Birds

31/12/21 And so the year ends with a bit of a flourish. A Lesser Spotted Woodpecker was reported in Area 1 in small trees on the path from Gorrick Woods to Luckley Road by James Carson. Have a happy New Year yo one and all.

30/12/21 A Raven was seen heading North over Eamer Crescemt in Area 7A by Paul O'Neill.

28/12/21 A walk through Area 1 (Ludgrove) trying to avoid the rain was productive with 2 Ring necked parakeet ,6 Grey Heron on the flooded fields,, Buzzard , Red Kite , Pheasant ,2 Canada Goose , Nuthatch and in the fields with the Cows were Jackdaw , Black headed Gull and plenty of Wood Pigeon .

27/12/21 Through the gloom in Area 10 this morning the Male Gooseander was still lingering by the DAC beach, with 3 reported later in the afternoon by Brian Cathorne. A Sparrowhawk was again sat on the cut reeds by the Emm waiting for the Starling roost to come into the reed bed at the end of the day.

26/12/21 In a neighbours tree in Area 4 was a Male Blackcap before being spooked by a House Sparrow.In Area 10 the Gooseander numbers had increased by 100% as there were 2 Males by the DAC beach seen by David Rimes.

25/12/21 HAPPY CHRISTMAS . In Area 10 the Male Gooseander was still by the DAC beach seen by Fraser Cottington.

22/12/21 Feeding on the berries in Paul Bright Thomas's Area 4 garden was a Redwing . In Area 10 the Male Gooseander was still by the DAC beach and a Female Sparrowhawk was sat in the cut reeds by the Emm. Photo courtesy of Mark Lauri.

21/12/21 Just offshore of the beach at the new Dinton Activity Centre in Area 10 was a Male Gooseander . Photo courtesy of Nick.In my Area 4 garden a rare visitor a Long tailed Tit was seen.

18/12/21 A morning wander around Area 10 and sat in a large Poplar alongside the Emm was a Peregrine . Photo courtesy of Fraser Cottington. A Great Black backed Gull was also seen flying over the Emm Brook.

17/12/21 A male Blackcap was seen in his Area 4 garden by Paul Bright Thomas.

16/12/21 A lunchtime walk around a grey Area 7A at Ashridge Meadows wasn't particularly productive, the only bird of any note was a Kestrel keeping an eye out for anything to eat.

13/12/21 Paul O'Neill was in Area 7A at Ashridge Meadows this morning and saw a female Kestrel , 2 Meadow Pipit and a female Stonechat in a hedgerow. Moving onto Area 8 he then saw 14 Linnet at the junction of Old Forest Road and Toutley Road along with a Green Sandpiper in a muddy puddle then alongside the Ashridge Stream.

12/12/21 I started the day in Area 1, walking around Heath Lake. On the lake were Mallard , Gadwall,Pochard, Tufted Duck, Coot, Moorhen and a family of 5 Mute Swan In the woods were Great spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch . I stayed in Area 1 and went to Ludgrove.Ring necked Parakeet flew over calling, a Pied Wagtail was sat on a fence post and in an Oak tree in the Cow field a Little Owl was sat out on a branch. I finally ended up in Area 5. In the Alders near the pond were Siskin , Goldfinch . Mistle Thrush and Redwing .

09/12/21 The afternoon sun lured out the wildlife in Areas 4 & 5. A pair of Mallard were sifting through the weed and algae in the pond by the entrance to Brookside. A Common Buzzard was perched in a nearby tree and circling over both areas was a Red Kite . All photos by Paul Hopcraft, who was also enjoying the sunshine.

08/12/21 On Heath Lake in Area 1, Patrick Crowley saw 10 Pochard and 12 Gadwall .

06/12/21 A Sparrowhawk flew low over Paul Bright Thomas's Area 4 garden this morning, 13 Redwing were also seen. In Area 10, a female Sparrowhawk was seen by Richard Sajdak hunting near the Green Bridge over the Emm Brook.

05/12/21 On Heath Lake in Area 1 a male and female Gooseander were seen by James Carson.

04/12/21 On a crisp,cloudless morning time was spent in Areas 4 & 5 with a total of 20 species seen. Thrushes were very much to the fore with Redwing ,Song Thrush , Mistle Thrush in a tree with Mistletoe, Blackbird and a possible Fiedlfare all seen. Jay were seen in good numbers . 2 Coal Tit were heard calling from the trees.

01/12/21 Seen and heard around the Green Bridge in Area 10 were 3 Mistle Thrush by Nick Kightley.

Insects

As you may have noticed its that time of year when Insects seem to disappear. Where do they go?, What do they do? Find the answers Where have the Insects gone? .

30/12/21 I thought that I had given up on trapping for 2021, but with yet another very mild/ dry night forecast I put out the Moth trap overnight , (29/12/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied it this morning.The night was however a lot windier than expected. Caught were 5 moths of 5 species. The moths caught were a male Pale Brindled Beauty Phigalia pilosaria The females of this species are completely wingless, or apterous, a feature which is often found in moths which emerge in the winter months.The males usually fly from January to March, searching for the females which have climbed up tree-trunks , 1 December Moth Poecilocampa populi , 1 Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria , 1 Dark Chestnut Conistra ligula and a Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana . Also in the trap was what I believe to be the parasitic Ichumeon Wasp Amblyteles armatorius its hosts are moth larvae. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

24/12/21 Twas the night before, the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse. However, in the garden I put out the Moth trap overnight , (23/12/21) and emptied it this morning.Caught were 10 moths of 3 species all outside the trap. The moths caught were 2 Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria my first of the year , 7 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata and a Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana On the white sheet that I use with the moth trap was a caterpillar of the Angle Shades Phlogophora meticulosa moth and also the caterpillar of a Large Yellow Underwing Noctua pronuba . Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

16/12/21 The mild weather continues, so I couldn't resist putting out the Moth trap overnight , (15/12/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied it this morning.Caught again were 7 moths of 3 species. The moths caught were 2 Light Brown Apple Moth Epiphyas postvittana , 3 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata and a Chestnut sp Conistra vaccinii agg which was bizarrely found on my lounge lampshade. Still unsure if its a Chestnut or Dark Chestnut. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

13/12/21 With the forecast saying a week of overnight temperatures in double figures, I put out the Moth trap , (12/12/21) in my Area 4 garden and emptied it this morning.Caught were 7 moths of 3 species. The moths caught were 3 December Moth Poecilocampa populi , 1 Red-Green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata and 3 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata . Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

Plants/ Trees

As the leaves on the trees and hedgerows start to change colour to a yellowey gold, find out why at Why do leaves change colour .

04/12/21 Oak leaves are among the last to fall, they turn golden slowly.Once the nutrients are extracted, the leaves are shed. But leaf drop isn’t triggered by cold weather. The oak can in fact sense red light in the spectrum using a chemical pigment (the phytochrome system) in the leaf cells which allows it to measure the hours of daylight.

02/12/21 Round clumps of Mistletoe Viscum album silhouetted against the sky are an iconic winter sight, and, of course, a festive essential. Mistletoe is highly poisonous, but you might see Mistle Thrushes, Fieldfares and Blackcaps eating the white berries, as they have evolved to cope with its toxic effect. The seeds are coated with a sticky substance called viscin which glues them to the branches, ready to germinate around April.

Fungi Do not eat any fungi that have not been properly identified by a qualified professional, some are DEADLY when ingested (all species MUST BE cooked). -

Amphibians and Reptiles

Mammals

28/12/17 Because the Grey Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis does not hibernate and it cannot store enough energy to survive for long periods without food, it can often be seen searching out hidden stores of food at this time of the year. These stores of single nuts and other items are buried in the ground in autumn, well spread out. They are found by smell, rather than memory. Often they are not found at all and later may grow, helping the dispersal of trees.

24/12/21 At 06:30 a Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus was seen running down Mercury Avenue in Area 4 .

22/12/21 In the early hours of the morning a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was walking up the road in Area 4.

09/12/21 A Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus was hiding in the Balancing Pond shruberry in Area 4, photographed by Paul Hopcraft.

05/12/21 At 01:00 a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was caught on camera strolling past my front door in Area 4.

02/12/21 At 01:15 in Area 4 there were 2 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes skulking around in front of my house and noisly calling and again at 02:35.

Fish/ Crustaceans

Molluscs