Winter bites and delays the spring

Signs of Spring were put on hold when a freezing cold wind blew in from the east during the week before our meet on 25th February 2018.   Overnight frost had made the ground hard and the bitter ENE wind quickly dried out any remaining damp. As the conditions were less muddy and slippery, it was possible to haul out two 'For Sale' signs from the Arun where the banks are steep. Some of us could remember winters here when snowdrifts piled up against our doors and the river actually froze over in parts and desolately bare banks offered no shelter for wildlife. This time the river was flowing well and the sun shone. Birds were singing - it was very good to hear greenfinches joining the song thrushes and robins.  Snow fell the following day but most of it was blown away and over the coming days the area escaped the heavy snowfalls experienced elsewhere.

OAK buds forming on an old oak on the river bank

on 16th February 2018 give the outer branches of the whole tree a reddish tinge.

and on the same day, the first snowdrops appear on the river bank,

the flowers not yet open. Last years dry grasses and leaves form

shelter for wildlife all along the banks, and plenty of acorns lie hidden here.

A Mild and Muddy End to January 2018

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 28th January 2018 was again very productive after the Christmas break. The weather was very mild but overcast and damp with river banks very muddy after several days of rain when the water level had risen considerably - but was now receding. The river was still flowing fast and muddy.

At the end of our meet it was good to look up from the pile of bags of rubbish we had collected and see one of the first and certain signs of spring:

Long Hazel catkins forming lambs' tails, with tiny red flowers at the base where, in early autumn,  young green hazelnuts will form. Most will be devoured by wildlife without fully ripening as they usually form well before acorns and other nuts - and taste sweeter too.

The shopping trolley was not the easiest item to be hauled up from a deep, muddy and fast-running river. 

Familiar December Frosts

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 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.

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.