Tag: Song Thrush
Wildwatch: May 2017
Highlights Record number of hoverflies (including 4 new to St Nicks); scarce summer bird visitor returns (and two stunning juvenile water birds); the magnificent big yellow “L”! Weather Temperatures ranged from 14C to 19C. Some sun (especially on the 3rd and 10th). We stayed dry! Birds On the 3rd, A Whitethroat sang all morning near […]
Wildwatch: January 2016 Sightings
Highlights Tiny winter visitor makes a brief appearance.. What’s shiny, rough, smooth and pygmy?.. Spring under way with male and female flowers showing. Weather Temperatures remained seasonally low, between 2C and 7C, but dry and mainly calm on the Wildwatch Wednesdays. The Boxing Day floods continued to ensure high water levels on both the […]
Wildwatch: December 2015 Sightings
Highlights Late summer, early spring for plants.. several scarce St Nicks birds seen.. edible or deadly poisonous – we didn’t dare test.. Weather Generally mild (10 – 13C) and cloudy, with some sunshine on some days. But on 26th and 27th, the floods came, due to the problems with the Foss Flood Barrier. Large areas of the […]
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: February 2015 Sightings
Highlights Snowdrops everywhere.. Water skulker and Tree “mouse” return.. a February shieldbug first, and a semaphoring fly! Weather Snow showers greeted us on the 4th, with a chilly 1C. But during the month, temperatures slowly rose and we had bright days on the 18th and 25th. Birds Last month’s statement that the December Water Rail […]
Wildwatch: January 2015 Sightings
Highlights A secretive dweller in the Pond – and CCTV catches a “first” for St Nicks! Weather A dull and drizzly start to the first Wildwatch of the year, but it got colder and clearer later in the month. There was a scattering of snow on the 14th. Birds We searched unsuccessfully for the Water […]
Wildwatch: September 2014 Sightings
Highlights: Three new plants & six new plant galls.. more “blue flashes” and sightings of the “tree mouse”.. spiders and harvestmen abound, and grasshoppers spring a surprise! Weather: Nationally, and locally, a very dry September, but with just enough rain to keep the two becks flowing. Temperatures on “Wildwatch Wednesdays” ranged from 12C to 20C, […]
Wildwatch: March 2014 sightings
Weather: A warmer patch mid-month was sandwiched between a cooler start and end to the month. Fortunately, we managed to stay dry on all four of the Wildwatch walks! A fairly dry month, so the water level in both becks started to drop, exposing muddy banks. Observers: Once again, numbers on the walks were in […]
October 2013: Spotlight on… Winter Thrushes
Winter Thrushes During October, the UK will see the start of a mass invasion from overseas, as hundreds of thousands of birds move in from Scandinavia and other parts of Continental Europe to escape from the harsher winters. These include common garden birds, such as Robin and Chaffinch, but our focus this month is on […]
Wildwatch: 15 May 2013 – Yet more rain!
Weather: 7 to 9 C, Cool and cloudy at first; later cool, cloudy – and wet! Observers: Carrie, Ian, Kaj Ian, rained off (by the forecast) from his Blacktoft guided walk joined the Wildwatch Group. At this important time for flowering plants, we were sadly missing inputs from Janetta and Kaye, but Carrie filled the breach […]
