Birds

30/11/22 I visited Heath Lake in Area 1 myself this morning. The Male Gooseander was still feeding aroud the Lake and all yesterdays birds were there along with Mute Swan , Great crested Grebe , Grey Heron , Cormorrant ,Coot and Moorhen.

29/11/22 At Heath Lake in Area 1 this morning were 12 Tufted Duck 8 male, 4 female , 4 Shoveller 2 male, 2 female, 12 Pochard 7 male,5 female and a solitary Male Gooseander all seen by Patrick Crowley. In Area 4 whilst putting up the posters for this weekends Litter Pick a Kingfisher flew from under the bridge on Meadow Road. My first seen on this stretch of the river for a while.

27/11/22 35+ Fieldfare were in the Car Park field in Area 10 seen by Fraser Cottington.

26/11/22 I put some seed on the bird table in my Area 4 garden only to be invaded by 15 Collared Dove . I'd wondered where the seed was going.

25/11/22 Seen from Paul Bright-Thomas's Area 4 garden were 7 Fieldfare going North.

24/11/22 In the Car Park field in Area 10 were 3+ Redwing and a Chiffchaff by Bettys picnic table seen by Peter Scuadamore.

23/11/22 The sun finally appeared at about lunchtime so I went for a walk in Area 1 around Ludgrove. In the Cattle fields were the usual farmland birds, Jackdaw , Carrion Crow and Rook . Robin were seen flying between the hedges and the driveway to the School, along with Blackbird and several Redwing . In the flooded fields opposite the School were 4 Grey Heron and 2 Egyptian Goose .

21/11/22 Over Paul Bright-Thomas's Area 4 garden this morning were 7 Fieldfare going South.

19/11/22 Seen by Fraser Cottington flying around the Landfill from the Car Park field in Area 10 were 7 Siskin a Stonechat and a Great Blacked Gull . At dusk a Woodcock was seen flying to the rear of Bittern Hide. Also at dusk the Starling murmuration was performing around Bittern Hide, beore roosting in the reed beds. A small group of Long tailed Tit were also moving through the bushes.Both seen and photographed by Keith Seymour.

14/11/22 Over the Car Park field in Area 10 were 7 Common Gull a Snipe and a Peregrine seen by Nick Kightley.

12/11/22 The current mild weather seems to be confusing some of the birds wih a Blackbird heard in full song by Paul O'Neill in Area 7A. Must think its Spring.

11/11/22 During a walk in Area 10 a flock of marauding Blue Tit , Great Tit and Long tailed Tit were moving noisly from tree to tree looking for food.

05/11/22 Seen in Areas 5 & 4 during this mornings Litter Pick were Nuthatch , Jay , Great Spotted Woodpecker and flocks of Blue Tit moving through the trees.

03/11/22 In Area 10 a Marsh Harrier was quartering the Reedbed's by the Emm Brook at Lavell's Lake for 20 minutes. Seen and photographed by Keith Seymour.

02/11/22 Paul Bright Thomas was watching his Area 4 garden this morning and had a Linnet over calling,2 Stock Dove in with a total count of 600 Wood Pigeon heading East and 4 Mute Swan heading South.

26/11/22 The moth trap was out again overnight in my Area 4 garden on 25/11/22 and emptied this morning. I wasn't expecting a great nights catch and I wan't dissapointed. No moths in the trap and I think thats its time to return it to the garden shed till next year . The total species caught for 2022 is 235.

23/11/22 A dry but chilly night with the temperature dropping down to 3.3°C. The moth trap was out again overnight in my Area 4 garden on 22/11/22 and emptied this morning. Another disapointing catch with just 1 moth. However this time it was a male December Moth Poecilocampa populi a first for the year.The flight time for this common winter moth is, as the name suggests, late in the year.In fact it can be found from October until mid or late December.With 1 new moth added the total species caught for 2022 is 235. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

18/11/22 A dry night, so the moth trap was out again overnight in my Area 4 garden on 17/11/22 and emptied this morning. The temperature was in single figures , albeit at the high end. There was a disappointing catch of 1 moth . Highlight was the solitary November Moth agg Operophtera brumata . With 0 new moths added the total species caught for 2022 stays at 234. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

15/11/22 Possibly the last of the mild weather so the moth trap was out again in my Area 4 garden on 14/11/22 and emptied this morning. There was a catch of 6 moths of 4 species. Highlight was my first Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria of the year. A male as the females are wingless. With 1 new moth added the total species caught for 2022 is 234. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

13/11/22 Another mild night with the"Azores plume" keeping overnight temperatures in double figures, the moth trap was out again in my Area 4 garden on 12/11/22 and emptied this morning. There was a catch of 8 moths of 4 species. Highlight was a male Feathered Thorn Colotois pennaria A rich reddish-brown moth, only the males have the feathery antennae which give rise to its English name. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

11/11/22 The temperature didn't dip below 15°C oveernight, so with the moth trap out again in my Area 4 garden on 10/11/22 and emptied this morning, I was expecting good things. There was a catch of 7 moths of 5 species. Highlight was The Sprawler Asteroscopus sphinx a first for the year and the FOTEB list. With 1 new moth added the total species caught for 2022 is 233. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

09/11/22 Still with unseasonably mild night time weather the moth trap was put out again overnight in my Area 4 garden on 08/11/22 and emptied this morning. It unfortunately got caught in fairly steady rain at 04:00 for an hour but still produced a catch of 5 moths of 4 species. Highlight was a Vestral Chloroclysta siterata only my 2nd ever. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

07/11/22 Undeterred by results earlier in the week the trap was put out again overnight in my Area 4 garden on 06/11/22 and emptied this morning. It produced a catch of 1 moth of 1 species. Maybe time to put the trap away for the year. The soul occupant of the trap was a Red green Carpet Chloroclysta siterata Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

05/11/22 The wet weather overnight this week has not been condusive to moth trapping, however a window was spotted in this pattern and the trap was put out overnight in my Area 4 garden on 04/11/22 and emptied this morning. The temperature dropped to 5°C overnight and as a consequence there were no moths caught. The total species caught for 2022 remains at 232.

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 .

11/11/22 Seen in Area 10 was a Moth Mullein Verbascum blattaria . This plant is more commonly referred to as the moth mullein because of the resemblance of its flowers’ stamen to a moth’s antennae, Is well known to be a Cockroach repellent

05/11/22 During the Litter Pick I checked out the Area 5 wildflower patch and its still going strong. Seen were Wild Carrot Daucus carota , Corncockle Agrostemma githago, Cornflower Centaurea cyanus . Poppy Papaver rhoeas and Corn Marigold Glebionis segetum .

Fungi Do not eat any fungi that have not been properly identified , some are DEADLY when ingested .

Amphibians and Reptiles

Mammals You may hear foxes barking at this time of year! They are starting their mating rituals, and make very odd noises in the depths of the night.

25/11/22 Presumably left by a visiting Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was this munched on. grusome Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus lower leg , found in a rear garden in Area 5.

24/11/22 A Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was seen at 03:15 wandering through the Close in Area 4 and disappearing through the hedge at the end.

23/11/22 At 01:15 I was woken by a barking Red Fox Vulpes vulpes in Area 4.

22/11/22 At 00.10 a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was seen wandering up the road in Area 4. Well it is rubbish day.

Fish/ Crustaceans

04/11/22 In October 2022 an electro-fishing exercise on the Emm Brook was undertaken at several locations in a joint operation by Martin Moore of the Loddon Fisheries & Conservation Consultative and Simon Bartlam of WBC's Countryside Services. At its most basic, electro-fishing can be described as the application of an electric field into water in order to incapacitate fish; thus rendering them easier to catch. The concept was devised and patented in the middle 19th Century (Isham Baggs 1863) and is mainly used for reasearch purposes. The results can be found here Electro fishing results 2022 .

Molluscs