Birds Announce the Arrival of Spring

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

Sunday 23rd February 2020 was an overcast day with misty light rain, clearing later. There had been very strong gales overnight and it remained too windy for our banner to be displayed during our Meet, for the first time ever since it was made. The river levels had receded somewhat but the water was still flowing fast and muddy.

Despite the amount of rainfall and lack of sunshine, many birds were heard singing loudly, including wrens, dunnock, robins, nuthatch and of course song thrushes and house sparrows. Mallard duck were about and many quietly croaking common frogs were seen with growing patches of frog spawn in the sheltered margins of the ponds. It certainly looked as if spring was advancing.

The broad leaves of Wild Garlic growing strongly on the river bank, usually one of

the first signs of spring, but quickly overtaken by other plants

- the wild garlic flowering much later.

Ivy - the best for winter wildlife

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

The day of our January 2020 meet on 26th was yet another overcast day with intermittent light drizzle in the morning turning to heavy rain during the afternoon and evening, fortunately long after we had finished work. Birds were very active during the morning, with song thrushes and robins singing loudly, a moorhen active on the bank and several dunnock foraging along a verge.

Most wildlife activity however was concentrated amongst the Ivy clumps, with eager blackbirds, more song thrushes, wood pigeons, collared doves, and a few fieldfare and redwing foraging.

The attraction was the presence of ripe Ivy berries which appear 

after most of the brighter berries have long since been stripped,

with Hawthorn and Holly the first to go. Only the bright Dog Rose hips remain and those are growing far out on fragile high twigs overhanging the river. Even heavy birds can reach these dark Ivy berries which hang close to their support plants, although woodpigeons frequently tumble upside down in order to grab them. Groups of other birds such as goldfinches and house sparrows were singing from their sheltered perches in amongst the large leaves.

It is fortunate that the Ivy is retained and only removed if threatening to topple a tall tree, as it provides so many benefits to a large diversity of wildlife throughout the year.

After the Rain

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 December Meet was on Sunday 22nd December 2019. There was no rain and there was some welcome sunlight after a few days of high river levels following intermittent bursts of heavy rainfall on already saturated land.  We were able to meet at our usual place and gather a good haul of litter and rubbish despite restricted access to some floodplain areas. We are now distributing new leaflets about the Group to local residents. 

See NEXT MEET for details.

Here's our banner which is displayed where we meet off Hills Farm Lane

on the scheduled Sunday morning.

Singing in the dark and damp

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

To find out more about the wildlife here with records for every month 

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HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

The day of our  NOVEMBER Meet was on Sunday 24th 2019, a dark and damp day, rather misty but with no rain. It was very good to hear two song thrushes singing very loudly some distance apart but close enough to hear each other clearly. A nuthatch was also calling loudly from an Oak.

Looking back to this time last year - 2018 - the first date for winter-singing song thrushes was 3rd December here. Perhaps more traditional autumn weather this year has encouraged wildlife to establish winter territories where there is at present abundant food.

Many trees retained their bright autumn foliage but it would not be 

long before they would be swept away by quite savage winds and

heavy rainfall. The ground was already becoming saturated. Trees were planted here several years ago when it was observed that the terrain became bog-like after rain. There is still space to plant more here too. The young woodland looks after itself, another advantage!

A Fine Day at Last and- Summer Time has ended

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

To find Nature Notes and records for wildlife - click on:

HILLS FARM WILDLIFE CONSERVATION

Our October meet was held on 27th October, on a cold but clear calm and sunny day. Although it had rained a lot during October and the ground was muddy, the river did not overflow its banks. Watching the Arun Valley water levels throughout the spring and summer it was clear that rainfall had not been excessive and preceding months had been quite dry, the rain refreshing the topsoil buy not sinking in to replenish underground supplies.

Birds were very active but winter migrants were still very scarce.

Most flowering plants had gone to seed by the end of October

but one or two remained on warm banks. This is probably a Spear thistle or Scotch thistle, the only plant still flowering, attracting late insects. Flowering Ivy in the sun elsewhere was attracting many other insects. Berry and fruit-bearing plants all along the river will soon be spotted by hungry migrant thrushes when they arrive on our shores.

Serious Showers

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

September 2019 produced very welcome rainfall mostly in the form of erratic showers and sunny intervals with morning and evening temperatures gradually falling with the lengthening nights.

Rainfall provided the land and wildlife with essential moisture and encouraged late growth, important for hibernating small mammals, amphibians and insects such as butterflies.

Over September many flowers and grasses had already gone to seed but showers meant that some growth of grasses and wild flowers was extended:

Flowering plants of the Asteraceae family together with several 

other grass and flowering species flourish as a green sward even 

in autumn, benefitting insects, birds and mammals. Mowing, cutting,

or treating this would destroy all species and leave the ground either

as dry brown cracked mud or washed away into the river.

The wind and the rain in the early morning of our scheduled meet on 29th September 2019 and the poor forecast of driving continuous rain meant a last-minute plan had to be made to postpone our meet.

Nevertheless work continued where possible throughout the days to come, with much work already achieved over previous weeks

Hopefully the weather on our next meet, on 27th October 2019 will allow work to take place as scheduled.

   

A Welcome Deluge in August 2019

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 on 18th August 2019 coincided with a deluge of rain which lasted all morning. It was impossible not to get soaked, even the massive oaks could not provide sufficient shelter from the heavy rain. For wildlife it presented a welcome change, as previous showers had not soaked into the ground.

House sparrows delighted in the downpour, continuing to sing loudly from hedges. Later they would be bathing on shallow banks in the faster-flowing river and drying off in the late sun.

The August Meet had been brought forward to avoid the Bank Holiday weekend which meant the accumulation of litter and rubbish since the July meet was minimal.

Early berries.

By the middle of August early berries were ripening fast , with signs of a bumper crop for winter migrant birds. The Guelder Rose berries were especially quick to ripen;  their vivid colours would be lasting well into the winter, attracting birds flying over and along the course of the river. Years ago our Group had planted Guelder Rose whips together with a variety of other plants along parts of the river banks which were in danger of collapse and erosion, as their root systems bind and stabilise the soil. The berries were a bonus for wildlife.