Wildlife Newsletter: May 2018

Transcription

1 Affpuddle & Turnerspuddle Parish Wildlife Newsletter: May 2018 This Edition: From a freezing mid-march to a hot mid-april Hazel Cottage pond - 18 March (Photo: Penny Haigh) Green Veined White - 18 April (Photo: Roger Hewitt) Feedback from April Newsletter Marion and Jim Perris: thank you for another wonderful newsletter. How we envy Roger having a Hawfinch on the feeder. We saw six at Cattistock high in the trees, but it was difficult to see them clearly. Audrey Grindrod: There was one morning during the first week of April when we had a perfect blue sky! Then two seagulls appeared screeching their heads off and attacking a large bird which came low over the garden and turned out to be a Kite. The gulls were no match for the Kite. It seemed to be enjoying the twists and turns to evade the gulls and then rushing towards them. The gulls eventually gave up the fight and the Kite flew round in a victory circle and disappeared. He will be back soon. 1

2 Hazel Cottage Garden (Briantspuddle) Jonathan Haigh This dollop of frogspawn was noticed by Penny in the grass about eight meters away from the pond, on 6 April. It looked as if it had been laid there deliberately, rather than perhaps scattered by some animal or bird which had raided the pond. I have never previously come across frogspawn on land. It is still there today (16 April) and hasn t developed at all, whereas all the frogspawn in the pond has hatched into tadpoles (there was none until the snows were over). I hung up the hazel pole as a fast food bar on which to hang our bird feeders. I hadn t anticipated that the local Sparrowhawk would find it a convenient perch (as photographed on 20 March through the glass of a bedroom window). It stayed for about five minutes. 2

3 Jonathan Haigh: Here is a list of bird species seen in the garden in the six months from October 2017 to March 2018: Blackbird, Blackcap, Blue Tit, Brambling, Bullfinch, Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Collared Dove, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Goldfinch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Greenfinch, Green Woodpecker, Grey Wagtail, House sparrow, Jackdaw, Long-tailed Tit, Magpie, Redpoll, Robin, Rook, Siskin, Sparrowhawk, Starling, Woodpigeon, Wren, Yellowhammer. We see a heron from time to time in the tall tree at no 27, next to our boundary, while this last weekend (17 April) we have seen, elsewhere, two Swallows and some Brimstone butterflies. Spring at last! Cettis Warbler: 19 April 2018 Photo: Roger Hewitt Roger Hewitt: I found this little chap singing away in the willows by the footbridge in the water meadows. This is only the second one that I have seen in my time in the parish. Let s hope it finds a mate. Ian Cross: they can often be heard along the river, but, as Roger says, they are very hard to see, and definitely a challenge to get such a good photo of one. 3

4 Northern Wheatear on Turnerspuddle Heath: 19 April 2018 Photo: Roger Hewitt Roger Hewitt: Found this Northern Wheatear on Turnerspuddle Heath today and it looks to be of the Greenland race Leucorhoa because the orange buff goes right down to flanks. The Northern Wheatear at this time of year is only buff on the upper part of the breast. It means that this bird is a sub-species of Northern Wheatear and - as the name suggests - breeds in Greenland. Ian Cross: Wheatears pass through Dorset en route to breeding areas elsewhere. Our race of the Wheatear breeds in upland areas in the north and west of the UK. The Greenland race moves on further to breed in Eastern Canada, Iceland and Greenland, as its name suggests. Wheatears are rare breeders in Dorset and certainly not in the parish. They are just en route to somewhere else. Food that George III went mad for The King suffered from attacks of porphyria from 1788 and was advised of the benefits of sea water for the condition; and the Dorset coast was where he chose to take the waters. 4

5 George was very partial to a pudding made by the landlady of the Portland Arms. He also enjoyed another local delicacy wheatears. In the old days they were known on Portland as snalters or snorters. King George III was given the poor creatures to eat during his visits to John Penn at the Girt House and Pennsylvania Castle. Wheatears are always the earliest of the summer migrants to arrive on the Isle, the first birds sometimes being seen as early as the last week of February. The best place to see these early birds is the grassy common at Portland Bill, but Ferrybridge also attracts wheatears at this time of year. By the end of May most wheatears will have left Portland, apart perhaps from one or two pairs which will stay to breed in the Bill Quarry some years. The first returning migrants are seen in early August, from when they soon become a common sight once more until mid-october Roger Hewitt (19 April 2018): Butterflies also on the wing Brimstone and Peacock doing well, also Comma and one Red Admiral. Nice and hot today, with the first Orange Tips, Speckled Wood and Green Vein White on the move. Also today (19 April) - saw the first Cuckoo up on the heath and a Willow Warbler. After a slow start, migration seems to be moving on at last. Ian Cross: I heard my first Willow Warbler on 5 April. Heard but not seen! Update from Throop Vivi Armitage: The Barn Swallows returned on the 6th April which was a week later than last year. No sign yet of any Martins or Swifts. The Brimstone Butterflies were on the wing in the garden on 6th April, which again was much later than last year, and we have seen quite a few Peacocks, Speckled Woods and Orange Tips since then, so spring is catching up. 5

6 More from Throop Vivi Armitage: Our wildlife pond has provided many hours of entertainment over the past two months. The vast quantities of frogspawn hatched successfully despite the ice and snow, for the tadpoles to then disappear at an alarming rate, despite the netting to stop the Mallard and Heron coming down for their daily feed. There are a great many smooth newts and it is rather horrible to watch at least six of them together pursue, catch and then eat the small tadpoles. They are also very territorial to one another. We now only see a few larger tadpoles. However, there are a good number of frogs and toads to be found under the stones around the edge. Ian Cross: this photo shows the paratoid glands, by the ears. This is an external skin gland that secretes toxins to deter predators. 6

7 Vivi Armitage: There are a very large number of piles of snail shells on the bottom of the pond. Who is taking these down there? Ian Cross: shells generally outlast their inhabitants, so this could just be a natural process. 7

8 Vivi Armitage: Our two-year old grandson and I were fascinated by a large green bug-like monster which we disturbed on lifting a stone in the shallows (no camera at the time sadly). On research it appears to be a Darter Dragonfly Larva which can take up to four years to hatch (Photograph from internet) There are also a good variety of Water Beetles, Water Bugs, Caddis Flies, and other aquatic life including this water spider. 8

9 The same photo, but showing the context of the pond. Many thanks to: Ian Cross, Wildlife Advisor Mel Parks, Proof-reading Campbell de Burgh, Website Margaret Cheetham, Editor Any contributions? Please to 9