Familiar December Frosts

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

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HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Our last meet for 2017 was on Sunday 17th December. The morning was frosty, remaining cold but with rain later in the day. So far this winter, frosts have been far more numerous and terrain conditions remain good. Rainfall has increased, gradually replenishing water supplies to reservoirs and rivers but without snowfall which would chill the river water.

The relatively warm temperature of the river water here attracts wildlife, especially birds, which may struggle in other locations to find unfrozen, running water and aquatic life.

The unfrozen river banks remain muddy, attracting thrushes, robins and wrens - and Little Egrets which arrived here earlier in the month when temperatures started to fall on the coast, their usual habitat.  Great spotted woodpecker, nuthatch, robins, dunnocks, blue and great tits and house sparrows were some of the birds seen and heard on the morning of our meet.

Many riverbank fruits and berries have now been plucked by hungry winter migrants making their way along the river course but some will be left until the weather becomes severe, typically Dog rose hips and Guelder rose berries. Ivy berries are often missed by humans but  
birds can spot them as they ripen from green to dark charcoal-grey.

These rose hips looked at their best in early October but still remain

to be eaten, highly visible on the bare branches over the river banks.