A Frosty Start - the first Meet of 2022 January 30th

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

January 30th 2022 started cold and frosty, remaining bright all day with a fresh SW breeze. The river was low after little rainfall over the previous weeks. This revealed the presence of some long-submerged trolleys together with some more recent ones. Fortunately conditions were good and they could be reached from the river banks. It was a successful morning, with five bags of rubbish, a traffic cone and four supermarket trolleys collected.

Birds were singing loudly, with Great Ts calling although no match for the Robins and Dunnocks . There were very good views of a Nuthatch calling from a bare tree.

The mature Oaks were the last large trees to looses their

leaves but fresh new leaf buds appeared even before the old leaves had fallen.

By 20th January this Oak had lost its old leaves and the new leaf buds were

growing well. Will there be acorns this year? It's too soon to tell.

December, the last meet of 2021 - and a look back

Our Meet on 19th December 2021 took place on a very misty morning but there was a good turnout with plenty to do. Song Thrushes were now singing after a long silence over the autumn. Robins, wrens, and Dunnock were heard too. A Little Egret was seen early on over the river, brilliant white even in the mist.

Looking back it seems that the brief summer was a long time ago - a short season, here one day and gone the next, no endless days with gradual mellowing of fruits and ripening berries. The fruit trees all did well but at different times, as intended.

The fruits of late August. 

Note that there are plenty more in the background, on other trees, at different stages of ripening. The weather then became cooler and cloudy but in September became hot again.

The contrasts continued with sighings of hardy dragonflies such as Common Darters and butterflies such as Red Admirals continuing  activity late into the year. Perhaps this will be the future pattern, with larger swings from hot to cold and cold to hot throughout the year....

November - Autumn leaves at last!

A brilliant turnout on a brilliant day - our meet on Sunday 28th November 2021 took place on a fine sunny day but cold, with patches of ice in places. The sun had brought out the birds which lost no time in foraging rapidly through the trees, where even the oaks were losing leaves now.

Most leaves on this tough old oak were turning yellow  and some 

very small leaf buds were appearing but there was no sign of any acorns.

Fallen leaves did not pose a problem for the group. Left where they fall, 

leaves provide habitat for insects and protect the ground underneath

from frost and ice. Most birds and small mammals instinctively 

throw leaves aside, scrabble and dig underneath in order to uncover

insects and spiders, a rich source of food.

The group, including very welcome visitors, went for the worst areas for litter and discarded rubbish

and made short work of the task whilst two of the group continued with the ongoing survey of possible candidates for the ancient and veteran tree inventory in the district. Plans are being made for the planting of more hedgerow trees in the late winter to fill existing gaps.

 

October - Extreme Weather on our meet

October 31st 2021, the day of our meet, demonstrated what we could call extreme weather here in Sussex. The torrential rain and sudden squalls only lasted whilst our meet lasted and as soon as we had finished, the weather cleared - but the rain was continuous whilst it lasted, starting early in the morning. Those who decided to attend were soaked but collected a considerable amount of litter despite the conditions.

Birds and mammals made themselves invisible with a frog and three Magpies the only sightings.

The mornings torrential rain did not result in any 'river out of bank' incidents here - the drainage basins and ponds had collected more rainwater about ten days previously which had quickly soaked away.

The sight of butterflies in the autumn is quite often a surprise but Red Admirals are always an exception in this area where mature Ivy plants form part of the hedgerows:

A Red Admiral butterfly basking on a late bramble leaf amongst 

a late patch of nettles. Their large wings can effectively absorb heat 

from the sun even on winter days.

Here in Sussex Red Admirals have been seen on almost every day of the year.

This year to date Red Admirals have been seen in November on almost every sunny day, the latest so far having been seen on 16th November after a clear frosty morning.

September ends with sudden changes

 The day of our meet - 26th September 2021 was rather sombre with dark clouds keeping light levels low and not much leaf fall yet. Despite this robins were now singing, only short songs and 'chinks' some loud and assertive. Contact-calling Chiffchaffs could still be heard too, mingling with other small birds in Oaks and Field Maples. This years tree planting of Hawthorns and Hazels is doing well in the gaps and vegetation growth in general has exceeded all expectations with flowering plants attracting many insects throughout the summer:

Fleabane flowers have been abundant this year, attracting Small Copper 

butterflies mostly in warm grassland areas. They can still be seen in October, given fine 

dry autumn weather. These strong fliers are small and are not seen in large numbers.

All butterflies need shelter in bad weather therefore their habitat is exceptionally important,

with a diversity of grasses and wild flowers, bank vegetation, wild fruits and sunny gravel areas too.

Work for the day was completed before the sun appeared in the afternoon but this was not to last with wind and torrential rain following that night. That's typical of autumn and a trigger for the last migrant birds to leave. The river water levels had been steadily declining so it was good to see some rain at last. 

High Summer Meet in August

 Our Meet on 22nd August 2021was held on a bright, warm, sunny and humid day more typical of summer than our July meet, but with rainclouds hovering in the wings, ready to displace the sun at any minute. Wildlife is adapting to what is likely to be a short summer and butterflies are no exception. It has been good to see so many Gatekeepers about at last but they have a short flight time and are usually scarce by the end of August. They are an indicator of healthy ecology where hedgerows are allowed to grow old and strong with a good diversity of native species bordering wild meadows. They can often be seen chasing other species of butterflies which invade their territory along a hedge.

Gatekeeper butterfly (Pyronia tithonus) with another in the background, nectaring with many other small insects.

Butterflies, Dragonflies and other insects together with amphibians and small mammals keep the riverside active whilst birds are mostly still quietly hiding.  Robins will soon break the silence....

The July Storm

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

Our Meet yesterday - Sunday 25th July 2021 was one of uncertainties - will anyone brave the elements or will it be completely washed out?  If not - what will we find ? 

As it happened the rain had lessened somewhat before 09.00, encouraging some of us to set out early, only to experience a downpour on setting out. This time the massive oaks did not provide much shelter, the direct downward weight of the rain overcoming canopies in full leaf. We continued nevertheless with the rain turning to light drizzle and abating for almost two hours. By the time the rain started again, we had finished, There has been far less rubbish to collect  so far this summer than last year.  The weather  took a turn for the worse in the afternoon when the area took a direct hit from a torrential rainstorm followed by a close thunderstorm. This drifted away gradually threatening to return several times. As soon as the rain struck, birds had retreated to cover and stayed put until well after the thunderclouds had gone. Woodpigeons were the exception, some flying out from the trees undeterred.

As there was no wind, damage was only done by the weight of the rain battering down grasses and more fragile plants and leaves.

The next morning after the rain, on Monday 26th July 2021:

One of the embankment fruit trees bearing a good crop

of undamaged fruit  with many weeks to go before they will be ripe.

The embankment grasses were somewhat flattened by the rain but recovering and drying out, with Gatekeeper butterflies attending, attracted by thistle and Senecio jacobaea flowers.

These butterflies also patrol the Hornbeam hedgerows keeping to the sunny side.