The end of June 2020 - and partial un-lockdown continues

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

Sunday 28th June 2020 was our first scheduled meet since 23rd February 2020 as our scheduled meets for March, April and May had to be postponed due to the HDC COVID-19 protocol for HDC Conservation Volunteer work.

Fortunately we were able to hold an interim meet on 14th June after the partial un-lockdown took place.

Action was needed to clear excessive piles of litter thrown down in some places on our route along the riverside. Throughout the past weeks we have witnessed numerous cases of excessively bad behaviour mostly from people not local to the area. 

June 28th was partially overcast and windy but this was welcome after the intense heat of the previous week.

The amount of work needed was lighter than usual as it was only two weeks since the previous meet but the nature of our work is also still restricted for health and safety reasons.

On the positive side:

The growth of grasses and wild flowers, the proliferation of bees,  butterflies, dragonflies and many more insects have all benefitted breeding birds, amphibians and small mammals - for which we have to thank the changes in grass cutting schedules  - less means a lot more! It means life as opposed to extinction.

Common Blue butterfly  Polyommatus icarus

on Dandelion spent seed head 14th May 2020.

A Partial Un-lockdown from June 1st 2020

The news from HDC is that Conservation Volunteers will now be allowed to carry out a restricted set of tasks, working in line with the latest social distancing rules. 

This means that our next scheduled meet will go ahead on Sunday 28th June. We may be able to arrange interim meets if HDC can ensure that our 'haul' is collected as usual when we finish. 

They will let us know.

The continuous fine weather has allowed magnificent growth

and flowering of riverside trees and shrubs attracting bees and butterflies, providing

natural shelter for birds, especially migrant warblers which can sit and sing from the branches, safe from ambush by sparrowhawks.

Lockdown for conservation group volunteers...

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 March Meet was scheduled for Sunday 29th but this had to be postponed, together with the meets for April and May. HDC will let us know when Volunteer work can recommence

 (see the latest post for update or NEXT MEET).

The weather of course was better than it had been on our previous meets but was very windy.

The first signs of a Hawthorn Hedge springing to life - 

bright green leaves. Blackthorn leaves however follow much

later, after a riot of blossom.

Hawthorn blossom will appear in May - hence Mayflower.

Birds Announce the Arrival of Spring

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

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 

click on

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!