foteb.org.uk | Friends of the Emm Brook

Latest Sightings September 2014

Click on the link to send in your sightings info@foteb.org.uk

For previous months sightings see Archive

The "Area Seen" refers to the 10 sections that the Brook has been split into for monitoring purposes (see Wildlife page under Monitoring ).

All sightings unless stated are from personal observations by Eddie Napper

Click on any picture to see a larger image

Birds

28/09/14 At 15:50 in Area 5, 2 Ring-necked Parakeet were flying N calling , and shortly after 13 Herring Gull flew S.

27/09/14 In Area 10, Fraser Cottington was out in the Sandford Lane, Lavells Lake car park field this morning. small groups of Meadow Pipit were going SE, as were Swallow and House Martin . 2 Skylark were heard and a Linnet flew over NW. Jay appeared to be on the move with , 3, then 4, then 9 more all heading SE. Again Blackcap and Chiffchaff were the only warblers. 3 Goldcrest were also heard. Meanwhile in Area 5, 25 species were seen in a 3 hour watch and wander. A Chiffchaff was calling in my garden and a Grey Heron flew over calling. 2 Grey Wagtail were in the concrete channell of the balancing pond. A Sparrowhawk was patrolling the area, and flushed 25 Goldfinch from the bushes.

25/09/14 In Area 5 at 17:00 approx 75-100 Hirundines Swallow and House Martin were seen drifting slowly S, feeding enroute.

21/09/14

It was eyes to the sky's in Area 5 this morning with several waves of House Martin andSwallow over, 2 Black- headed Gull were also seen. On the Passerine front a male and female Bullfinch were seen. The Finch flock was up to 30+ birds, with mostly Goldfinch .

18/09/14

In Area 10, Trevor Guyatt found a Spotted Flycatcher in the car park field off Sandford Lane, also 2 Raven flew over. Seen a bit later were , juvenille Hobby , 2 Sparrowhawk , Coal Tit and Meadow Pipit.

16/09/14 In Area 10 by the sailing club a Reed Warbler was seen and a Coal Tit was in the nearby small stand of pines.

14/09/14 In Area 5 this morning, 3 Meadow Pipits flew over S, a confused Swallow was seen heading N, and a Kingfisher was seen flying upstream of Dragonfly Bridge at 08:45. 2 Grey Wagtail flew up from the Brook, by Kingfisher Bridge and a flock of approx 25 Goldfinch & Greenfinch seems to be massing ready for the winter. In the afternoon a Sparrowhawk was seen flying over. In Area10 in the car park field, 2 Ring- necked Parakeets were noisly calling, meanwhile in the Emm by the bridge from the Lavells Lake car park field on Sandford Lane in a bathing and feeding fest were , at least 4 Chiffchaff a Goldcrest, Coal Tit, Chaffinch Greenfinch , Blue Titand Great Tit .

13/09/14

Reported to me by a dog walker a Kingfisher was seen flying downstream of the Meadow Rd bridge at 08:00 in Area 5. In Area 10 Alan Rymer saw a Spotted Flycatcher on the wires adove the bridge over the Emm from the Lavells Lake car park field on Sandford Lane. Paul Bright Thomas had 4 Ring- necked Parakeets fly over his house E calling.

12/09/14 In Area 10 a Spotted Flycatcher was seen by Richard Marsh and Fraser Cottington at the edge of the Golf course near the Sailing club. It was also in the old boat compound, just inside entrance from Sandford Lane. Probably yesterdays bird.

11/09/14 In a slightly bizarre moment Canada Geese were heard calling as they flew over my Area 5 house at 22:02 tonight.

09/09/14 With migration in full swing the dedicated watchers stake out the Area 10 Car Park Field off Sandford Lane with its open vista. The most dedicated of sky watcher's Fraser Cottington was out again at lunch time and saw an apparent South Easterly Buzzard passage of 13-14 birds. 2 Grey Wagtail were seen over low East, Also seen were 1 Hobby to the North East, plenty of Kites , 1 Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk buzzing a Raven to the NW.

At the bottom end of the Area 10 Car park field this morning Richard Marsh saw 2 Redstart perched on the fence. Stephen Day had an over flying Buzzard and in Area 4 Paul Bright Thomas saw a Meadow Pipit heading W at 08:30.

07/09/14 At 09:00 this morning aKingfisher was seen flying upstream along the Emm in Area 5 behind Morrisons. This afternoon Paul Bright Thomas was in Area 4 and saw a Buzzard flying high over S being harassed by a Sparrowhawk. 5 House Martins were also seen feeding over the Balancing Pond.

03/09/14 In the Area 10 car park field off Sandford Lane Trevor Guyatt and Fraser Cottington were watching at lunchtime today and saw 2 a Spotted Flycatcher flew into the Ash trees on the left side of the car park field. A light sprinkle of House Martin , Sand Martin and Swallow . In a bit of a Raptor-fest , 4-5 Red Kite , 3 Buzzard and 1 Sparrowhawk were seen. 3 distant Raven were also seen. Earlier in the morning 8Ring-necked Parakeets were seen by Richard Marsh et al.

01/09/14 In the Area10 Lavells Lake Car park field, Fraser Cottington saw Kestrel , 4 Ring-necked Parakeet , small groups of Swallowl a solitary Snipe and approx 40-45 Greylag Geese also in from the North.

Insects

22/09/14

In Area 10, Butterflies were on the wing , Speckled Wood were on the Himalayan Balsam by the bridge over the Emm from the car park field. Several Large White were also seen.

20/09/14

A bit of a crazy Cranefly morning in Area 5.At leasst 5 Cranefly were on the windows and doors of my house .

Seen were Tipula confusa and probably the commomest Cranefly in the UK Tipula oleracea.

07/09/14 Following on from last month here are a few more Galls that can be found on Oak trees. along the Emm at this time of the year. These were in Area 5 near Dragonfly Bridge.

The Marble Gall Andricus kollari is one of the most familiar of all galls. It is not a native species but was introduced early in the 19th century when the galls were used as a source of tannin for dyeing and ink making.and Knopper GallAndricus quercuscalicis which only arrived in Britian in the early 1960's. Butterflies senn today in Area 5 were Peacock Metrioptera roeselii and Large White Pieris brassicae

02/09/14 As part of the Foteb family picnic in Area 5 behind Morrissons today a bug hunt of the surrounding area produced the following Crickets Roesel's bush-cricket Metrioptera roeseliiand Long winged Conehead Conocephalus discolor , several fine Garden spiders Araneus diadematus .Dragonflies: Southern Hawker Aeshna cyanea and a Male Common Darter Sympetrum striolatum . Un-identified Craneflies , theDock Bug Coreus marginatus . Several Butterflies were also on the wing with Large White Pieris brassicae , Gatekeeper Pyronia tithonus /i> and a Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria seen

Plants/Trees

14/09/14

Along the Emm you can see Sycamore Tarspot Rhytisma acerinum This fungus causes a raised shiny black spot to appear on the leaves of the host trees. It is usually visible from late summer until the leaves fall in autumn. The fungus overwinters on fallen leaves. Fresh spores are produced in Spring, these have a sticky coating. The spores attach themselves to the new leaves as they form. The fungus does no lasting harm to its host tree.

In Area 10 near the bridge over the Emm , Wild Hops Humulus lupulus can be seen. Wild hops are unobtrusive climbers in hedgerow and thickets and are sometimes found twirling up telegraph poles. It is a dioecious species, which means that hop plants are either male or female. These flower in different ways: the male grows in green-yellow clusters while the female grows paler cone-shaped catkins which turn brown and papery when ripe. These in the photo are female.

13/09/14

There is not a lot of colour along the Brook at this time of the year but the white flowers of Field Bindweed Convolvulus arvensis are conspicious. Another white flower is White Nettle Convolvulus arvensis

01/09/14

More signs of the approach of Autumn with the leaves already starting to change colour.

Fungi

Molluscs

13/09/14

Other Wildlife

Fish/ Crustacean

Mammals

At 21:45 in Area 5 behind Morrissons a Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrelluswas seen flying nearDrragonfly Bridge. Common pipistrelle is one of the UK's most common bat species.

08/09/14 In Area 10 to the rear of Dinton Pastures main car park a Roe Deer Capreolus capreoluswas seen by Ian Paine.-

Amphibians

For a review of the sightings along the Emm for the first 8 months of 2014 click here May - August 2014 Sightings

January - April 2014 Sightings

For a review of 2012 sightings click here 2012 Sightings

For a review of 2013 sightings click here 2013 Sightings