my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

A fairly dull but warm day today. I was surprised to find a large area , not seen for some time, had been cleared of birch scrub. The difference between this area to the East of a track and the area to the West of the track, is remarkable. Cleared area img. 1020478. Vegetated area img. 1020480. Jay through the windscreen img. 1020483. Other birds seen or heard were Heron, skylark, kestrel, chiff chaff, blackcap, robin, willow warbler, wheatear, greylag geese, mallard, teal, shoveler, song thrush, linnet, rooks, crows, marsh harrier, black headed gulls (noisy nesting colony), pheasant, jack snipe, lapwing, common snipe, long tailed tit, reed bunting, meadow pipit, wren, jay, wood pigeon, great tit, blue tit, whitethroat (first record for me this year), sedge warbler (another first record this year), tufted duck, chaffinch, swallow, moorhen, goldfinch, canada goose, house martin, gadwall, redshank, buzzard. Also water vole and roe deer.

[ian mcdonald]

There has been a large fire on the site since last week. The weather here is cold so it may have been deliberate. Much of the vegetation has been burnt, including Sphagnum, so the heat must have been intense. img 1020496 shows a small part of the burning. In another area moss has been "scorched" by the cold winds we have had recently img. 1020495. A roe deer having a scratch img. 1020492. Other wildlife seen were, kestrel, marsh harrier, common snipe, redshank, moorhen, coot, mallard, teal, shoveler, gadwall, reed bunting, chiff chaff, willow warbler, whitethroat, black headed gull, wren, linnet, crow, lapwing, greylag goose, pheasant, wood pigeon, swallow, house martin, wheatear, great spotted woodpecker, blackcap, sedge warbler, robin, blackbird, meadow pipit, chaffinch, magpie, roe deer and red deer.

[Robert]

Ian,

Is fire a natural part of the ecosystem in this area or has it been strictly introduced by humans?

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, there have been quite a few fires on the site over the years. I think the more recent (last 50 years or so) have been human interference. The vegetation recovers although it may not have the same composition as before. Now that the water levels across the area have been raised the fire was not deep seated in the peat. It will be interesting to see how quickly the burnt area re-vegetates and with which species. The peat has been removed, small scale at first, since medieval times. Later the peat producers removed peat by mechanical means for horticulture, grow bags etc.

[ian mcdonald]

Sunny and mild at first, then cold and windy. I re-found three patches of cranberry a long way from the usual area. Birds were quite a mixed bunch today, with more summer visitors. Among the few flowers seen were climbing corydalis (C. claviculata). This can be a dominant weed in suitable areas img. 1020505. Just coming into flower were germander/birds-eye speedwell (v. chamaedrys) img. 1020509. Greylag geese were browsing in a field, img. 1020504. While sitting down trying to photograph a cettis warbler I noticed something moving to my left, it turned and ran. I just managed to get a photo. of the fox before it disappeared, img. 1020507. The birds seen or heard today were chiff chaff, blackbird, wren, black headed gull, mallard, coot, willow warbler, crow, buzzard, marsh harrier, linnet, meadow pipit, cettis warbler, blackcap, whitethroat, shoveler, reed bunting, pied wagtail, long tailed tit, chaffinch, teal, gadwall, garden warbler, greylag geese, wood pigeon, pheasant, cuckoo (first this year), swallow, robin, moorhen, house martin, dunnock, sedge warbler, goldcrest, mute swan, swifts (first this year), snipe, crane, lapwing, grasshopper warbler (first this year). Also seen was a small bird of prey I could not identify, as I was leaving two bird watchers came and asked if I had seen the red footed falcon. This may have been the bird I saw. Butterflies were orange tip, brimstone and peacock. Dragonflies and damsel flies were on the wing.

[ian mcdonald]

The burnt area is already recovering img. 1020545. Part of the black headed gull colony and nests img. 1020562. A willow warbler, its nest was on the ground under a clump of grass img. 1020555.

[ian mcdonald]

Water violet, Hottonia palustris img. 1020543. There were several lapwings on an open area, the colours of the wings shimmer in the sun img. 1020547. A sad end to the day was the sight of a dead Hobby on a track. These beautiful acrobatic hunters catch and eat dragonflies on the wing. They are summer visitors and are fascinating to watch with their aerial displays, every bit as good as peregrines, img. 1020560.

[Robert]

Ian,

In the U.S.A. my understanding is that the survival rate for young/juvenile raptors is somewhat low. For me it has not been clear if this is "normal" or there are other un-natural difficulties encountered.

I see what appears to be grass (Poaceae) coming into growth after the fire. In California, invasive grasses have completely altered the grassland ecological niche. Species such as Medusa Head, Elymus caput-medusae, and a host of Bromus species are among the many invasive Poaceae that continue to spread and alter our ecosystems. I have read about attempts to control Goat Grass, Aegilops sp. by hand pulling at specific sites. Poa bulbosa was, relatively recently, introduced onto our farm on the cleats of golf shoes. Now I live with this pest. From my observations fire appears to ameliorate our invasive grass issues but does not eliminate them. In addition, the beneficial effects of fire are only temporary. Are invasive grasses an issue at your "local patch"?

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, there are no alien grasses on the site. The re-generation looks to be our native moorland grass, Molinia caerulea.

[ian mcdonald]

It was hot and sunny yesterday. Birds seemed fewer, perhaps choosing to rest during the mid-day. Southern marsh orchids are coming into flower, some with inverted flowers img. 1020568. and img. 1020565. The tiny marsh arrowgrass is spreading due to mowing img.1020579. Grey clubrush are rare on the site in one ditch img.1020583.

[ian mcdonald]

Sedges are not as popular as they could be in gardens but they are a diverse group of plants. White sedge (C. curta) is common on the site in wet ditches img. 1020580. Pendulous sedge (C. pendula) is rare on the site img. 1020581. Common yellow sedge (C. demissa) is fairly common on wet paths img. 1020584. False fox sedge is found on wet paths and fenny areas img. 1020586. Among the birds seen or heard were marsh harrier, hobby, kestrel, crane, cettis warbler, chiff chaff, willow warbler, blackcap, garden warbler, crow, black headed gull, great spotted woodpecker, coot, moorhen, mallard, teal, a stonechat family, wren, robin, shoveler, lapwing, greylag goose, pheasant, cuckoo, swift, sedge warbler, meadow pipit, linnet, chaffinch, reed bunting.

[Robert]

Ian,

The concept of using plants in the Genus Carex as a garden ornamental is interesting. Like the UK, in California they are not a popular garden species. I have been cautiously experimenting with some of our California native Carex species in our Sacramento garden. In California a number of native Carex species are pioneer species, reclaiming disturbed sites such as road cuts, etc. Some compete quite well, even with highly aggressive and invasive species such as Sheep Sorrel, Rumex acetosella. In some situations, I have observed, given time, our native Carex species can crowd out and replace Sheep Sorrel. Based on what I have observed in the wild, I have limited my experiments to the cespitose species. I am keeping a careful eye out for aggressive seeding. So far, so good! The cespitose species I have planted are staying put. Some, such as Carex multicaulis, are quite ornamental, at least in my mind, and well worth planting in the correct setting.

If I understand correctly, invasive plant species are not a major issue at "your site"? In California they are such a problem. New noxious species seem to find there way into our ecosystems all the time. In our Sacramento garden we a remodeling the yard and hoping to reestablish an ecological balance incorporating many life forms within the frame work of human contrivance. In time, we would like to expand this concept on the El Dorado County farm.

[ian mcdonald]

Robert, the most invasive aliens are Rhododendron ponticum, these have mostly been cut down using a mulching machine. There will need to be a follow-up of spraying. This is already taking place. New Zealand pigmy weed ( Crassula helmsii) is in some of the water bodies. This species does not like cold winters here and this is the only safe way to exterminate the plant. Where long term drying of the site, due to drainage for peat extraction has taken place, bracken (pteridium aquilinum) and our two native birches (B. pendula and B. pubescens) can be dominant. Impatiens glandulifera is spreading in some of the wet woodland around the edge of the site but this does not seem high on the list of priorities. The raising of the water level on the site is intended to promote growth of bog species, such as Sphagnum sp. and reduce non bog species. I like the Carex species and would grow more if I had the space. Carex paniculata is an uncommon species and grows locally. It likes to grow in ditches with water. There are also small species suitable for a rockery, such as C. digitata and C. caryophyllea.

[ian mcdonald]

Another hot and sunny day with dragons and tigers (dragonflies and green tiger beetles). There were several common blue butterflies img. 1020609. Also seen were three Large Heath butterflies, a rare species in this area, img. 1020610. A drinker? moth caterpillar on cocks foot grass img. 1020597. One of the many pools on site img. 1020598.

[ian mcdonald]

Another of the pools, cottongrass is now in seed img. 1020620. Marsh cinquefoil is in flower in ditches img. 1020611. Four additional royal ferns have been uncovered by the fire img. 1020604. A royal fern with spores img. 1020616. Among the birds seen or heard were, marsh harrier, hobby, jay, cuckoo, crow, pheasant, mallard, teal, greylag goose, coot, willow warbler, sedge warbler, garden warbler, chiff chaff, whitethroat, chaffinch, blackbird, goldfinch, black headed gull, lapwing, shoveler, gadwall, little grebe, wood pigeon, swift, blackcap, wren, robin, stonechat, pied wagtail, linnet, reed bunting, yellowhammer and a rabbit. In one area I counted 74 rosettes of bee orchid not yet in flower.