November 2020 - Interesting sightings from around The Abingtons

November 2020

Amphibians and Reptiles

No sightings reported during November.

 

Birds

Fieldfare – 1-2 flying over Cambridge Road, and several reports of small numbers along ORC and Roman Road.  Redwing – five reports of 1-3 birds on LSA and ORC.

Blackcap – male seen feeding on fruit along ORC.

Lapwing – single bird over Roman Road on 6th.

Kingfisher – along the river in Sluice Wood on 10th – the first for some time.

Stonechat – pair seen along Roman Road near Hildersham, perching on high vegetation early one morning (14th)

Cormorant – single bird seen flying over LSA on 2nd.

Garden birds: larger numbers of birds seen on garden feeders this month:

Goldfinch – regular flocks of 4-8 in several gardens, with smaller numbers (2-4) of Greenfinch and Chaffinch also reported regularly. 

Coal Tit – 1-2 regularly in Cambridge Road garden, one on LSA, and unusually one in Lewis Crescent garden. Occasional flocks of Long-tailed Tit, and regular Great Tit and Blue Tit.

Blackbird – starting to be seen regularly again in gardens, feeding on berries and windfall fruit, also in larger numbers in hedgerows along ORC and LSA.  Occasional report of Song Thrush.  Robin and Dunnock also regularly seen in small numbers.

Goldcrest – one reported being a little dazed after hitting a window on GP, recovering quickly, and one on LSA.

Bullfinch – pair along ORC and on Roman Road.

Yellowhammer – flock of 15-20 flitting around hawthorn hedge near AbPkFm.  Linnet - similarly flocks of 10-50 near AbPkFm, and on LSA and Roman Road.  Corn Bunting – several birds on LSA and along Roman Road, one heard briefly singing on sunny day.

Skylark – several reports of c20 chasing each other around and singing over fields near AbPkFm. Meadow Pipit – c10 on LSA on 23rd. 

Great Spotted Woodpecker – regularly recorded in High Street, LA garden and a pair on feeders in Lewis Crescent. Green Woodpecker – recently returned to Cambridge Road garden.

Tawny Owl – several reports of calls during the night, and at dawn – including a very nice recording of one on Bourn Bridge Road.

Buzzard – several reports, mostly from along ORC and on LSA.  Kestrel - occasional reports from Cambridge Road, ORC and Roman Road. Sparrowhawk – female seen hunting in 1-2 gardens, and several other reports of males from Cambridge Road, Lewis Crescent, West Field and ORC.

Jay – regularly 1-2, and occasionally 3 in Lewis Crescent garden, usually recovering acorns but also under bird feeders.  Magpie – 1-2 regularly reported from several gardens.

Mallard – family of grown young and an adult near Millennium Bridge, as well as a single Moorhen.

Little Egret – one reported on river in Sluice Wood on 23rd, and again on recreation ground (29th)

Great Black-backed Gull – large flock of 50-100 feeding in field along Roman Road during potato harvesting.

Black-headed Gull – unusually large flock 70+ on Perse playing fields (18th and 28th). 

 

Butterflies, Bees and other insects

November was a month with few invertebrates, with only 15 reports in total.

The weather was very variable with a lot of rain and a few sunny, warmer days, very little frost

Red Admiral - 2;  Peacock - 2; Brimstone - 2;

Common Darter – 2

Seen on sunny warmer days:

Buff-tailed bumblebee-  2;  White-tailed bumblebee – 2; Honey bee – 1

Hibernating for the winter:

7-spot Ladybird - 1;  Harlequin Ladybird - 1

Mammals

Bat – none reported this month.  They have probably finally hibernated.

Fallow deer – one spotted on ORC on 1st, and 10 seen on LSA on 23rd.

Fox – dog fox seen near the Millennium Bridge on 23rd.

Hare – one seen on ORC on 1st and 2 seen on LSA on 23rd.

Hedgehog – no more reports this month, probably hibernating.

Muntjac – one seen on ORC on 1st, a young one seen in a High St garden on 8th and 13th, an again in a garden in Cambridge Rd on 23rd, and one seen near Pampisford Rd on 25th.

Flora & Fungi

A few fungi reported this month, provisionally identified as Peeling Oysterling, Sepia Webcap and Fragile Brittlegill.

Rivercare

A certain amount of debris was brought down by wind and rain early in November, but the heavy river flow has cleaned out our section making the gravel more visible. There were small trees fallen from both sides of the river by Lagden's Grove, with some very large logs also stuck at Bourn Bridge. I advised the EA and the latter have gone. Granta Park promised to remove the fallen tree on their side.

 

Weather

The total rainfall for the month was 29.5 mm and the lowest temperature was minus 2.2 degrees C on the 23rd of the month and the highest 18.3 degrees on the 1st of November. We had a couple of frosty spells but nothing significant and apart from a windy spell early in the month it was remarkably calm.

Many thanks to all those who contributed reports of their sightings for November 2020:

Peter Brunning, Anne Dunbar-Nobes, David Farrant, Gaynor Farrant, Robin Harman, Jennifer Hirsh, E Jones, D Kumararatne, Len Mead, Andy Merryweather, E Miller, Gill Smith, John Turner, Derek Turnidge

Please email your sightings, within the Abington parishes, to the relevant ANW Recorder:

Amphibians and Reptiles: Anne Dunbar Nobes       ac.dunbar.nobes@gmail.com
Birds:                                Derek Turnidge               derek@turnidges.com
Butterflies, Bees etc:        Jennifer Hirsh                  jennifer@hirsh.com
Mammals:                         Gill Smith                        richardandgill.smith@live.co.uk
Flora:   Currently vacant - if interested, please contact David Farrant for more details.

Abbreviations: GA – Great Abington, LA – Little Abington, LSA – Land Settlement Association, GP – Granta Park, ORC – Old Railway Cutting. AbPkFm – Abington Park Farm