Langdyke volunteer Jackie Robinson in her regular update of events on our reserves reflects on how we’ve gone from Autumn to Winter … just like that!
What a difference a month makes! October seemed to be mild, if memory serves me well, and the beginning of November too, but suddenly I’m trying to find my thermals and ice scraper.
My neighbour’s oak tree has now only a few crispy orange leaves left clinging to the ends of the branches. The garden has a nice brown carpet of wet, slippery leaves.
My car actually had snow on it the other day. I was too late rising to see any actual snowfall but for a few days I’ve had to scrape the windscreen twice a day.
Swaddywell was quite cold but under a blue sky on Thursday (November 21) it was surprisingly very pleasant to be working. There was raking again (no surprise there!!) but the banks are looking really good and new plants are beginning to show through, especially the wild strawberries.
There are many tiny Yellow-wort plants trying to flower again. We are thankfully getting on top of the ubiquitous willow saplings and some of the brambles, if only they would stay cut for a few months to allow us to tackle the other areas too, that would be wonderful.
On the subject of willow, the volunteers at Etton Maxey enjoyed the warmth of a bonfire during one cold morning having cleared a large area of willow near to the water area to allow the reed bank to expand. They were captured at work through the long lens of Neil Malton who was out enjoying a morning walk around the reserve.
The ‘empty’ cabin pond at Swaddywell, ripe for renovation, has decided it prefers to be about half full, despite us detaching the down pipe on the cabin that feeds it. We are going to need lots of buckets before it is empty again!
I haven’t been out much lately and when I have it has been a bit further away, but my camera buddy and I were desperate to see the Fly Agaric at Castor Hanglands before they went over. We went to our usual place and … no trees, no clue as to where the Fly Agaric were last year, just a big open space!
We tried to hide our disappointment (unsuccessfully) but P thought she knew of another spot where some were supposed to be growing. We searched the area and spotted a small one, well at least it was one we thought – but – a few yards away there were Fly Agaric everywhere and we wandered about not really knowing where to start photographing. There were small ones, large ones, half eaten ones and some with no spots at all, they really are wonderful. Strangely enough on November 13 the trees were still very green and lush at the Hanglands.
We decided to have a look at Ring Haw Reserve to see what was about, not much at all as it happened, but the Spindleberry trees (Euonymus europaeus) were beautiful. Lovely pink with orange seeds showing and through many of the trees were masses of Old Man’s Beard seed heads aka Traveller’s Joy (Clematis Vitalba).
Some wildlife showed itself though. Ladybirds and a Hairy shield bug were taking advantage of a sunny, warm day resting on the Hellebore plants which looked very fresh and green. The fronds of the bracken all around were a beautiful shade of autumn brown.
Back in the garden the usual birds are about – plenty of Goldfinch, Greenfinch, a couple of feisty Robins, a single pair of Chaffinch, and I’m pleased to say the first Yellowhammer visited the garden briefly on November 17, (the exact same day as they visited for the first time last year) but with no easily available food about, he left.
Photo: Steve Zealand
A Pied wagtail has been clearing up some of the fallen seed in the last few days as well. I’d like to throw out some mealworms for him but the starlings must have ‘meal worm alert’ turned on because they arrive the instant they land on the grass. A Sparrowhawk did a flypast the other day, judging the gap in the fig tree to perfection, I’m not sure if it caught anything but as it appeared to make for the open field I guess it did. It usually sits in the oak if unsuccessful.
To encourage the ground feeding birds back into the garden I sprinkle some seed on the path and on the ground feeder but who should turn up but Mr Ratty! I open the door shoo him away and he sits and watches me go back in and then sneaks out again. I haven’t seen him for three days now so I’m hoping he has gone back to the fields.
Weirdly enough, tree rats, I love.
They can come along, eat their peanuts, pinch all the bird sunflower seeds, hang precariously upside down on the feeders and I don’t mind a bit. It’s just those long pink-tailed ones I don’t like!! If I disturb the squirrels unexpectedly they race along the narrow fence almost falling off in their haste and make a leap of faith for the conifer, where I’m sure there has been a dray for the last two years. There are up to four ‘squirrelling away’ peanuts in the grass at the moment. If only they learned how to weed for me!
Stay warm everyone, bring on December!