After I mentioned Redwings and Fieldfares last time, several people got in touch to tell me that they had seen Fieldfares only a few days later (early November). These were all in small groups and did not stay around. Presumably these birds were passing through, perhaps heading further West. No doubt there will be others […]
Category: Nature Notes
Nature Notes – November 2018
My first Redwing this autumn was almost at the end of October, in shrubs in next door’s drive. They often feed here on the berries of Cotoneaster. I don’t think, however, that this was the first to get here. Almost two weeks ago, with a newish moon, there were some very clear nights, with the […]
Nature Notes – October 2018
The buzz last month (apologies for that, but it had to be said) was the appearance of very large numbers of small bees in several gardens and verges in Sweffling. These are one of the Solitary Bees, so called because despite the numbers, each individual bee makes its own nest rather than being part of […]
Nature Notes – September 2018
In late summer we have fewer wild flowers in the verges and field margins, especially after this particularly dry year, but we have had some good rain lately and there are still plenty to look out for. One of the most striking is the Yellow Toadflax, a pale yellow, slightly smaller version of the garden […]
Nature Notes – August 2018
At the time of writing we have just ended a record hot, dry period (it would be misleading to call it a ‘spell’). Grass fields were completely dried out, and almost white. Some deep-rooted plants such as thistles survived better than most, and provided at least some flowers for the summer butterflies. By now there are also Bramble […]
Nature Notes – July 2018
The internet is well named. Being a net, it is full of holes, through which fell last month’s Nature Notes. Apologies to any regular readers. The churchyard in Sweffling is one of our most important and interesting habitats. In spring there was a fine show of flowers which I hope people noticed. Although not in […]
Nature Notes – June 2018
This seems a good time to include a piece about the Sweffling churchyard, which has been in such good colour this spring. Many village churchyards, as well as their obvious function, can be important as veritable nature reserves. This is because in places they have simply been mown, or perhaps grazed, for hundreds of years, […]
Nature Notes – May 2018
At this time of year, everything in the natural world seems to be changing particularly fast, with spring flowers appearing, insects emerging, and seasonal changes in bird life. By the end of April, most of our common migrant birds were arriving. Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps have been in song for several weeks, and others like Whitethroat […]
Nature Notes – April 2018
The large bird of prey, the Buzzard, seems to continually be on the increase. It is true that their habits of soaring in the open, making their loud ‘mewing’ call, make them more conspicuous, but many people I have spoken with agree that they are seeing them even more often. They are not highly specialised […]
Nature Notes – March 2018
Among the Goldfinches on the bird feeder this February have been the hoped-for numbers of Redpolls. I get a lot of pleasure from these tiny brown finches with their bright crimson red forehead patch, and males with increasingly pink breasts as they come into spring plumage. Unfortunately, one of them flew against a window and […]