my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ian mcdonald]

Hello Robert, it is not uncommon to see fresh snow on the higher hills at this time of year. The Cairngorms can have fresh snow at any time of year. I have been on a hill in June, after snow has fallen. This is well into our Spring. Our high ground is nowhere near the elevation of the US and other countries. The UK climate is varied and un-predictable, possibly due to being surrounded by water. We seem to get extremes of weather in Winter if the wind is from the East (Europe). I think the Atlantic gives us milder weather if the wind is from the West (the prevailing direction). It also gives us wetter weather. The hill in the photo is 2700ft (840M). Our highest hill Ben Nevis is 4400ft. 1345M. I have noticed in the last 20 or so years that many of our upland plants have either been lost or are only found at higher elevations. I have no proof of this, just my own observations. The snow lay in the Cairngorms used to last until well into Summer and provided a protective covering for upland plants. With climate change the snow cover is not lasting anywhere near as long, except in sheltered gullies. This year our climate has changed, the same as last year. The seasons are no longer Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Instead we have an extended dull, cold and wet climate. We had a sunny and warm week about three weeks ago. That was the extent of our summer, apart from odd days here and there. This is affecting wildlife who rely on insects for food. Butterflies have been low in numbers as many other species. Warblers are down in numbers and species in this area. Naturalists in other areas report much the same. I went for a walk today and hardly saw any birds. If the present climate trend continues I can see losses in numbers and species, although recorders are still saying that Southern species continue to spread North.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

Thank you for all the information. It is greatly appreciated.

Here in California, the weather has finally shifted. We had some rain, mostly in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, and temperatures have turned much cooler – average autumn temperatures for this time of year.

When I was working at the Placerville farm this past week, I had my camera ready to photograph some of our wildlife, in particular our native birds. Maybe the rain altered their patterns. I did not encounter much. Most of the birds stayed well out of camera range – at least for my simple camera. Some Red-shafted Flicker were fussing in the nearby oak trees, but I never got a good view of them. I could tell that the California Quail had visited. They leave circular patterns in the dry soil where they dust themselves. Maybe next week I will have better luck with the wildlife.

Our native Blue Oaks, Quercus douglasii, are so stressed from the hot, dry, prolonged summer. Many of their leaves are turning brown. I hope that they survive. So many native oaks have died over the past few years. The oak savannah is turning into grassland. I am very concerned about this trend. The loss of trees alters the surface energy budget and creates an undesirable feedback loop – the soil becomes drier, temperatures rise, and more trees die.

[ian mcdonald]

Some views taken on a trip to the West coast.

[ian mcdonald]

Hooded Crow.

[Maggi Young]

Great otter images, Ian- well done!

[ian mcdonald]

Thanks Maggi, I,m not used to the "new" camera yet. It seems the shutter speed slows down if you use full zoom. It also has difficulty focusing on birds in the sky because it does not know what to focus on.

[ian mcdonald]

I took a walk along the river yesterday. At first the only wildlife I saw were a group of Rooks flying over. The first keen frost of the season was still on the vegetation. When I came to an area of trees the temperature rose. Close by, on a Sycamore I noticed a Tree Creeper investigating the lichens for food. It took no notice of me and I managed a few images of the bird quite close.



On the far side of the river a Heron stood on a rock, looking like a statue.



A Buzzard was heard calling and despite being near the camera struggled to focus on the bird.



A pair of Bullfinch were seen feeding on the seeds of a Birch tree.



Salmon? were leaping out of the water. I don,t know why they do this as the insects were few and the effort hardly seemed worth it. I was told that they do not feed on their way to the spawning ground. Perhaps they leap for fun? Or to rid themselves of parasites on their skin? Although there were a good number of fish leaping it took a while to get the camera to capture a leaping fish. The image shown is zoomed in for effect.

[Robert]

Hi Ian,

As always I enjoy your photographs. Here in our part of California the weather is still extremely dry. Precipitation totals are only ~ 20% of average to date. In addition the soil is extremely dry. Despite some precipitation the moisture content of the soil is still at the extremely low levels that were recorded this summer. At least temperatures have dropped to average levels, however we have not recorded any frost yet. In the Sierra Nevada Mountains temperatures drop below freezing each night, sometimes as low as -8 C.

Up at our Placerville farm, the Blue Oaks, Quercus douglasii, are drought stressed; the leaves are brown rather than their usual yellow shade during the autumn. The White-crowned Sparrows have returned from the higher elevations of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I generally detect their return by their song, which is quite pleasing. I see Ravens and Red-shafted Flickers on a regular basis. The wild Turkeys come around. This year they ate all my lettuce, endive and spinach. I replanted them and have them protected with row cover. The California Quail have moved on. This year they had several clutches of chicks. The chicks are like little round fluff balls with wings. At this stage they cannot fly very well but with the help of their wings they can move very fast.

I keep trying to get some photographs of our birds, but I just cannot get close enough to them. My camera is very simple so long range photographs are just a blur at the best. I rarely get out to do any field botany these days. Life and priorities change and I cannot do everything. I can visit some of our local low elevation sites from time-to-time, but even this is limited.

[ian mcdonald]

I have come to the conclusion that the Salmon are leaping to display their strength to the females so that they are a priority in choice for mating. Whether this is the case or not I don,t know.

[Jeffnz]

There are a few theories why salmon leap, for fun of orientation but sresearch has concluded that they leap to get rid of louse infestation.

[ian mcdonald]

We have had a mild spell for a few days, so I was out for a walk along the river. Three cock Pheasants were calling from cover. One walked across the track in front of me.



A Redwing was on a Hawthorn, eating berries.



A few plants were still in flower, including Knapweed.



I noticed a Wren in some vegetation close to the track.



Five Grey Wagtails were by the river.



We have had about 2" of snow. Lorries were stuck on the roads for several hours due to the compact ice and snow.

[ian mcdonald]

The weather turned cold, with at least a week of continuous frost. Now it is milder but with wind and rain. There are still a few fungi about. I think this one is Wood Blewit, on a lawn by the river.



I have not seen many birds down by the river lately. I think they are keeping under cover. Most of the berries have either been eaten or have fallen on the ground. Birds seem less interested in fallen berries than those still on the trees. I saw this Stonechat perched on a fence post.



Buzzards are seen regularly but getting a good photo is not easy when they are in flight. This one sat on a fence post surveying the area.



Yellow Brain fungus is occasionally found on branches.



I have not seen a rat in the garden before. This one found food on the bird table. It must have been hungry to venture in the open in the middle of the day. It was joined by a second one for a short while. I have mixed feelings about rats. They have had bad publicity for centuries and are accused of carrying disease. Although they keep themselves clean they can cause Leptospirosis but so can cows, pigs and dogs.