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Hungry kestrel
I was driving up the lane to our house and spotted him or her (anyone know which?) feeding on a dead female blackbird on the road. I stopped and took pictures from from where I was lest it flew away with its dinner. It had no intention of leaving however, although it did try, but the cargo was too heavy.
I crept the car closer, to within about ten feet and lowered the window. It stayed feeding, watching me and ripping at the carcass. Click... I got the pic. Mr Blackbird was extremely unhappy and was bombarding the kestrel throughout this exchange.
Finally, the beautiful little raptor - note it has been 'ringed' - flew to the nearest tree to let me pass. I’m sure it returned a second after I'd done so. RIP Mrs Blackbird.
Martin Spurrier, July 2021
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Wildflowers explode
I don’t know if this year's crop is especially wonderful or if it is just because I am noticing them more because of our village's planting initiative, led by Graham Soame. But here are some pictures of wildflowers growing wild and some ‘sown’ wildflowers.
Top left, clockwise: Did you know that the ubiquitous daisy gets its name from 'day’s eye' because it opens its petals at daybreak and closes them at night? Graham's garden display – 2 pictures – red and white Campion and Everlasting Betony, the blue ones are Evergreen Bugloss. Heather Horner's hard work on the Station Road verge is magnificent. St. James the Great's churchyard is a splash of colour. Barnard Gate Road's natural blooms. If you'd like to see Graham’s flowers or want to know more about planting wildflowers for next year, please contact him using the details below:
planning@soame.co.uk
07932 172873Martin Spurrier
Daisies
Red & white campion
Evergreen Bugloss
Heather Horner's work in Station Road
A splash of colour in the churchyard
Barnard Gate Road's natural blooms
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The Northern Lapwing
Also known as the 'peewit', 'green plover' or 'pyewipe', it is around too, as this photo shows. It was kindly sent to me by a resident but I have lost the original email. Many apologies. Please can whoever sent it let me know - thank you? This wonderful bird is in decline largely because of farming and its very unwise nesting habit. The peewit lays its eggs on the ground - in a scrape in spring-tilled arable land or in short grass land - no wonder only about 25 percent of chicks make it through the 4-5 weeks growth period before they can fly. Frankly, it‘s amazing any survive.
Between 1987 and 1998, lapwing numbers dropped by 49 percent and 80 percent since the 1960s. I hope they can think of a better place to nest.
Martin Spurrier
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Little egret - king of the road
This statuesque ‘little egret’ was back in Barnard Gate Road and behind Station Road in early May working the Limb Brook but, apparently, without a mate. They stand about 55-56 cms tall and have a wingspan of 88-95 cms. Our one also likes to perch precariously high in the oak trees overlooking the stream. The much rarer Great White egret is 94 cms with a wingspan of 155 cms (similar to the more common grey heron). There are only about 4,500 little egrets that winter in the UK. The males and females are almost identical with the male being the slightly larger of the two. The little egret has a black bill and yellow feet whereas the great white egret’s bill is yellowy orange with black feet. Egrets were nearly wiped out in the 1800s for their feathers used in fashion. I haven’t seen him or her for a while but I certainly hope our egret friend comes back.
Martin Spurrier
© Jonathan Blake -
Something completely newt
My grandson found this little chap under a rotting log near our ditch while searching for bugs for his terrarium. We had to move him slightly lest we squashed him. He is a yellow, or smooth, newt (also called the 'common newt') and this baby is just 15mm. He will grow to 7-11cms and will get much darker. When new born, they are called 'tadpoles', like frogs. Newts are protected.
These amazing creatures are amphibians, breeding in ponds and spending the rest of the year feeding on invertebrates in woodlands, hedgerows, marshes and grassland, mostly at night.
Down to Earth
Talking of terrariums, this is the one we made (not for the newt!). It was unnecessarily expensive and can be made much cheaper. They bring a whole new meaning to, and interest in, 'bugs' to the kids. As long as you / they read up on them so they do not become a pressure cooker or a swimming pool or dry out, they are both interesting and charming.
Martin Spurrier
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Hot and cold running water - the Limb Brook
Never the twain shall mix, it seems!
Look at this! The water from the Limb Brook coming from under the bridge in Barnard Gate Road refuses to mix with the water coming from the ditch that runs through from Stanton Harcourt Road near the Old Crossing.
Who to ask why? Our resident biochemist, Rita Sawrey-Woodwards, of course!
"That is interesting", she said. "It is to do with the difference in temperature, speed, water density, e.g., of algae, dissolved salts and pollutants of the two streams. The deeper one will be colder, of course. The mixing time also depends on several other variables including stream bottom formations and turbulence". So now we know. Thanks, Rita!
A week later, my grandson - the very same one who features in the newt story above - wanted to go rummaging in the mud at the side of the Limb Brook. As I knew that Rita is always interested in feedback on life in the stream, we pulled up a single small plant with its roots from the water's edge and took it home. There, we found a host of snails, leaches, worms and other living creatures. This is most encouraging as we are down stream from the sewage works, so there is hope. Rita is running the programme to understand pollution in our stream.
Please contact Rita if you’d like to help: limb-brook@southleigh.info
Something's a bit fishy
Another encouraging sign, is that Graham put a fish trap in the stream at Acre Cottage at the village end of Chapel Road thinking he'd catch a nasty American 'signal' crayfish. Guess what? He caught a little stickleback, 3 or 4 cms long.
Martin Spurrier
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Ratty is definitely here
Graham Soame continues to see 'Ratty' and his family in the Limb Brook at Acre Cottage. In the evening the Soame family sits and watches them forage. By 'Ratty', I mean water voles as in The Wind in the Willows. Graham sent me a message:
Yesterday, Janet, myself and Tim Partlett, stood mesmerised watching the return of the water voles. One fat one (male!) leapt into the pond like an Olympic swimmer, while another adult, a bit smaller, was sitting partly hidden under the sedge grasses. So cute. The day before, Janet and I heard a "scrunch" while standing by the brook, and before our eyes, a very long piece of grass started to reduce in height, step by step as a 'creature' ate it from the lower stem – classic vole action! Gets me excited every time. They don't seem to care about humans talking, but don't like sudden movements, so if anybody wants to see them, call in one evening and we can wait, and are usually disappointed but, if we are lucky, you'll see their performances.
Lucy Stoddart, Bio-diversity Officer with the Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) recently visited Graham’s stretch of the Limb Brook. Here are parts of her report:
I recorded 27 feeding signs (+ 4 inconclusive + 1 old feeding sign), 1 old water vole latrine (these tend to be found more during the spring / summer months when the voles are maintaining territorial boundaries), 1 old dropping, and 6 burrows (+ 1 possible old burrow and 1 inconclusive - likely rat). Most of the water vole activity was focused around where you had seen the voles in front of the house, particularly in the more open areas, with less trees / scrub and where sedge was dominant. I did however find a feeding sign as far east as the fence line just before the pub. I’m sure you are very familiar with what the 45º angle cut feeding signs look like, but I have attached a few photos of the ones I found on your land in case of interest”.
Martin Spurrier
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Flooding, Limb Brook Pollution and Water Voles
Three important environmental initiatives have started, and all hands and eyes are welcome!
They are Flooding, Water Pollution and the encouragement of Water Voles and other wildlife along the Limb Brook. We shall report on water voles (and Forest Restoration) in due course, but while work on the other two has just started, here is an update and a call for help from anyone who might like to be involved. Much more will follow in the months and years ahead.
Flooding
This is a recurring problem in South Leigh and it has multiple causes. These range from inadequate drainage to blocked drains and seriously overgrown and congested streams. While the problem goes far beyond our Parish, it certainly starts in it because so does the Limb Brook. There are steps that we can take locally to help, but first we need to understand the problem.
Parish Councillor, Lysette Nicholls, has taken this long-term project in hand and, with others, has been researching the Limb Brook and other areas where run off causes problems - most of which end up in the Limb Brook.
Lysette has been in contact with our County Councillor highlighting the flooding issues and has drafted an in depth email with photos which has been escalated to Oxfordshire County Council to get them to look at issues that are directly under their remit. The areas highlighted include High Cogges, the pipe inlets on Chapel Road near Shuttles Cottage, the pipe inlets by The Mason Arms and where the Limb Brook passes under the road on the Barnard Gate Road through to Station Road.
Thames Water is also going to be contacted in regards to the brook in Lymbrook Close once further investigations have been completed in regards to pollution.
Flooding, Limb Brook Pollution
Like flooding, water pollution is a serious and long-term problem that we believe has increased over the years and must now be assessed and addressed. Again, we must understand it, but what we already know is that it starts in our Parish. Why? Because, like noted above, the Limb Brook starts in our Parish. Also, as above, we need help!
The pollution in the Limb Brook is there for us all to see. Murky water, thick brownish foam, even a smell. With polluted water, the whole natural cycle suffers - plant life, water-borne life and other animals all of which live, or would like to live, along the banks or in the stream.
Here, Parish Councillor, Graham Soame, has been making vital early steps and has formed a close alliance with similarly concerned people in Eynsham and the Eynsham Nature Recovery Network.
The Preliminary Plan
Before we can do anything to fix the problem, we need to know what the problem is, and then the exact extent of it. In this, our neighbours in Eynsham have been very helpful through giving us some spare water testing kits.Initial tests have been done and Lymbrook Close resident, Rita Sawrey-Woodwards, has brought her invaluable knowledge as a bio-chemist to the task to help us understand what the results mean and how to go forward. She has recommended a programme that is this, in brief:
- Map the course of the Limb Brook and its source. This has been done.
- Identify land use / industrial use / possible sewage sources along the brook.
- Start chemical water testing to identify the pollutant(s).
- Start regular fauna / flora observation. The above schedule of activity would be monthly for a year in order to cover the farming and climate cycle and to see 'patterns'. Then:
- Collate, quantify, analyse and understand the data.
- Understand what levels are acceptable/liaise with local and national bodies.
- Approach possible polluters to make changes of practice.
This process will continue until the pollution itself can be eliminated at which point the re-wilding can be started. As noted, this is a long-term initiative and supporters are most welcome to help build the data and clean up what was in living memory, a natural haven for wild life.
Martin Spurrier (February 2021)
You will remember this light-hearted picture from 2019. But flooding is serious. 
Flooding of the Limb Brook at the east of the village. (Photo © Martin Spurrier) 
Thick brown scum on the Limb Brook along Chapel Road (Photo © J. Ashwell) As part of the investigation into the paucity of life in our local stream, the Limb Brook, if you have any memories of any plants or animals that you have seen in and around the Limb Brook in the time you have lived in the village, can you please contact me and tell me about them.
Many thanks.
Rita E. Sawrey-Woodwards limb-brook@southleigh.info
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Nippy or what?
Certainly, it was pretty cold in South Leigh in February, this year.
The annual Bond’s Lane winter lake at the crossways froze solid with 30mm of ice (below, left) and ornamental troughs in the village struggled to keep going (below, right).
We don’t have a weather station here, but the maximum / minimum thermometer in my sheltered carport read just above -5 C (right).
The coldest winter on record in the UK, according to dailyinfo.co.uk, was 1962-3, with a mean temperature of -1.0°C. This was also the snowiest winter on record, with 67 days of snow cover.
The coldest day on record was 27th January 1776 with a midday maximum of -8°C. On this day, Dr. Hornsby, who kept these early recordings, was moved to add a personal note to his meteorological journal: "Wine keg froze in study!" More recently, on 13th January 1982, the mercury failed to rise above -7.1°C. Dogs on ice
The Met. Office reported that, nationally, January this year was the coldest the UK has seen in 10 years. The average temperature was 2.2C. This made it the coldest January since 2010, when the average was 0.9C. The coldest January on record, according to Sky News, was in 1963, when conditions averaged -1.9C.
February, this year, got even colder. On 11th the Met. Office reported that the overnight temperature at the weather station at Braemar dropped to -23.0°C, one of three stations in the UK to dip below minus 20.0°C.
Martin Spurrier, March 2021
Tiger Spurrier on ice 
Cold trough -
Crayfish Alert!
We see delicious crayfish ravioli and crispy crayfish patties on tempting menus, but the aggressive ‘signal’ crayfish is causing huge damage to our river banks, including the Windrush. They are also destroying our native white-clawed variety.
I know of one sighting in the Limb Brook, but the variety was not confirmed, so I would ask readers for other reports if you see them. Please note the identifying features, below, and then we can check if we have a problem, as well as dinner.
Signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus) were introduced into the UK by the British Government in the 1970s, intended to be farmed for food, but some escaped (of course!) and they then bread like wild fire across our river network. There, they started eliminating our native variety and destroying our river banks.
Identification features of signal crayfish include:- Red underside to claws
- There is a prominent white or bluish patch on each claw at the top of the finger joint - the 'signal' patch.
- Upper surface is a greenish brown
- Lower surface is an orange / red
- Smooth ridge running along the middle of the 'rostrum' (its beak / ’nose-like' thing). They can grow up to 18 centimetres in size.
In contrast, our native white-clawed crayfish is:- Brown to olive colour
- Underside of the claws are usually white, not red, it is smaller growing to a maximum of 12 centimetres.
Signal crayfish have cause environmental and economic problems. They carry the crayfish plague, which is fatal to the native white-clawed crayfish. They create a network of tunnels that can go up to 2 metres into river banks. These causes collapses and flooding, plus a silt load in the water. They can also reduce fish stocks.
Please let me know if you see one.
Martin Spurrier
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Big news - 'Ratty' is back!
Water voles spotted in Limb Brook
Graham Soame has seen water voles in the stream in Chapel Road! This is big news because according to The Wildlife Trusts, the water vole is the much-loved British mammal known as ‘Ratty’ in The Wind in the Willows. Unfortunately, the future of this charming little riverside creature is in peril.
Water voles are a vital part of the river ecosystem. Their burrowing, feeding and movement help to create conditions for other animals and plants to thrive - a bit like beavers do, but on a much smaller scale. The Wildlife Trusts and many other organizations are working hard to keep water voles in our rivers and streams and to restore them to places where they have been in the past.
If you see one, please can you tell Graham who is monitoring the situation ( 07932 172873).
The water vole has chestnut-brown fur, a blunt, rounded nose, small ears, and a furry tail. The similar brown rat is larger, with grey-brown fur, a pointed nose, large ears that protrude from its fur, and a long, scaly tail. A water vole’s vital statistics: are Tail: 9.5-14cm Length: 14-22cm (The Wildlife Trusts)
PS: The Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) has just carried out a survey of the water voles in the Limb Brook. We expect the results to be passed on to the village in the next few weeks.
Martin Spurrier
Image © Wikipedia -
Bumper berries on Bond's Lane
Apparently, the absence of late frost last winter combined with a mild spring, warm summer and no drought have given us the 2020 bumper harvest that we are still seeing. Limbs full of sloes on Bond’s Lane broke under the burden and hawthorn and Golden Hornet crab apple (I think) were not far behind. The blackberries were a major attraction.
Do you remember your school-day poetry? Undoubtedly, one of the best-known first lines ever must be, “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. John Keats rattled off Ode to Autumn nearly 200 years ago after a country walk to avoid hearing his neighbour’s daughter practising her violin. Here are the first eleven of his thirty-three lines:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.
What a year for berries on our hedgerows! My sloe brandy for next year is looking delicious. It’s not too late to make some, by the way. In fact, the fruit is now perfect as many have split in the brief frost.
Apparently, the absence of late frost last winter combined with a mild spring, warm summer and no drought have given us the 2020 bumper harvest that we are still seeing. Limbs full of sloes on Bond’s Lane broke under the burden and hawthorn and Golden Hornet crab apple (I think) were not far behind. The blackberries were a major attraction.
Do you remember your school-day poetry? Undoubtedly, one of the best-known first lines ever must be, “Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”. John Keats rattled off Ode to Autumn nearly 200 years ago after a country walk to avoid hearing his neighbour’s daughter practising her violin. Here are the first eleven of his thirty-three lines:
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells. -
Wild flowers - A Blooming Success
November 2020 update
Graham reports that the village has made good progress with wildflower planting in 2020. Several private gardens now have their wildflower areas, and a number of verges have been planted in small areas by hard working village volunteers.
In a move to promote further self setting, we cut the verges - see photo - where it was possible in Chapel Road at Margery Cross where the wildflowers have taken well, and several folk turned out later to rake over the cut grass - thank you.
Next year they should be even better and we shall see the results of this year’s work to bring more wildflower beauty to the village and with it, we hope, more butterflies, bees, and bugs! In the meantime, we are liaising closely with friends in Eynsham on green matters and are exchanging information and advice.
Martin Spurrier
Wild and not so wild, but lovely, nevertheless! (How ever did the sunflowers survive the gales?)
Wild and not so wild, but lovely, nevertheless! (How ever did the sunflowers survive the gales?)
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A bird, a plane? It's a 'Hummingbird Hawk-moth'
Yesterday (16th August) we had rare visitor to our garden, hovering among the white phlox. Was it a baby Superman, a tiny bird, or what?
Mr. Google tells me that this amazing little imposter was a Macroglossum stellatarum, a hummingbird hawk-moth, who is a summer migrant from Southern Europe. They are abundant all around the Mediterranean countries and across Central Asia to Japan but comes here only in the summer. That's because it cannot survive our winters, but maybe that is changing as the UK gets warmer.
Above: Our family pictures on my old iPhone. Its wings flap so fast they are a blur.
This beautiful moth is about an inch (25mm) long and has a wing span of 2 inches (50mm). It looks more like a tiny hummingbird than any moth I have ever seen. You can see a short video here.
To hover, it flaps its wings at 80 times a second and you can actually hear them 'humming' while it collects pollen with its long 'proboscis', a nose / tongue-like protrusion that is as long as its body.
The hummingbird hawk-moth prefers to fly in bright sunlight, but it will also take to wing in dull weather, at dusk or dawn, and sometimes even at night. I recorded our sighting with the Butterfly Conservation website and it is now shown on their sighting map.
Martin Spurrier (16.08.2020) -
Get lucky every day! (Your four-leaf clover hunting tips)
As a child I questioned the existence of four-leaf clovers (other than Alfa Romeo’s Quadrifoglio brand that was used to bring their racing drivers good luck). I thought that it was yet another deception created by adults. So, I went hunting…
My usual Nature Notes expert, Mr. Google, advised me that four-leafers are a rare genetic mutation and that our chances of finding one is about 1 in 10,000. That’s better than the Post Code Lottery, I thought, so set off up Bond’s Lane in search of one of nature’s nicest mutants.
After ten minutes or so, I couldn’t believe it. There it was, a real live quadrifoglio, so I struck before I lost it and took the picture on the right immortalising this discovery. Later that week, I thought I’d sneak up on the clovers again to see if I could find three more, one for each grandchild. Within 15 minutes, I found them, all four-leafers!
Panic! What to do now before they got away?
I quickly pressed them in a book between white paper for a few days and then popped them in nice cheap frames from B&Q. Hey presto, lovely little presents for the children. Happy mutant hunting!
Quadrifoglio Hunting Tips
10,000 clovers take up about the area of an office desk, so:- Mark with twigs an office-desk sized patch of clover leaves (notice how they face the sun in the morning, by the way).
- Search a very small area at a time. Thus, take a wire coat hanger and pull it out as shown. This gives you an 8-inch square. (I’m pointing at a four-leafer!).
- Let your fingers ‘walk’ through the leaves, finger step by finger step, or slowly run backwards, keeping your eyes fixed firmly on the leaves directly under your fingers. Don’t let your eyes race ahead.
- When you have searched one 8-inch square, mark where you have been with another twig and move the hanger to the next.
- Beware of the mischievous clovers that deliberately stick together to look like six-leafers. They do this to disappoint you. Just keep preening and do not despair if you don’t succeed first time. However, I did, so good luck!
PS: The Guinness Book of Records notes that the most number leaves on a clover was 56. This was found in Japan in 2009!
The writer is no expert on nature - not like Mr. Google, anyway. So, your additions, corrections opinions and/or suggestions are most welcome. Nature Notes is a miscellany of this and that, but it does try to answer some of the questions we’ve always wondered about… and some that we haven’t.
Martin Spurrier (14.08.2020)
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Barney's around!29 February 2020: This week I was turning into my house at 7:20pm and there was Barney sitting on the footpath post in the dark.
I stopped, put my window down, turned off the lights and engine and chatted to him for a few minutes. He was 3 metres away as I took pictures with my clapped-out old iPhone [I can confirm his iPhone is ancient - Webmaster], with the flash off.
I also wanted a picture of him flying so I had to gently shoo him away to do so. Then, I missed the pic!
Britain's No.2 bird
Barn owls are the UK's second favourite bird after the robin. They are mystical animals and, because of specialized feathers along the leading edge of their wings, they have near-silent flight. This enables their extraordinary hunting ability. They also don't oil their feathers during preening like other birds as this increases noise in flight. The problem then is that if they fall into water, they can drown. So, if you have a deep water trough or steep-sided pond, leave a piece of wood in it for them to climb on to.
Barn owls have huge, front-facing eyes like us and so have binocular vision that helps in gauging distance. Most birds have eyes on either side of the head and so are monocular, but have a huge field of vision. A woodcock can see 360 degrees.
A barn owl's eyes can weigh up to 5% of their body weight (for me that would be 8lbs!). And they don't have eye 'balls' but elongated 'tubes' that don't turn, so they can only look forwards. But they have a deceptively long neck under their feathers and can turn their head through 270 degrees… and almost upside down, like the chap in the picture below. That makes me dizzy!
Even so, they hunt mostly by sound with their flat face acting as a sound gatherer. Their ears are just next to their eyes and are at different heights, one facing down and the other up so they hear each sound at slightly different times, and twice. That helps them locate their prey in the dark, under grass and even under snow.
Partners for life
Barn owls live with their partner for life (about 4 years) and don't hoot or twit twoo (that's the amorous female tawny owl with the 'twit', and the interested chap saying 'hi!' with the 'twoo'). Instead, barn owls make a blood-curdling screech while their owlets hiss like a newly punctured Lilo in a pool. Because of the screech and their ghostly white appearance, barn owls were associated with witches in the past and were hunted… Happily, they are now our No. 2 Top Bird!
So, please watch out for the barn owl family. When we have a better idea of where they are, we can put up more owl boxes to encourage them to stay. Owls are not territorial so boxes can be as close as 50 feet, but each family will hunt an area about a 1 km radius from their nesting site. In bad times, though, this can go up to a radius of 4 kms or – that's from The Mason Arms, to Cogges Manor Farm, almost North Leigh, Eynsham and Ducklington.
You can find a lot more information on barn owls here on on their nesting habits here.
Martin Spurrier ~ martinspurrier@hotmail.com
Click on the images below to enlarge them. -
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Who's that Honking?September is the month of honking over Bond’s Lane it seems – it wasn’t a traffic jam, though, but the arrival of this year’s Canada geese. We’ve been here two autumns now and in early September last year I first encountered several hundred birds grazing on the stubble in the early sun across the field south-east of the church. They were there again this year, but two weeks later, much to the excitement of Tiger, my young Labrador.
If you are feeling Attenborough-like, you can walk up quite close to them while they carry on munching because they have strength in numbers. But then Tiger is off like a rocket and the sight of three hundred birds taking flight, each with a six-foot wingspan, is awesome. Poor Tiger, she’s far too slow for these mighty beasts.
So why are they there? Tiger and I thought, as I dived into Google on my mobile.In the UK since 1665. The RSPB tells us that Canada Geese are by nature migratory but those living in the UK and Ireland tend to be resident, now. However, some wintering Canada Geese from Scandinavia join resident birds in the warmer UK and Ireland in the autumn, so maybe the flock in Bonds Lane were honking in Swedish? Come to think of it, they did sound a bit like the Swedish Chef.
By the time Tiger had got back to me huffing and puffing, the birds were already in their 'V' formation before flying straight up the Brize Norton flight path and out towards Eynsham, then hard right and back over South Leigh.
Why do they fly like that?, I thought desperately trying to remember the film 'Fly Away Home'.Into Google again... first, it says, it conserves their energy. (Apologies if I'm teaching Granny to suck goose eggs). Apparently, each bird flies slightly above the one in front, resulting in a reduction of wind resistance. The birds then take turns at the front, falling back when they get tired. In this way, the geese can fly for hours before they must stop for rest. Clever old things these geese who live for 10-25 years and mate for life.
And it is not a coincidence that the RAFs Red Arrows fly in exactly the same formation and the Tour of France riders do the equivalent on the ground.
But why do they only honk while they are flying? Google told me that the ones behind honk those in front, not to overtake like on the motorway in Germany, but to encourage the leaders to keep up their speed. When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the wind resistance and quickly gets back into line and take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front.
Funny that, because I have heard them honk even when they are flying alone. I guess it becomes a habit when you can fly up to 1,500 miles in a single day. That's one way to Athens or Moscow, or to Barcelona and back. That's an awful lot of honks!
Martin Spurrier
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South Leigh 'Hogwatch'
2021 update
It has been a quiet time on the hedgehog front in Chapel Road so far this year. Despite providing food every evening as normal, sadly I can only report a few sightings of hedgehogs in the garden. This has not been helped by at least three local moggies lying in wait and stealing the food before the hedgehogs got a look in.
Having moved the feeding station nearer to the house we customised an old wooden chicken nest box, turned it upside down and reduced the size of the door. Cats happily continued to munch the food sadly, so after a little research I found out that hedgehogs are happy to tackle a kind of maze in the darkness of the feeding box, cats are not comfortable doing this and with a big block of wood near the entrance we have foiled the cheeky cats and the hedgehogs can munch away safely.
Two of the feeding stations were near the Limb Brook and with one eye on not exacerbating the problematic rat issue, I decided to bring my feeding station closer to the house with a view to being able to (at some point in the near future) purchase a wildlife camera to connect to the house WiFi with live streaming of hoggie activity directly to my phone. Anyway, I digress, with the feeding stations near to the stream it was impossible to ascertain who was eating the food.
Defeating the cats
The unfortunate result of this is I now can’t see the size or number of hedgehogs visiting the station. I have spotted the odd one, a medium sized hoggie dashing up the garden into the box and audibly crunching the kibble, but a wildlife camera is definitely needed.
Now here's a mysteryI did have a wander down the garden with a small torch a few days ago and I was concerned to see a medium sized hedgehog on its back next to a hole in my electric fence netting, initially thinking it was caught in the fence, on closer inspection I realised it was ‘self-anointing’ something that hedgehogs do, although nobody is clear why they actually do it.
The hedgehog was writhing in a twisted position with legs outstretched, its head curled around and totally absorbed in its task of flicking foamy spit over its back. It ignored me and it was a very odd thing to witness, apparently more common in males than in females, they go into a trance and spread deposits of foamy spit over their quills.
There are a few possible theories as to why they self-anoint:- A new scent or taste they encounter.
- Protective instincts, spreading toxins on their quills or masking their own odour.
- Sexual behaviour to distribute their scent and attract potential mates.
- A grooming purpose to condition skin and spines and possibly kill parasites.
Keep alertI am hoping an increased hedgehog population will be apparent over the next few months. May to July is the time when they are fully active and breeding so will be foraging for food in the gardens and will need additional clean water to drink, especially during the hot weather.
We can help them, especially pregnant sows, with additional nutrition by offering dried, meaty (not fish flavoured) cat kibble.
Please take care when strimming the long grass, hedgerows and other possible nesting areas. If you come across an injured or young hoglet or any hedgehog out in the daytime, please contact a local wildlife rescue centre for advice.- Tiggywinkles 24 hour emergency helpline: 01944 292292
- Minster Hedgies : 07786 962211
2020 summary
2020 has been a very strange and unusual year. We all have had to adapt and change our normal daily routines. But not for Hedgehogs. They have been going about their daily routines as if nothing has changed. Well it hasn't for them. As with every year, they come out of hibernation, find food and water and find somewhere dry, warm and safe to bring up the children.
If you were a hedgehog, where in South Leigh would be the prime position to live and raise the kids?
Well, looking at our local hogs and where the greatest numbers were seen, they prefer to live in and around Chapel Road.
It all started in April with hogs now out of hibernation and wanting their breakfast, in the evening of course. Most hogs were seen along Chapel Road. Several of them enjoy living in this part of the village and why not, there's fabulous living accommodation, plenty of grassland perfect for feeding, hedgerows and coppices for finding prey and sleeping in. They even have easy access into and between the gardens of Chapel Road. Not only that, they also get fed by some of their human neighbours. They've got it made.
So wonderful are these gardens along Chapel Road that one female, known locally as 'Hetty' decided that she wanted to set up a home for her and her children to grow up in this part of the neighbourhood. She liked the look of John and Liz Ashwell's garden, so she decided to build a nest under some shrubs. The garden also provided 'Hetty' with nesting material. John, Liz and myself had much enjoyment watching 'Hetty' appear from the shrubs, collect dead daffodil leaves and take them back under the shrubs to build a nest in preparations for her hoglets. Of course, John and Liz saw more of her than I or anyone else did.
Although Hetty was seen many times leaving her nest and going on a foraging trip in the evenings, any youngsters that she may have given birth to were never seen leaving the nest with her. It is possible that if she had given birth to them she may have only brought them out when it was late and dark and no-one was watching.
Next door to John and Liz is the home of Ally Urquhart. Ally always puts food out for the hedgehogs and she had several hogs visiting, how could they and Hetty resist the best restaurant in the neighbourhood? Amongst these hogs there were some youngsters which could possibly have been Hetty's but we can never be sure.
To get an idea as to how many hedgehogs were in the area around Chapel Road, Ally painted a different colour spot of nail varnish on many of them. Hetty was easy to identify because as she walked, she swung one of her back legs out. Ally estimates that there were at least six hogs, and maybe as many as eight in high summer. It wasn't easy to count them, especially when it was dark. This is a fabulous number for this area and for any area in any village.
In my own garden I put out hedgehog food in a feed station from early spring hoping to attract a hog or maybe provide food for one that may have hibernated within my ex orchard now a wildlife sanctuary, over the winter. But alas, no. I looked all Spring and Summer, I even checked after dark hoping and wishing that I may see one. By the end of Summer I was giving up hope, but then in early autumn I saw that the hog food was being eaten overnight, I then saw tell-tale droppings of hedgehogs. Wow, I felt excited and relieved that I finally had a hog in my garden. During the summer I put out a new hibernation box that I recently built, I put it under an oak tree which is quite near to the feed station. I like to think that the hog is using it, I don't know as I daren't look as I don't want to disturb it if it's in there.
As I said, there have been several hogs along Chapel Road which goes to prove just how good the habitat must be. If it was poor habitat, there would not be good numbers of hogs. If we were able to replicate this habitat all over the country, we could save the hedgehog. There have been a few sightings of hedgehogs in other parts of the village but by far the greatest number has been in Chapel Road.
Some of you may already know, but I imagine most of you are unaware that our humble hedgehog has been placed on the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red Data list and is described as 'Vulnerable to Extinction'. However did our iconic and beautiful hedgehog get to this?
Well, there are many factors as to what's gone wrong and as usual it's down to us humans. I believe, with what we've seen over the last four years with our study, is that the loss of the right type of habitat is a major concern.
We have had little or no hedgehog sightings in areas joining cultivated land. The annual ploughing and / or cultivating must upset the balance of nature for invertebrates within the soil. So that must tell us that ploughed fields growing wheat, barley and beans etc. which are often sprayed with herbicide insecticide and fungicide, is not good news for hogs. But I don't think we're going to see a decline in ploughed fields any time soon.
Here's something very important that we all can do...
If we all connect our gardens, what I mean by that, is to make an access route between gardens normally known as a 'Hedgehog Highway' by making or cutting a 13cm hole in our fences and walls adjoining your neighbours to give the poor hedgehog access into all our gardens which put together, adds up to a lot of extra much needed feeding, sleeping and nesting habitat.
Have a word with your neighbour and agree to give our fast declining hedgehog a better chance of survival. Hedgehogs must now be hibernating or very near ready. So, we must wait until spring before the action begins again.
As usual, any questions or problems such as a hog out during the day in winter, get in touch with me.
Brian Hutchings 07437 358587 or brianhutchings100@gmail.com
Summer 2020
The last few months have actually been quite positive on the village Hedgehog front. We thought we only had a few visiting the feeding station in the garden, which was a decline on previous years. However, we decided to test this by marking the regular visitors with a small dot of brightly coloured nail varnish and we soon realised these and others were coming most nights for a nutritious supplementary snack.
‘Hettie’ as named by John and Liz, made regular appearances in the early afternoons, she had a bit of a wonky gait and it seemed to be a female gathering nesting material. She went for her daily walks over the bridge and along the stream wall, much to the horror of the anxious Ashwells, not the steadiest hedgehog on her feet but she managed it, even though we couldn’t fathom why she had decided on this particular route.
Food and water was dutifully left out and much appreciated by Hettie. With it being June and July we can only hope she was a sow preparing to raise a family of hoglets. They tend to have 4 -6 youngsters per litter but sadly not all survive. They leave the nest with mum after 3 - 4 weeks to join her foraging for food and returning to the nest for her milk. After around 10 days of hunting with her, they go it alone - they are solitary creatures and live their life without encountering their siblings.
So, donning thick gloves and with some trepidation we painted small dots on two hedgehogs, hereafter referred to as 'Yellow Spot' and 'White Spot' for obvious reasons.
Yellow Spot was a regular visitor to the feeding station, a medium-sized, darker hedgehog, unflustered by a strange woman wandering down the garden at odd times with a small torch. On occasion Yellow Spot got there early but I was able to creep in and refill the empty feeding station bowls it was staring at with such disgust. No sign of it for the last month, but I am optimistic and hoping to see an extended family at the feeding station at some point; we can but hope.
White Spot is still a regular visitor to the garden, a force to be reckoned with. It is bigger, lighter in colour and much more snorty, snuffly and basically a bit of a grumpy character. White Spot doesn’t like to share feeding stations with other visitors and for this reason I have decided to leave multiple food stations dotted about the garden to allow the quieter and meeker personalities a look in. A successful move, the milder mannered hedgehogs hear White Spot coming (not difficult, it is quite vocal, grunting as it comes) so they either hide or swiftly move to another location.
As a general rule we seem to get around three adult hedgehogs visiting the garden just before darkness. There are at least five in total including White and Yellow Spot plus three hoglets, independent of adults and eating from the food piles. The adults do not seem to challenge the little hoglets, even grumpy old White Spot, which is nice to see.
One medium-sized, dark hedgehog always goes through the chicken netting. Although not ideal, to accommodate this the netting is never switched on at night time. I always check the electric fence every morning to make sure none have encountered problems and got stuck, we rescued one a few years ago that had become entangled.
So, it is looking positive on the village hedgehog front - great news - but these mammals are having a tricky time in our modern world. They are in a fragile state and are very much an endangered species. The food we offer at garden feeding stations is only a complimentary and nutritious snack. This is not their main diet, but to help them when they need to ‘bulk up’ a bit. This is so important in times of drought, cold weather, breeding season (May / June) and in preparation for hibernation (October / November) or later if it is a mild winter. Hedgehogs are well and truly a gardener’s friend and devour many of what we would consider to be garden pests such as slugs, caterpillars and beetles.
Don’t think that if you feed them they will stop eating the grubs, they enjoy the food we provide but their main diet is what they forage for. I leave food and water out all year round, hedgehogs wake up numerous times over the winter and need to find food to keep them going through hibernation. I leave it in a sheltered spot to protect it from the elements.
If you would like to leave food out for them they enjoy meaty cat and dog kibble, (nothing fish flavoured) especially dry food formulated for kittens. They enjoy the wet pouch dog and cat food and always a bowl of fresh water. I have a mixture of various types of kibble in a tub, they seem to enjoy it anyway. There is of course 'hedgehog food' available from pet stores, which is lovely but it is quite expensive.
Ally Urquhart (17.08.2020)
Hettie 
Yellow Spot and another 
White Spot and hoglet 
HELP AND HAZARDS
It has been recognised that the hedgehog is in serious decline throughout the British Isles. Our help is now more necessary than ever before. The decline is down to a number of factors...- Modern farming practices are a major factor, with the use of herbicides and pesticides which deplete the numbers of earthworms, slugs, snails and many insects all of which are hedgehog prey.
- The removal and also close cutting of hedgerows has a huge impact of the feeding and activities of the hedgehog.
- The loss of habitats through land development and with such a lot of new houses to be built, there is going to be a lot more habitat lost.
- More roads will be built, there will be much more traffic, and many drivers go too fast, especially through our villages.
The future of our beautiful hedgehogs looks bleak without a lot of help from us.
Hedgehog friendly things we can do to help...- Linking our gardens. With so much habitat being lost through development it is vital that hedgehogs can access our gardens. If you have solid wooden fences, cut a few 13cm square holes, if you have wire fencing you can also cut holes for hedgehogs, even stone walls can be accessed by removing stones and fitting pipes around 13cm diameter. Ask your neighbours if they can do the same - hedgehogs will do a lot of good in gardens.
- Log piles. One of the best features for a lot of wildlife, especially the hedgehog. Log piles provide a safe, secure site for breeding and/ or hibernating. They are also good for insects.
- Open compost heaps. These can make an attractive nesting site for a hedgehog. Open air composting is also great for insects. But please be careful if turning compost, especially with a garden fork. Be safe and leave it alone during the nesting season.
- Leaf piles. These can be used as a potential nest site and can also be used for bedding material for other nest sites, also for use in hibernation, maybe in a hibernation box or in a log pile.
- Ponds can be very beneficial for hedgehogs. An all year round water supply and hedgehogs will love the added insects and amphibians it will attract. Just be sure to put in a ramp or sloping side to allow hedgehogs to get out, they are in fact good swimmers.
Hazards are something we must be aware of...- Netting. Hedgehogs can and very often do get caught up in them. All you need to do is hook it up during the night and when you are not using it. Also, fix pea netting so that it is at least 8 inches off the ground.
- Bonfires. Just be sure to check it before lighting, especially if it was built a day or longer ago.
- Strimming. Always check long overgrown areas to be cut for hedgehogs that may be resting.
- Open drains and similar openings are very dangerous for hedgehogs. Cover them with wooden boards or similar and maybe put a pot plant on it.
- Slug pellets. Please do not use chemical based pellets. Hedgehogs will eat the slugs for you if they can get access to them, they are the best slug controllers.
Hedgehogs are living in tough times. They cannot survive without our help. We are responsible for their decline so we must be responsible and help them to survive.
I will be extremely grateful if you can let me know of any sightings.
Brian Hutchings: brianhutchings100@gmail.com - 01993 772078 / 07437358587 - Upper Wayside Cottage, Chapel Road.-
Great Crested Newts and Slow Worms
I am trying to establish the location of great crested newts and slow worms in the parish of South Leigh. This information will then be included in the Parish Neighbourhood plan.
If you have a garden pond you may not be aware that great crested newts are present. The best time to look is after dark, using a torch. If you are unsure of the identity of your newts, I will gladly assist.
The great crested newt (triturus cristatus), also known as the warty newt, is one of the most protected species in the UK, and is safeguarded by both British and European law. Despite this, great crested newts are still in decline due to habitat destruction, fragmentation, intensive agriculture and development. Loss of ponds and suitable habitat around breeding areas have all added to their decline.
Slow worms used to be seen in the village churchyard and any information on their sighting would be most helpful.
The slow worm (anguis fragilis) also has protected status under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countrside Act 1981 and is classified as a priority species under the UK Biodiversity Plan.
All known habitats of great crested newts and slow worms should be registered with the Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre at TVERC, Oxfordshire County Council, Speedwell House, Speedwell Street, Oxford OX1 1NE / http://sightings.tverc.org/
John Everard ~ 01993 704188 / everard483@btinternet.com-
Rushy Common Nature Reserve
- The restoration of Rushy Common is now complete and the area designated as an area for wildlife. There is a lake of varying depths with islands surrounded by a high hedge to limit human disturbance. The large number of waterfowl already using the site is a tribute to its design. These waterfowl can be viewed from a spacious bird hide with disabled access. Inside is a book for recording sightings. Details of how a key can be obtained are available from me. The same key fits the bird hide at Standlake Common.
Rushy Common Nature Reserve can be accessed by car roughly half way along Cogges Lane between Stanton Harcourt and Witney or on foot by following Moor Lane from South Leigh. There is a car park and footpath with disabled access across Cogges Lane to Tar Lakes a public amenity area.
John Ashwell, July 2011 -
Waxwings in South Leigh, December 2010
Photo of Waxwings in Aston village taken by Barry Hudson;
note that the red-wax patches are just visible on the wings, but this is unusual.I was walking through the village on Christmas Eve delivering some late Christmas cards when I set eyes on a bird that I had never seen before in my life. Since I have been interested in birds since the age of about five and have travelled around many parts of the world working as a professional ornithologist, or simply looking at birds for pleasure, this was quite a momentous occasion. And a home-grown one too.
The bird in question was a Waxwing Bombycilla garrulus - see the photo. It is starling-sized with a sort of beigey-brown plumage but what is striking is its punk-rocker style crest which it raises when the mood takes it. It gets its name from the waxy red patches on the tips of its inner flight feathers but in the field one does not see these easily and it just looks as though the wings have nicely scalloped black and white edges. The bird I saw was in the hedge along Chapel Road on the right going towards Witney. And it was doing what waxwings habitually do in winter, which is eating berries.
I had been hoping to see a waxwing this winter because the birding networks were full of reports of them around Oxfordshire, but somehow they were always being reported from somewhere other than where I was. The weather at that time with about a foot of snow was not exactly conducive to driving around looking for waxwings. I had asked various friends to call me if they saw one but that had not produced any leads except to places I was not sure I could get to in the snow.
It turns out that this winter, according to the Oxford Ornithological Society, has proved to be a bumper year for waxwings with a 'spectacular invasion of this species'. They invade from Scandinavia and Russia when the berry crop fails in those areas, moving into Britain from the East. It happens only every few years and in the books it mentions another large-scale invasion in 1965/6. This winter (2010/11) there were one or two records in Oxford in November, but they really moved in big-time in December with 'a peak around the third week when multiple flocks were discovered on a daily basis'. It was roughly estimated that there may have been 700 to 800 birds in Oxfordshire. Reading those details in the OOS Bulletin, made my one bird in Chapel Road seem like small beer, but for me it was still exciting to see just one having never seen it before.
As I write this on 3rd February, waxwings are still around in Oxfordshire and several small flocks have been seen today around Abingdon. In winter waxwings love berries, so if you have some rowan berry crops in your garden, some rose hips or some crab apples, look out for that sandy coloured bird with a puffy crest and black and white markings on its wings. They often occur in small flocks of ten or less. The number of birds tends gradually to tail off during January to March with a few stragglers around until April or May. They nest in pine trees by preference, in northern Scandinavia laying their eggs in mid-June, quite late in the year by British standards. It may be many years before they invade Oxfordshire on the scale they did this year.
Clive Elliott-
Butterfly count in South Leigh - May to August 2009
- Earlier this year I went to a meeting of the West Oxfordshire Field Club to hear a talk on butterflies given by local expert, David Redhead. In the audience was Alan Cole who asked for volunteers to help him with a butterfly count being undertaken by Butterfly Conservation. The idea appealed to me and after studying the OS map, I chose South Leigh as I could see that there were lots of footpaths and a variety of habitats. The idea was to do 4 counts between May and August.
So armed with a notebook, binoculars and the excellent Field Studies Council waterproof, folding information sheet on British butterflies, I embarked on what was to prove a rewarding and beautiful experience. I am only an amateur but undertaking the count has greatly improved my recognition of butterfly species. My daughter, Jen joined me on count 2 and my friend, Janet Maxwell came with me on counts 3 & 4.
I started by going round the churchyard and then walked along Bonds Lane - a wonderful habitat for butterflies, day-flying moths, dragonflies, damselflies, birds, blackberries and sloes (the sloe gin will be ready for Christmas!). After exploring a strip of set aside at the edge of a field, I then crossed two uncultivated fields towards Gunn cottage. After crossing the old railway, I walked around recently planted native woodland and returned to the church along the road, stopping at Windrush Cottage to count the butterflies in Heather Horner's beautiful garden that she has planted with many native species. We also were treated to a glass of freshly pressed apple juice on count 3 - very welcome as it was a very hot day. Then we called on our friend Anne Peake and were invited to an impromptu supper.
There was a huge influx of Painted Ladies this year. They fly here from Morocco, over the Atlas Mountains, across the Mediterranean, over Europe and then across the English Channel. We counted small numbers in May and June, some of whom looked very tatty but at the beginning of August we saw 28 newly emerged Painted Ladies, the offspring of the intrepid immigrants.
I've made a record of the species and numbers that we counted - I suspect that some of the small whites may have been green veined whites but it's very hard to tell unless they are at rest. If you are interested in improving the number of butterflies in your garden, please go to the Butterfly Conservation website where you will find lots of advice about what to plant. Top of the list is a patch of nettles in the sun as a food source for caterpillars so it's time to go wild. Additionally, there are some excellent guides for sale from the Field Studies Council.
P.S. If there is anyone in South Leigh who runs a light trap for moths, please get in touch with me so that we can compare notes. My telephone number is 01993 851862 or email quarry@waitrose.com
Mary Elford, Bampton -
Winter 2008
Woodpeckers
In South Leigh, we are lucky enough to have several pairs of both the most common native woodpeckers - the Greater Spotted and the Green. Often the first sign of a Green Woodpecker is the distinctive sharp, repetitive 'yaffle' call. The flight for both species is also very characteristic, with fast flapping and swooping movements. The Lesser Spotted woodpecker is much rarer, although I have seen them locally in Wytham Wood.
You are most likely to see woodpeckers in flight rather than perched on tree trunks because they will almost always make sure they are on the far side of the tree trunk from you.
If you have bird boxes for smaller birds, you may need to reinforce the edge of the hole because woodpeckers can enlarge it and kill any chicks they find inside.
Respect your elder
Lichens are everywhere - on gravestones, on trees and on roofs. There are many varieties but they fall into three main groups according to how they grow. The flat 'crusty' lichens are the ones you would normally find on gravestones and rocks. There are also shrubby lichens and leafy lichens, which are more commonly found on the bark of trees or growing on the ground in much more northerly climes (reindeer eat plenty of lichen).
The humble lichen is an example of a true symbiotic relationship between two species, in this case between a plant (algae) and a fungus. Each species contributes and takes something from this close relationship - the fungus provides nutrients and tough protection against drought. While the delicate alga captures energy from sunlight.
S.J.-
Summer 2008
Flashes of brilliance
There have been further reports of a kingfisher hunting up and down the Lim as it runs behind the houses in Chapel Road. It is rare to see these beautiful creatures but, I am told, there is no mistaking one when you do catch a glimpse.
The distinctive blue colour of a Kingfisher's plumage is so intense because it is not just brightly-coloured pigment in the feathers; in fact these feathers are brown. The iridescent blue colour is created by the way that the special structure of each feather reflects sunlight.
When the kingfisher dives and enters the water after spotting a fish, it is unable to see and must rely on its memory to predict the final position of its prey. Sometimes their memory does fail them and they may return to the surface holding a stone.
Kingfishers eat fish head first, so when the male is trying to impress a female he will offer her a fishy gift, but he turns it around in his beak to ensure she can swallow it easily.
Respect your elder
At the time of writing the elder blossom on the tree behind our house is just starting to drop after a stunning display this year. The profusion of pure white flowers and the distinctive scent of elder have always inspired rich folklore. It was thought that the most auspicious time to encounter fairies was under an elder bush on Midsummer's Eve.
It was felt to be good luck for an elder to seed itself near the back door of your house to keep evil spirits and other negative influences from entering the home. In fact, the strong scent of elder leaves does repel flies and they were sometimes attached to horses' harnesses and elders were often planted near dairies for reasons of hygiene.
Elder flowers seem particularly attractive to the hoverfly. Hoverflies are harmless and their larvae eat greenfly - another reason to consider allowing at least one elder bush in your garden.
S.J.-
Spring 2008
Winners and Losers
Each year the RSPB organise a massive survey of British garden birds by asking volunteers to count birds for one hour during one weekend in January. The results for 2008 were released recently and it is possible to obtain results broken down by county.
The Oxfordshire Top 10 is given here.- House sparrow
- Blue tit
- Blackbird
- Starling
- Chaffinch
- Woodpigeon
- Great tit
- Collared dove
- Goldfinch
- Greenfinch
For more details and full results check out the RSPB birdwatch results website here.
Rooks and Reassurance
The Rookery off Homan's Lane is in full swing as I write. The birds come and go from this site all year but don't start serious nest building and repair until the end of February, battling against some fearsome gales. As building progresses, they start to strip small whippy twigs from a shrub very near us to weave in some strength to their precarious-looking structures.
This year there are around 15 nests, most of which are occupied and the social interaction is fascinating, if a little noisy.
A recent study by a Cambridge scientist has studied 'post conflict behaviour' in rooks. What they found was that following a particularly nasty argument, both the bully and the victim go back to their mate to seek reassurance by locking beaks, which seems to provide much-needed de-stressing.
Postscript: There is a special mention for one of Britain's favourite birds - the Kingfisher, which has been seen on the brook behind the houses in Chapel Lane. Keep your eyes peeled this summer for this special little bird.
S.J.-
Winter 2007
Red, Gold and Green
Every winter, when the goldfinches arrive in the garden, it strikes me how genuinely exotic they appear. They would not look out of place in a rainforest amongst gaudy parrots. They have such vivid colours and their presence is a real joy in the bleak midwinter.
Goldfinches are delicate birds compared to their bigger, stronger and more butch cousins the greenfinches. Their small beaks are adapted perfectly to feed on smaller, less accessible seeds. The variety and design of finch beaks did not escape the attention of Mr Darwin 250 years ago.
If you want to encourage these beautiful birds, then it is best to cater for them specifically. If you grow Evening Primrose in the garden, then leave it alone rather than dead-heading. The oil-rich seeds provide high energy food for birds, including goldfinches during the winter. If you prefer a tidier garden, then you can buy special hanging feeders with tiny holes, which you can then fill with their favourite small black Niger seeds.
Over Here
This autumn I spent a number of hours fishing in the Windrush with my youngest son. He has progressed from trawling the Lym with a rock-pooling net to fishing with a rod and line. The fish were few and far between, but we did encounter an animal that he was already familiar with from the brook. Any of our bait lurking anywhere near the bottom of the river was avidly snapped up by American Signal Crayfish, which didn't let go until they were on the bank.
These fearsome crustaceans were introduced into this country to supply the restaurant trade, but they are now widespread and decimating wildlife in our rivers and streams. Their aggression and size drives out our own smaller crayfish, but these monsters of the deep also carry a virus capable of killing their native cousins. American crayfish mop up large numbers of insects and fish eggs from the riverbed and so have an enormous impact on all freshwater wildlife.
This was one catch that we didn't throw back!
S.J.