably more than the stoat an amazing achievement. The keeper however did not view it in that light. In the past keepers used to maintain trap lines to deal with predators such as stoats and weasels but they are labour intensive to run and are rarely used nowadays.
In the past I saw a part grown rabbit moving across Pods Lane. In the middle of the road it stopped moving and a weasel ran out from the other side where it had been dragging the rabbit, ran round its dinner then grabbed hold of it again and continued dragging it to the other side of the road. How a creature with a body length of about 20cm (8ins) and a weight of 150 gms (5.25 ozs), the average size for the larger male, could do this is remarkable.
I should have asked Ray what he did with the second dead squab. My grandmother always thought a roasted squab was a luxury on the dinner table. As a boy I often robbed nests of their young to take her. At an exorbitant price one can still buy farm-reared squabs to eat.
Wildlife reports for August and September
Thank you for the increasing number of reports.Paul King, Pods Lane, Green Woodpeckers always in the nursery, Badgers seen in Shalford Road. Sandra Baker, Elm Walk, 2 parrots, Judy Monk, detailed description of the parrots.
Mrs. Pearson, Capel Road, 4 parrots and 4 - 6 Budgies. These exotics have been showing off round the village. Their calls are loud and draw attention to the group. John Delderfield has identified the smaller birds as Love Birds. They are feeding at garden feeders so perhaps they may survive the winter. Can anybody identify the parrots?
Mr. Taylor, School Road, Humming Bird Hawk Moth and he also brought us a queen Hornet to identify. This was early for a queen (late Aug.). There have also been queen wasps and bumblebees as well, have they produced queens much earlier that normal. This may be a reaction to the dry spell and the difficult feeding conditions many insects are having. Neil Butler, Medley Road two Humming Bird Hawk Moths, we have now had 4 in our own poly tunnel. Reports of this insect are coming in from all over the country and it seems that this migrant has entered the country in large numbers this year. Has it bred here as well?
We had a Ruddy Shelduck on our lagoon, almost certainly an escape and a Northern Wheatear, which stayed for a day in the farmyard.
David McGregor, Church Lane, two fully-grown grass snakes. This is encouraging as I rarely get reports of these in the parish. I had a leveret only days old in our carrot bed and a fox that walked past my office window mid morning only 10 ft away. Syl had previously seen two foxes at a similar time in the garden, one carrying its lunch.
Betty Burton Duckend Green, a tree creeper on the trees in their garden.
A long report from Andy Goodey two sightings of Hobbies one over his garden in June and another over the village in August. Five Whimbrel near Pods Brook this adds to his earlier reports of the birds in the same area, Andy suggests this may be a regular migratory route for them. A pair of Yellow Wagtails on same part of the river leading to the Sunlido, they were often seen perched in the hawthorns near the Swan. They possibly bred in the parish. Up to ten singing male goldcrests in the village. We have had goldcrests breeding in or near our garden for several years yet ten years ago they were rarely reported in the parish. Along with the Firecrest it is Europe’s smallest bird but the mild winters are almost certainly responsible for an 65% increase in numbers nationally since 1994. It is not always easy to see but its song gives it away. It normally feeds and breeds in conifers. Andy reports they were often seen in only a few conifers. Mr Brunning a neighbour has a single garden conifer and they nested in that two years ago. Andy also saw Treecreepers along the Flitch Way again not good Treecreeper habitat but it may suggest they also are increasing in this area. Spotted Flycatcher along the Street near the Swan and on the Flitch Way. The pair in our farmyard nested twice and fledged eight young. The first lot were ringed let’s hope they return. Andy also records a fox on the foundry site calling most nights at 3.30am and setting his own dog off barking in return. That’s his excuse if his dog disturbed any of the neighbours! Andy like many other residents reports on the very good year for butterflies. He had 12 species on one August day on the Buddleia in the garden and in June a Clouded Yellow. He also reports a large colony of Brown Argus butterflies at Great Notley Country Park. There have been sightings of this butterfly on the Flitch Way in the past. There used to be a colony where Warner Close was built.
Andy has also had several sightings of Muntjac near Pods Lane, evidently they are still managing to avoid Paul King. Paul did say if anybody saw deer near his trees no matter what the time of day to let him know as even if he was in his pyjamas he would give chase. If any reader has the courage to do this in the early hours let me know what Pauls reaction is. It should make a good story!
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