20th March 2023 - whilst Andy M was clearing the winter debris and leaves out of his small pond, he discovered not only five large Common Frog, but also a Smooth Newt - all very pleasing - and needless to say all safely returned to the pond.
19th March 2023 - there were four Greylag around the lake on Granta Park, and David F took this photo of two of them
15th March 2023 - Andy M spotted a male Siskin on the feeders today, it's lovely plumage standing out even on such a dull-weather day.
15th March 2023 - as Carole McC was clearing her pond of the winter debris, she came across five Smooth Newt - still rather sleepy but starting to come round - so after a quick couple of photos, they were quickly returned to the pond.
15th March 2023 - along the Old Railway Cutting, the Blackthorn buds were starting to show white, with a few flowers out on some bushes, whilst the Wild Cherry was in full blossom. The lovely shiny green leaves of the Wild Arum were also much in evidence.
10th March 2023 - More snow! And this time with some cold winds! But unlike December, it barely settled this time around.
February 2023
Amphibians and Reptiles
Frogspawn - The first sighting in a LA pond on the
20th February (see
blog). Exactly the same date as last year’s first sighting! Clearly time to start checking in your ponds
and other likely places such as ditches.
Birds
A total of 44 species were
reported in 275 records this month. Tawny Owl were regularly heard all
around the village and a Barn Owl was spotted one evening. Winter thrush
continue to be seen, with both Song Thrush and Mistle Thrush heard
singing early in the month. ‘Bruno’ the Macaw was reported taking a
short trip around Granta Park, giving a few of the staff there quite a surprise!
The collated results of the Abington BGBW are also in (see
blog).
Redwing were
spotted on four occasions, including a flock of about 30 in a field near Church
Lane, and smaller flock of Fieldfare
was seen along the Old Coach Rd. A Mistle Thrush was heard singing
regularly on Church Lane, as was a Song Thrush at several locations.
Good numbers (up to 6) Blackbird are also being seen in gardens, the males
being in fine plumage now.
A Blackcap was
spotted three times in gardens on Meadow Walk and Lewis Cres, these likely to
be over-wintering birds.
A Treecreeper was
spotted in a garden near Hall Farm, Great Spotted Woodpecker were seen
regularly in gardens, and a Green Woodpecker was heard calling near the Millennium
Bridge.
A Barn Owl was
seen flying over the fallow fields alongside Bourn Bridge Rd (17th), and Tawny
Owl have regularly been heard calling from several locations through out
the month. A Sparrowhawk was seen flying through a Lewis Cres garden, both
Kestrel and Red Kite were reported twice, and 1-2 Buzzard
were seen soaring over several locations.
Along the river, a Little Egret was
spotted near the Millennium Bridge (10th), and a Grey Heron was seen on
several occasions. Three Mute Swan, an adult and two juveniles, and two Canada
Goose were seen on GP lake, and a Greylag Goose was seen flying over
Lewis Cres. A Grey Wagtail was spotted
feeding along the river edge in Sluice Wood (5th), and several Pied Wagtail
are again being seen in the paddocks on the LSA. A flock of 30 Meadow Pipit
was also reported on GP (21st).
Good numbers of finch continue
to be reported, with up to 15 Goldfinch in gardens and around 30 feeding
on seedheads along Bourn Bridge Rd. Both Greenfinch (3-5) and Chaffinch
(2-8) were also regularly seen in gardens.
Similarly, both up to 4 Blue Tit are regularly spotted, as well
as 2-3 Great Tit and Long-tailed Tit, and more occasionally a
single Coal Tit.
A few Robin, Dunnock
and Wren were all regularly reported, and House Sparrow were also
seen more frequently. Small numbers of Starling were also reported occasionally.
Up to 8 Stock Dove
were regular visitors under the feeders on Lewis Cres, alongside 1-2 Collared
Dove and a few Woodpigeon. A Pheasant was occasionally seen
in a couple of gardens, and a Jay was seen around Cambridge Rd and
Church Lane, with 1-2 Magpie and several Jackdaw being reported
more widely.
Insects
A Brimstone
butterfly was spotted in gardens along both Bourn Bridge Road and Church Lane,
during the same warmer spell around 15th. These are the first reports of
non-hibernating butterflies this year. A number of Buff-Tailed Bumblebee
and Honeybee were also reported.
A Common Bloody-nosed
Beetle was spotted along the ORC – quite an unusual sighting (see
blog)!
Mammals
Badger – evidence
of setts along the footpath towards Grange Farm on 8th, and also along the ORC
on the 9th. A dead badger was found eviscerated on Newmarket Rd on 10th, and
another was found dead in Cutting Rd on the 12th.
Fox – one spotted
in a paddock on LSA on 11th.
Hare – two seen
along the footpath towards Grange Farm on 8th.
Muntjac – one along
the ORC on 11th and 12th, and one seen in a field off Cutting Rd on 12th.
Flora and Fungi
Both Snowdrop
and Aconite continue to give a good display, in Sluice Wood, on GP and elsewhere,
and the fresh green leaves of Wild Arum are very much in evidence. A
good patch of Bee Orchid plants was spotted in leaf around one of the
buildings on Granta Park, which should hopefully give a good show of blooms
later in the year (see
blog).
A Giant Puffball
was spotted along the Old Coach Rd (see
blog).
Weather
An exceptionally dry
February with only 9mm of rainfall, the average being around 38mm. The highest
temperature recorded was 18.4 C on the 27th and the lowest minus 5.5 C on the 10th.
Winds were predominantly westerly for the first three weeks, swinging to the
north for the remainder of the month.
NatureWatch Trip
No summary this month for RiverCare.
15th February 2023 - a good area of Bee Orchid plants was spotted on Granta Park, in a grassy area around one of the buildings there. Whilst only in leaf at this time of year, this profusion of plants promises a spectacular display of blooms later in the year. The Estate Office was informed of the site, and have asked the ground staff to leave this area unmown.
25th February 2023 - despite the chilly, breezy weather twelve NatureWatch members bravely found their way to the shelter of the heated comfort of the main observatory at WWT Welney reserve on the Ouse Washes. At this time of year the Washes are purposefully flooded with excess water from the River Ouse and Bedford Drains, and the amount of water in the washes depends on recent rainfall. After a relatively dry February this year, there was less water than other years, meaning there was plenty of water for the many ducks and swans, as well as islands of dry land for waders and other birds - in other words, perfect!
Apart from the many Pochard (mostly males, as the females migrate further south in winter), Mallard, Teal and a few Tufted Duck and Shoveler close by the hide, there were also a few other less common duck species a little further out, including Gadwall, Wigeon, Pintail, Goldeneye and Shelduck, as well as a male Goosander which briefly dropped in. We also had good views of both the resident Mute Swan (with the orange bill), as well as several Whooper Swan (which wedges of yellow on the bill) which winter here before returning to Iceland to breed.
Other highlights were a good sized flock of Black-tailed Godwit, and the odd Oystercatcher, Redshank, Snipe and Dunlin, which were all occasionally put-up by a low-flying Marsh Harrier. There were also distant but still clearly distinct views of a group of four Spoonbill on Lady Fen, and towards the end of the trip a Cattle Egret was showing well by the visitor's centre, as were the ever-reliable flock of Tree Sparrow and House Sparrow.
Overall 36 species (plus one 'hybrid/escapee' - see end of post) were seen during a most enjoyable trip.
