my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

A poor photo. of a bearded tit.



A few Ichneumon flies have emerged. This one may be a species of Ophion.



Sweet violets are flowering now.



Water Fern, Azolla filiculoides, has spread across the site, probably on ducks. This invasive alien plant has spread throughout the country by people throwing it into water courses. It can completely cover the water surface. The leaves turn green during the summer months.



A slime mould on willow. May be Reticularia lycoperdon.

[ian mcdonald]

Cigar galls on common reeds.



Scarlet elf cup.



Setting sun and reeds.



Short eared owl.



Birds were, reed bunting, meadow pipit, black headed gull, mallard, marsh harrier, buzzard, wood pigeon, teal, crane, shoveler, wren, bearded tit, tufted duck, gadwall, stonechat, crow, grey lag geese, whooper swan, pheasant, lapwing, water rail, moorhen, coot, blackbird, great tit, chiff chaff, blue tit, long tailed tit, willow tit, woodcock, snipe, common redpoll, mealy redpoll, goosander, robin, great spotted woodpecker, cettis warbler, kestrel, sparrow hawk, jay, fieldfare, chaffinch, song thrush and short eared owl. Also seen were red deer roe deer and adder.

[Maggi Young]

My goodness-  a fire at this time of year  can do a lot of  damage to the wildife. I assume it was arson?

[ian mcdonald]

It seemed so Maggi. There were two areas burnt with quite a gap between them. I don,t think that the fire had spread by sparks. There was no wind.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

I liked the photograph of the Short Eared Owl hunting.

Was fire ever part of the natural ecology at the site? Suppression of fire has created huge problems here in California. Decades of fire suppression is even a major contributor to our existing out-of-control wildfire situation we find ourselves in today. In California, creatures like Black-backed Woodpeckers, Picoides arcticus, thrive in burned over areas. Among other things, they use the standing blackened dead conifer trunks as safe nesting sites (their plumage is black, camouflaging them from predators, mainly raptors like Cooper's Hawk, Accipiter cooperii.

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, fire has been a part of the site for many years. Spontaneous combustion in hot summers at first. Then the peat producers used to use fire to remove the vegetation. When the peat was dry, deep seated fire used to burn for long periods. The peat is wetter now but fire still destroys wildlife when it is started. Particularly at risk are adders and invertebrates. Also, birds are starting to look for nesting areas.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

If I understand correctly, fire is unnatural at this site.

We have areas with peat in the Sacramento - San Joaquin river delta. Fires in the peat can be very difficult to extinguish. Worse yet, are peat fires at high elevation in the Sierra Nevada. Most often these are started when camp fires are started on top of the peat. Sometimes this type of fire can slowly burn for months and travel a considerable distance. At times the burning peat can also spread into quickly combustible materials creating another set of fire problems.

[ian mcdonald]

This week we went to look at an area which has not been recorded very often. A tiny lichen, Cladonia incrassata was seen. There were a few fruiting cups, smaller than a pin head. Also seen was a leafy liverwort which had been found by someone specializing in the subject, Calypogeia muelleriana. Cettis warbler was heard singing but not seen. A secretive bird which sings from undergrowth. It has a very loud distinct call for a small bird. Chiff chaffs are now quite common. A group of redpoll were seen, about 50 in the flock. Most were common redpoll but one arctic was among them. Several water rail were heard calling from reeds in different areas. Two sand martins were seen passing through, the first for the site this year. Hen harrier and short eared owl were hunting low with marsh harriers trying to flush prey. One little grebe was on a pool, with tufted duck. Goosanders are still here. There were a good number of shoveler and a pair of shelduck on another pool. One willow warbler was heard briefly, another first record for this year. A curlew passed over the site calling. Perhaps the highlight was a Merlin which was sat in various bushes, waiting to chase anything which ventured too close. One of my collegues managed to get some good photos. of the bird. Coltsfoot is quite common now along tracks. A few Pied shield bugs were scuttling about on an old log. Both red and roe deer were seen at a distance. The warmer weather has brought out a number of butterflies and moths. Those seen were Peacock, Brimstone, Comma, Green Veined White and Orange Underwing.



Cladonia incrassata.



Calypogeia muelleriana.



Pied Shield Bug, Sehirus bicolor.



Roe deer buck.

[ian mcdonald]

The setting sun highlighted the reeds.

Birds noted were, goosander, great spotted woodpecker, teal, grey lag geese, marsh harrier, cettis warbler, crow, chaffinch, chiff-chaff, woodcock, snipe, redpolls, mallard, robin, wren, pheasant, magpie, water rail, goldcrest, shoveler, gadwall, canada goose, sand martin, lapwing, hen harrier, stonechat, short-eared owl, meadow pipit, tufted duck, little grebe, black headed gull, herring gull, blackbird, buzzard, willow warbler, coot, moorhen, pied wagtail, long tailed tit, great tit, blue tit, kestrel, willow tit, reed bunting, wood pigeon, curlew, merlin and song thrush, also red and roe deer. One of my collegues saw a pair of Pintail.

[ian mcdonald]

I have decided to visit the site two days a week now that the "warmer" weather is here. The last two days have started sunny with cold winds later in the day. Yesterday a Little Grebe and two Black Necked Grebes were seen on one of the pools. Two Shelduck were in company with several Shoveler on another pool. We stopped for a drink and watched several Marsh Harrier displaying. At one point a Peregrine decided to mob one of the Harriers. We had a report from a local farmer that he had seen two Ravens. Later in the day we saw them fly over a path we were on, croaking loudly. Yesterday we saw four swallows, our first of the year. Chiff Chaffs are wide spread across the site now, calling from bushes. A Cettis Warbler was heard briefly today  from dense vegetation. Redpolls are still here, feeding in birch trees. Also, two Fieldfare were seen yesterday. Two Herons landed in an area of reeds and later one was noted hunting for prey, possibly frogs. Blackcaps have recently arrived and can be heard singing from bushes. Today, two House Martins were seen, the first of the year. While searching for a plant of Hard Fern, in an area of bog, I flushed a Snipe, which flew off calling.



Little Grebe.



Black Necked Grebes.



A coot keeping out of the wind.



Two Male Marsh Harriers, both flying with their feet down.

[ian mcdonald]

Flowers are still slow to appear but I did find several Common Storks-bill, Erodium cicutarium. We visited a part of a wood which has been too wet to enter in recent years. There were many mosses on the trees and also several Liverworts, one was identified as Forked Veilwort, Metzgeria furcata.



Common Storks-bill.



Forked Veilwort.

Birds seen were, reed bunting, meadow pipit, mallard, grey lag geese, tufted duck, little grebe, black necked grebe, gadwall, shoveler, crow, teal, marsh harrier, hen harrier, peregrine, buzzard, kestrel, jay, raven, willow tit, willow warbler, blackcap, fieldfare, pied wagtail, chaffinch, goosander, coot, long tailed tit, pheasant, robin, wren, black headed gull, lapwing, wood pigeon, great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, blackbird, swallow, shelduck, canada goose, chiff chaff, crane, cettis warbler, blue tit, great tit, redpoll, magpie, sparrow hawk, heron, goldfinch, house martin, woodcock snipe and a roe deer.

[ian mcdonald]

I was on my own today. Reaching the southern edge of the site I came across two youths with three lurcher dogs and a bull terrier type dog. One of the youths threatened me with violence if I took his photo. Maybe naturalists should be issued with firearms licenses for their own protection?
While checking a young water plant found previously I noticed a small plant of blackcurrant, a strange place to find it in a waterlogged wood. Along a track I noticed several plants of climbing corydalis, now called Ceratocapnos claviculata. Birds were few today, including several Goosander, shoveler and shelduck. I saw my first orange tips, male and female, for the site this year. Also seen were two speckled woods. Five house martins were noted in one place. Walking along a track in a wood I saw a large brown object on the path in front of me. As I got nearer the object arose and stood looking at me, it was a female red deer and it was joined by others which were out of sight at first. Several buzzard were circling in air currents overhead. Chiff chaff, willow warbler and blackcap are more frequent singing in bushes now.



A small black-currant bush in one of the woods.



Climbing corydalis.



One of the many tracks.



A speckled wood, Pararge aegeria, at rest.



A pair of canada geese.

[ian mcdonald]

A group of female red deer on a track.

Birds noted today were, swallow, buzzard, willow warbler, blackcap, chiff chaff, crow, pheasant, wood pigeon, wren, moorhen, blackbird, great tit, blue tit, snipe, goosander, shoveler, shelduck, coot, tufted duck, gadwall, house martin, marsh harrier, grey lag geese, canada geese, lapwing, pied wagtail, sparrow hawk and meadow pipit.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

I hope that you are okay.

On rare occasions I have been threatened while out in the wild. My policy is to be "invisible" while out. Fortunately almost all my encounters with people out in the wild are pleasant, but then I do not go out of my way to engage anyone. My experience has been that bears and mountain lions are a safer bet than some people. 

[ian mcdonald]

I,m OK Robert. I,ve been having trouble logging in and get a message that the site is not secure.