Tag: Goldfinch
Wildwatch: February highlights
February brought with it a hint of spring and our wonderful Wildwatch team were out to spot all the tell-tale signs. Week on week the changing season was a source of pleasure and delight as our team were able to observe the buds emerging on trees, cherry blossom out in its delicately dazzling display, shoots […]
Spotlight on… Bird song and calls
Most birds will sing to defend a territory and attract a mate. It might therefore seem a bit counterintuitive to learn birdsong in winter outside of the peak breeding season – and it is true that there are fewer birds singing at this time of year – but that makes their individual songs much easier […]
Wildwatch April 2020
Wildlife at St Nicks has been flourishing this spring. Wildwatch volunteers would normally be meeting every week to record – and enjoy – this. Alas, this is impossible right now. However, several Wildwatchers have been able to visit individually and share their sightings with us all. And of course staff members continue to do essential […]
Wildwatch March 2020
New life sprung forth this March at St Nicks – as always. Despite inevitable difficulties, the Wildwatch team was still able to enjoy some great wildlife sightings. Wildwatch groups met as usual on the Wednesday mornings of the 4th and 11th of March – seventeen of us on the latter date. (What a long time ago this […]
Keeping connected to nature: even during lockdown
Hard times for us all. So many pressing concerns. Not least of these, for many of us, is the way in which our access to the natural world has suddenly become so constricted. Absence, it is said, makes the heart grow fonder. How true this seems now, regarding not just family and friends, but also […]
Wildwatch summer 2018 (June-August)
Highlights An early winter visitor…20 new invertebrate species recorded…a great summer for hoverflies. Weather Except for one warm sunny day in June, indifferent and cloudy (though dry) weather greeted most Wildwatch mornings until mid-July, after which Britain’s long hot summer dominated our Wednesday walks until the last two meetings of August which were duller. […]
Spotlight on.. Goldfinch
Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) is arguably St Nicks’ most colourful bird – although Bullfinch is a close contender! These black, white, brown, yellow and red (yes, count the colours!) finches are present at St Nicks all year round, and they breed on the reserve. They are widespread resident breeding birds throughout most of the UK and […]
Wildwatch: July 2015 Sightings
Highlights More breeding bird evidence, and a bad hair day for a scarce bird by Tang Hall Beck.. Warmer July weather brings out more butterflies and dragonflies, plus two more new hoverflies for the reserve.. “Butterfly bush” now in full bloom, and there’s Bindweed everywhere! Weather July started off hot and sunny, with temperatures reaching […]
Wildwatch: August 2014 Sightings
Highlights Pineapples, Lettuces and a lone Artichoke.. Butterflies disappoint, bugs abound, heaps of hoverflies, shieldbugs shine.. and what’s that “mouse” creeping up a tree? Weather A somewhat cooler August, but temperatures still reaching 20C. The Wildwatch Wednesdays enjoyed sunny intervals on all four days. Invertebrates Butterflies were very disappointing in number. Our August 7th blog […]
Wildwatch: October 2013 Sightings
Throughout the month, construction work on the Cycle Track prevented us from monitoring wildlife from the Kingfisher Culvert up to the Sluice Bridge Weather: After a very wet start on 2nd, when six soggy observers only managed an hour in the field, conditions improved and ended with a lovely sunny day on 30th. However, heavy […]
