Birds

16/01/26 In Area 10 at the Barn Owl Box 2 Barn Owl were seen by Brian Bennett one at the box entrance with the first one flying out a few minutes earlier.

12/01/26 In the Skinner Drive Balancing Pond in Area 7A were a pair of Mute Swan ,2 Mallard and a Moorhen .

10/01/26 At the Dinton Activity Centre in Area 10 a Firecrest was seen in the hedges by Jack Jones and 2 Barn Owl were seen at the Barn Owl box at dusk by Fraser Cottington.

08/01/26 Among the visitors to my Area 4 garden during this current cold spell were a small group of Long tailed Tit . In Area 10 Redwing and Fieldfare were both on a Hawthorn in the Car Park field seen by Alan Jackman.

06/01/26 2 Little Egret were seen flying towards the balancing pond by woosehill lane in Area 4 by Paul Bright-Thomas.

05/01/26 Flying along the Emm Brook near the Activity Centre in Area 10 was a Kingfisher seen by Brian Crathorne.

04/01/26 Paul O'Neill was out in Area 7A at Skinner Drive balancing pond. On a small thawed section of the pond was a male and female Mute Swan , a very confiding Chiffchaff foraging in low vegetation and a Lesser Redpoll seen in a mixed finch flock with Chaffinch and Goldfinch .

03/01/26 Seen and heard during this mornings litter pick in Areas 4 & 5 were Green Woodpecker and a Nuthatch . In Area 10 a Linett was seen in Lavell’s Car Park Field by Jack Jones and a Redwing was in the Activity Center car park, with a Grey Wagtail and Pied Wagtai on the lake jetty seen by Philip Giles.

02/01/26 In Area 10 in the Alder’s opposite the Green bridge were 10 + Siskin seen by Fraser Cottington a Fieldfare and Greenfinch . were in Lavell’s Car Park Field, both in the Hawthorn Bushes seen by Alan Jackman.

01/01/26 At this time of year a murmuration of up to 5,000 Starling can be seen amassing at dusk before roosting overnight in the Lavells Lake reed beds in Area 10.

Insects

13/01/26 After nearly a fortnight of cold nights ,the weather changed and finally the moth-trap was out in my Area 4 garden overnight on 12/01/26 and emptied this morning . The catch was 4 moth's of 3 species. They were 2 Winter Moth Operophtera brumata , a Mottled Umber Erannis defoliaria and the micro moth Agonopterix heracliana . With 3 new moth species added ,the total for 2026 is now 3 species. Following inspection and recording/photographing anything caught was released.

03/01/26 With the cold weather continuing the moth trap is still in the shed. Following a recount the final number for 2025 is 301 species in my Area 4 Garden.

Plants/ Trees

Every year the leaves on the trees and hedgerows change colour from green to a yellow/gold before falling , find out why at Why do leaves change colour .

17/01/26 The "lambs tail "catkins of the Hazel Corylus avellana are on display in Area 5. Hazel shrubs are monoecious, which means they have male and female flowers on the same plant. They can’t self-fertilise though.

12/01/26 Down by the Emm Brook in Area 10 , the first signs of Spring are starting to show. The Loddon Lily Leucojum aestivum are just starting to come into bud and the emerging leaves of Lords and Ladies Arum maculatum can be seen.

Fungi/ Lichen

Reptiles

Fish

Mammals

14/01/26 2 Red Fox Vulpes vulpes were seen sitting in the road in front of my Area 4 house at 05:00.

05/01/26 At 21:00 a Red Fox Vulpes vulpes was heard calling in Area 4.

03/01/26 Seen during this mornings litter pick by Carol Woodman was a Muntjac Deer Muntiacus reevesi by the river in Area 5.The muntjac deer was introduced into the UK from China in the 20th century.

Molluscs