River Robins

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT  IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To Find Nature Notes and records for wildlife here, click on:

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

Our meet on Sunday 26th November 2017, on a very fine winter's day, warmer in the sun after a frosty start, produced a varied haul of rubbish and items including a broken spade and even a kitchen sink. As soon as these were offloaded for collection, a robin immediately came to inspect them, remaining for a considerable time, foraging for insects and spiders.

The robin found plenty of food here during a very careful search.

If the pile had been left until the spring, the robin may even have chosen it as a suitable site

to build a nest…

The river at the end of November, after the gales had blown most 

of the leaves away. The banks here are popular with robins and wrens.

Oaks and Hazels still in leaf

An area of high pressure moved in during the last days of October, bringing some welcome cool, fresh and sunny weather.  Sunday 29th October, the day of our meet, was less humid but fine with scattered cloud, good conditions for observing the progress of autumn.

Looking directly upwards, A Hazel tree still with 

brilliant yellow leaves under the huge canopy of an old Oak tree,

also retaining most of its leaves.

Hazel nuts were the first to appear months ago and were soon plucked by

wildlife whilst still unripe - but the oak still held acorns in less

accessible branches. 

Both oak and hazel trees provide welcome shelter from autumn storms,  their leaves forming warm sunlit perches for late butterflies and dragonflies. Holes, broken branches and tangled roots provide roosting and winter nesting places for birds and small mammals.

With most other leaves falling, it was easier for our group to spot  discarded items which had previously remained hidden from sight, amongst them a bicycle and a folding chair, retrieved before winter floods carry them off downstream.

Darters, Hawkers and Admirals

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

TO FIND NATURE NOTES AND RECORDS FOR WILDLIFE CLICK ON:

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

Our Meet yesterday on 24th September 2017 was very productive, the main activities being hauling out yet another bicycle from the river Arun and a car tyre from the brook and other fly-tipped items from the river bank, well hidden amongst this years splendid wild flower and plant growth, now beginning to die back but with dry Teasel flower heads standing proud, attracting goldfinches.

There have been record numbers of late summer dragonflies and butterflies this year, with Common Darters being the most common dragonfly, followed by Southern Hawkers. Large numbers of Speckled Wood butterflies are still flying, with leisurely gliding Red Admirals  brightening the riverside.

A perfect perch - a wooden fence rail warmed by the sun also attracts flies

 - easy prey for this Common Darter (Sympetrum striotum)

Riverside Pond vegetation has done well this year, with sufficient 

rainfall to prevent it drying out. It forms a sheltered warm habitat

for amphibians as well as dragonflies throughout the summer,

with Purple Loosestrife attracting bees.

Autumn on the way

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and records for wildlife, click on

HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Our scheduled meet for August took place on Sunday 20th August but  there was more for us to do on Thursday 31st August. The weather on both days was autumnal, typically unpredictable, with no knowing how high or low the rivers might be running, making advanced planning difficult.  On 31st two supermarket trolleys were hauled up from the river Arun. A bicycle and a traffic cone were added to the haul. The riverside was bright with some trees already showing autumnal colours and poplars already losing their leaves.

A late summer butterfly - the Comma (Polygonia c-album), 

nectaring on the footbridge self-sown Buddleia, the only one. 

The area provides a warm sunny patch popular with
 bees, dragonflies and butterflies.

Yet another trolley hauled out of the river Arun
where the river banks are steep and slippery.

Fine rain at the end of July

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and records for wildlife, click on 

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

young Malus

Ripening Hawthorn berries

Guelder Rose berries

Fruits and berries for wildlife have done well here this year

Fortunately the heatwave was followed by several days of light rain which prevented the fruits from drying out.

Overnight rain cleared in time for our meet on Sunday 30th July 2017 which turned into a warm and sunny day. The river was slightly higher and faster flowing and fortunately held no trolleys, garden furniture or bicycles this month, although plenty of wayside litter was collected up.

Our work was accompanied this morning by a singing song thrush.

Butterfly Bonanza

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and Records for Wildlife - click on 

HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Comma butterfly (Polygonia c-album) amongst the brambles with

half-closed wings

It was cloudy and cooler on the morning of our meet on Sunday 25th June 2017 but became warm and sunny later, another fine day for butterflies. Despite dry weather the riverside vegetation was still green and formed a perfect place for Comma butterflies and Banded Demoiselle damselflies to warm up

as soon as the day brightened. Later in the year Commas will feed on over-ripe blackberries before finding a place to hibernate on a sheltered branch or tree trunk in a wooded area. 

See Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation for more butterflies and other wildlife along the river.

May rains refresh the river

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and records for wildlife here, click on

HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

By the time we held our May meet on 21st May, the river level was falling again after some good rainfall on previous days. Before then,  special work was needed to remove a substantial amount of fly-tipped items that had appeared in the Arun, and extra work was needed to mulch the young trees to prevent the earth drying out on the embankment.

The haul from the river (at that stage still running low) included one office chair, two supermarket trolleys, two bicycles, one motorised scooter, one trampoline and one plastic garden chair:

Fresh from the River Arun

The bicycles and trolleys were hauled from the water in near-working order!

Despite the rubbish, wildlife was doing well, with butterflies, dragonflies, frogs and birds all thriving.

(see link to local wildlife above).

April - and Bees are at Work

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and records for Wildlife here, click on:

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

Our April Meet on Sunday 23rd was accompanied by the drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, a large variety of singing birds, both residents such as robins, blackbirds and song thrushes and recent migrant warblers such as chiffchaffs - and the buzzing of bees….

 Bees were hard at work gathering pollen and nectar - this is a Honeybee Apis mellifera feeding

on Crab Apple blossom

Wild flowers are allowed to grow under the trees to attract as many

pollinators to the area as possible even before the blossom 

is out so that they move onto the blossom as soon as it appears.

Spring Blossoms on the Riverside

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and records for Wildlife here, click on

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

Today, 26th March 2017,  was the first day of British Summer Time - a fine spring day after a cold start.

Conditions on our Meet were very good for a change and the dull winter landscape lit up by profuse Blackthorn blossom, which was quite scarce this time last year.

An avalanche of Blackthorn blossom spills over the river bank, attracting a diverse range of early insects and foraging birds, some now busy nesting.

Today was the first day that butterflies were seen in numbers, with Peacock butterflies most numerous, warming up in the sun on the sheltered river bank with Small Tortoiseshell butterflies, near the prime butterfly caterpillar habitat - young nettles - where they will choose to lay their eggs.

It was good too to see clumps of Cuckoo flower (Ladies Smock) on the bank and - with more butterflies - in the wild field. We'll be watching out for Orange Tip butterflies later as their caterpillars need Cuckoo flower plants.

Green Woodpeckers were 'yaffling' loudly whilst we worked, both in the north area and the south, two different territories they occupy. 

The last Meet of the Winter

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and Records for Wildlife - click on

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

The weather was overcast with occasional fine rain on our meet on Sunday 26th February 2017, with much more rain forecast for later in the day. More litter and rubbish was visible now - we took the opportunity on this last meet of the winter to collect every item spotted before Spring growth takes hold. On Tuesday 1st March we tested out the possibility of using fish 'landing nets' with an expanding lightweight pole to reach out to collect things out of reach on the river and banks. The trial worked.

Many robins were singing loudly along the river, guarding their chosen territory.

 This one is perched on a Willow, with catkins just appearing on the outer branches.

Ice then Rain at the end of January

OUR AIM IS TO PROTECT OUR NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND THE HABITAT IT PROVIDES FOR WILDLIFE ALONG THE RIVERSIDE

To find Nature Notes and Records for Wildlife - click on

Hills Farm Wildlife Conservation

Our first Meet for 2017 on 29th January was busy, clearing large amounts of  rubbish and litter which had accumulated over the festive season on verges in areas frequented by people in a hurry - cyclists and joggers in the main. The river was flowing too swiftly to see if anything needed retrieving - no trolleys or bicycles were visible. The rain held off through the morning when ponds were still iced over - a normal winter's day.

The river after rain on 30th January 2017. It has not overtopped its banks yet this winter.

Unlike last winter there are no signs of spring - nor should there be - yet.

The river carries mud from the fields miles upstream.