Mike's Wildlife Diary

February

2012-02-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

February already and Spring is round the corner, although it certainly didn't feel like it this morning at Willsbridge (2/2/12). Brilliant sunshine but bitterly cold and at 10am not many birds around. But as is often the case, I just hung around by Catscliff Wood for about 15 minutes and things started to appear. A male GS woodpecker started to hammer. I couldn't see him but a female was visible in the treetops and playing hard to get. Bluetits and great tits and a couple of robins popped out with one great tit even giving forth his 'teacher-teacher' call. Didn't he know it was far too cold to look for a mate?

A treecreeper appeared nearby, my first for the year, followed by another year-first, a goldcrest. A song thrush sat quietly nearby before flying off when it spotted me then a robin came and had a look so I threw it some seeds, a couple of which it sampled then looked at me as if to say "Where's the mealworms then?"

Up the path near St Anne's church were two more GS woodpeckers that were a little more interested in each other than the earlier pair. Finally on the way home towards Long Beach Road were two goldfinches at last year's bramble seeds. Not a bad two hours worth, I thought.

Here's the tree creeper that I saw.

January 14th

2012-01-16T01:29:00.000-08:00

Dipper and grey wagtail seen in the brook below the mill today. Also seen was a jay, song thrush, a couple of dunnocks plus several robins, great tits, bluetits and longtailed tits. A male chaffinch was heard singing at the north-eastern end of the park.

Great tit on the direction sign at the northeastern end of the park. Walkers frequently leave food for birds here so it's a good spot to watch them (the birds, that is!).

January

2012-01-12T05:23:00.000-08:00

A belated Happy New Year to everyone. Only twelve days into the new year and snowdrops are flowering in the area below St Anne's church near the reserve. Robins are regularly singing in the reserve and I heard a song thrush doing some pre-song practice in Catscliffe Wood. Roll on Spring!

Snowdrops near St Anne's church just north of the Willsbridge reserve. Snapped on 10th January 2012.

December 16th 2011

2011-12-16T06:09:00.000-08:00

Lots of robins all around the park today with a group of three in the garden. A huge buzzard was present low in the trees for about an hour at one point actually landing on the footpath near the quarry. I suspect it was after a bank vole or a rat but I didn't see anything in its talons. A group of around four jays were later giving it some serious grief before it flew off to the north.

December

2011-12-02T07:15:00.000-08:00

The first month of winter saw a frost on 2nd December. Local house sparrows have been missing from the green space behind the Long Beach Road car park but the overnight frost brought them back to the relative warmth of the suburbs.

Leaf cover in the Willsbridge reserve is dropping rapidly now and the woodland birds are getting easier to see. They're still quite shy as food sources are still plentiful away from the footpaths. A song thrush was singing near the reserve on 2nd December.

House sparrows off Long Beach Road.

Autumnwatch event 2011

2011-10-24T02:22:00.001-07:00

The Autumnwatch event at Willsbridge on Sunday 23rd October was a great success, with lots of the usual crafts plus music, storytelling and an owl talk with real live subjects.
To see photos of the event head towards http://photobucket.com/willsbridge.

You can view them all in turn by clicking the slideshow option.

To save or print your favourites, click on the thumbnail picture to show the single photo, then click on it again to show the full-size version.
Then right-mouse-click to show Windows options to save, email or print the selected photo.
The images have been resized for quicker viewing and download but are high enough resolution to print up to 5"x7".

Mike.

Dragons in October

2011-10-06T05:47:00.001-07:00

Dragonflies at Willsbridge have been a bit thin on the ground this year, possibly as a result of two previous cool summers, and this one not being much to write home about from June onwards. The recent heatwave at the end of September into October provided a much needed burst in activity though as the two shots below from October 1st illustrate. Common darters and southern hawkers often survive well into October until the availability of small insect prey and night frosts finish them off.

Shots below are southern hawker patrolling the mill pond, and common darter snapped in the garden pond.

Have a good October.

Mike.

September

2011-09-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

September already and autumn is almost here. Late summer dragonflies include brown hawker, migrant hawker, southern hawker and common darter with the latter two species a regular sight at Willsbridge. Also look out for butterflies, red admiral on the buddleia and comma anywhere in the reserve.

Southern hawker in flight over the mill pond

Common darter over the garden pond

Comma opposite the meadow near the dramway path

August

2011-08-01T15:00:00.001-07:00

August is a month of preparation for the shorter days of Autumn. Just about all the year's dragons, damsels and butterflies have made their adult emergence and are either preparing to reproduce and die or to gather enough energy food to survive the winter in hibernation.

In the reserve now are southern hawker dragonflies, either hawking for prey in the sunnier glades, or patrolling the mill and refuge ponds, and gatekeeper butterflies. Neither of these species will survive the winter although the dragonflies can sometimes hang on into November if there remains enough prey to keep them alive.

Winter hibernating peacock butterflies can be seen nectaring off the buddleia around the barn and on the edge of the garden. Red admirals share the bountiful nectar source of this shrub, often called the butterfly bush. Red admirals can sometimes survive a mild winter but most of them are continental immigrants or their descendants and will not live through a cold winter. Peacocks seek out shelter such as garden sheds and go into hibernation until the first warm period in Spring.

Also look out for comma butterflies and common darter dragonflies.

Red admiral nectaring on buddleia.

Peacock nectaring on buddleia

Female southern hawker resting in scrub at the north-eastern end of the reserve. She will catch prey on the wing, feeding up until she has the strength to mate and lay eggs in water for the next generation.

July

2011-07-24T08:34:00.000-07:00

July.

After a somewhat quiet month in June where the spring insect species are gone, July has another spurt in activity with ringlet, gatekeeper, meadow brown and holly blue butterflies seen in the reserve.
The new batch of overwintering adults are already emerging with fresh peacocks feeding in the garden. Look out also for brimstone and comma.
The refuge pond has seen multiple emergences of southern hawker with exuvia present on emergent and nearby vegetation. A male southern hawker has been seen patrolling the mill pond. This was a mature individual so wouldn't have been one of the recent ones from the refuge pond. These will return in the weeks and maybe months ahead to mate, and the females to oviposit (lay eggs).

June

2011-06-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

Early summer has been cool and wet so far which means damsels and dragons have taken a back seat. Nymphs of some species can stay their emergence until conditions are right. Large red and azure damselflies are still present around the mill pond in small numbers.

Scarlet tiger moths are about and can be seen in the wildlife garden if you're lucky. Many, but not all, moth species have undeveloped mouthparts when in adult form so cannot feed and as a result have relatively short lives. The scarlet tiger is one of these. The bright red rear wings are normally tucked under the forewings when at rest and is visible when the moth takes flight. It is thought that this sudden flash of colour startles potential predators sufficiently for it to escape attack.

The photo below shows the scarlet tiger in the normal at-rest position. The black portions of the wings often show slightly greenish and the spots are yellow and white. This individual was snapped in the wildlife garden at Willsbridge.

This is a different individual from the above, and was rescued from the doorway to a hide at Westhay Moor. It briefly opened its forewings, displaying the brilliant red rear wings and giving me the chance of a photo before it was released.

Tooth and claw...

2011-05-19T12:24:00.000-07:00

At Willsbridge on Tuesday 17th May I saw this male beautiful demoiselle (calopteryx virgo) almost leisurely fly up from its perch in the wildlife garden and pluck an unfortunate mint moth (pyrausta aurata) from the air. It swiftly devoured it leaving a tiny and rather forlorn pair of wings behind. Watch out for these aptly named beautiful insects in the valley through until late July.

May

2011-05-07T12:06:00.000-07:00

An exceptionally dry and sunny April on the back of an already dry March sees the garden pond rapidly drying out although the tub ponds with their lower surface area to depth ratio are still holding out, as are the mill and refuge ponds.

Prolonged above average temperatures has triggered odonata emergence at least two weeks in advance of their usual time elsewhere in the west of England, and in the reserve as well, damselflies have emerged early. Large red male damselflies have been tussling for territory over the bathtub ponds, and one or two azure damselflies have also been seen in the last week. Watch out, too, for beautiful demoiselle beginning to appear now, basking in the sunnier spots ready to ambush prey.
Tree foliage is getting much more dense now so spotting birds is difficult. As of today (7/5/11) an unsettled spell is bringing much needed rain so growth will accelerate further.

Large red damselflies are usually one of the first odonata to appear. This male was vainly guarding a patch in the rapidly diminishing garden pond.

A macro shot showing the formidable eyes in this large red damselfly that give odonata some of the best eyesight of all the insects. Note also the large jaws of a predator.

A beautiful demoiselle (calopteryx virgo) male. Like all odonata, young adults feed up on live prey away from water before getting down to the business of starting the next generation. Some of the larger dragonflies can be found many miles away from water, but they all have to return to breed. Look out for males tussling over the brook during the summer months.

Azure damselfly male. This individual has emerged several weeks earlier than usual due to the exceptionally warm and dry Spring.

Mike.

Bluebells

2011-04-21T05:28:00.001-07:00

I have noticed evidence of bluebells being discarded along the footpaths at Willsbridge, and also today, saw an adult and child picking them.

Many will know that it is illegal to uproot any wildflower without express permission from the landowner or the government, however there is a special list which covers species designated as especially threatened. It is illegal to pick flowers from these even if the plant is left behind, and yes, you've guessed it, bluebells are on that list, but in this case only for the use for sale. So, you may pick bluebells provided the landowner gives you permission to do so, in this case Avon Wildlife Trust. You may not uproot or destroy any wildflower.

So in future, if tempted to pick these beautiful spring flowers, think again. If you pick them, you may not fall foul of UK criminal law, but you will deprive others the pleasure of seeing this increasingly threatened wildflower.

(Below) Native UK bluebell. Cultivated varieties have bell-flowers on opposite sides of the stalk. The wild UK species have them only on one side allowing the stalk to bend over. The shot below was taken in 2010 at Willsbridge.

April

2011-04-14T14:39:00.000-07:00

With some unseasonably warm weather at the start of the month the Willsbridge reserve has sprung into action. The first butterfly emergences from overwintering pupae have appeared with orange tip, small white, speckled wood and one or two holly blue on the wing. Spring bird migrants have arrived with chiffchaff, willow warbler and blackcap singing in the valley. I fancy I might have heard a garden warbler a few times as well but this bird is notorious for hiding away while singing so I couldn't be sure.

Also check out along the main path alongside catscliffe wood towards the quarry, where near birdbox number 52 a female great spotted woodpecker has been hard at work boring a new nest hole in one of the ash trees. Flora now showing through the wood are small celandyne, bluebell, common dog violet, stitchwort, wood anemone, and red campion. Primrose and cowslip and showing well in the wildlife garden.

One of the first butterflies to emerge in the spring, the brimstone (below) is also one of the longest lived, overwintering as an adult by hibernating under ivy and other evergreen foliage, and surviving well into summer alongside newly emerged adults. The butterfly below is a male. Females have white upper wings with pale green undersides.

All pieridae overwinter as pupae, and the orange tip is one of the first to emerge. Males fly almost non-stop when the weather is warm and sunny but roost with wings closed when the skies cloud over. The beautiful mottled green underside of the rear wings make perfect camoulflage when resting on garlic mustard, one of its larval foodplants. This male is nectaring from cuckoo flower, another larval foodplant.

March

2011-03-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Spring is in the air, and the last week (from Monday 14th March) has seen an explosion of activity in the Willsbridge park. Birds are splitting up from their groups and pairing off. There is at least one longtailed tit nest in the reserve (hint: look in the bramble near the quarry area). Also jays are contact-calling with calls very like that of buzzards. I only hear them do this in spring during mating. There are several wrens singing, such a loud song for a tiny bird. Listen for the rapid high-pitched song punctuated by three or four tick-tick-tick notes.

Invertebrates are also emerging with the park's first butterflies. The yellow brimstone males constantly searching for the later emerging white females, peacocks and commas basking in the sunshine, each ready to drive off other insects that encroach their patch. Look out also in the patch of last year's bracken by the path leading to St Anne's church where I spotted at least four small tortoiseshell butterflies.

Celandines always do well at Willsbridge and they are well under way now although not yet at their peak.

Below is a small tortoiseshell butterfly, recently emerged from hibernation. Suffering from suspected parasite attacks numbers have plummeted in the last couple of decades but there are signs of them picking up in recent years.

The peacock (below), another butterfly that hibernates through the winter as an adult seeking shelter in sheds and other places out of the worst of the weather. The next generation will emerge in mid to late summer.

Dunnocks (below) are unassuming sparrow-like birds, but they are not sparrows. The males have a delightful song but females are rather fickle, often seeking to mate with more than one male.

Jays (below) are pairing off and nest building at this time of year. Despite their splendid plumage, they are corvids, like crows, rooks and magpies. Normally their call is a nasty sounding primal squawk but during mating they keep contact with a high pitched cry, somewhat similar to that of a buzzard. This has fooled me several times as buzzards are often seen over the park as well.

See you next month,
Mike.

February - the refuge pond

2011-02-17T15:48:00.000-08:00

Interesting things are afoot in the refuge pond near the garden at Willsbridge. Several dragonfly nymphs were found, one of which is attached. I could be wrong but it appears to be a brown hawker. The banding on the legs is a characteristic of this species. It's not an uncommon dragonfly in the Bristol area but I have never known it to breed at Willsbridge so it shows that an undisturbed pond is good for invertebrate wildlife.

Thanks to Rita Andrews for the photo.

Update: The banded legs suggested brown hawker, however this is apparently not definitive and I have been assured that the nymph is a southern hawker. This a species that has been breeding in the other ponds at Willsbridge for many years, so is perhaps not surprising. Many thanks to Polly Glazebrook and Tony Smith for the clarification.

January

2011-01-31T05:24:00.000-08:00

Things have been a bit quiet lately due to my suffering a niggling illness that has kept me away from the Willsbridge reserve. For the first time in many years I also missed the Wassailing event which was apparently well attended despite being a rather dreary and wet day.

It was good to start feeling better and on Friday 21st I spend a pleasant couple of hours in bright but freezing weather. I was delighted to spot a single goldcrest among the tit flock. Many believe the wren to be Britain's smallest bird, which is why it was featured on the old pre-decimal coin, the farthing, at the time Britain's smallest and least valuable coin. But with the much rarer firecrest it is the goldcrest that has this claim to fame. Very active, winkling out small grubs and insects from tree foliage and ivy, it really is tiny. With dark green plumage and that bright yellow patch on the crown. The crown isn't always visible, but the way I often recognise it is with its eyes that are surrounded by pale colouration that make them look like very badly applied make-up.
Look for them along Catscliffe Wood.
I missed the chance to catch a photo on this occasion. The shots below were taken last year near the mill pond.

December

2010-12-21T03:14:00.000-08:00

Here we are at the end of another year with the coldest and most snowbound December for decades. But it's not only Britain that has shivered but continental Europe as well, and what this means is that we can expect winter migrants to appear on our doorsteps. The usual winter thrushes have been here a while in good numbers out of town, although I haven't seen many in our suburbs yet, just a few redwings. But we have been lucky enough to have encountered several waxwings with small flocks of up to a dozen or so popping up around the region. Years can go by without a sighting of this enigmatic species, punctuated by occasional large scale migrations called irruptions when they outgrow their home habitat in Northern Europe.

I snapped the one pictured below off Mill Lane, Warmley.

Merry Christmas to everyone, and have a happy and prosperous New Year.

Mike.

A nice sighting

2010-11-27T07:37:00.000-08:00

Spotted at Willsbridge on a sunny but bitterly cold morning (26th November) was this female blackcap (above). Normally a summer visitor that flies south, some warblers, blackcaps included, have instead taken to flying west to our shores from eastern Europe.

There were other indeterminate little brown jobs (LBJs) around as well, maybe willow warbler or chiffchaff, plus a small bird with pink breast, linnet or redpoll maybe - couldn't see its head as it was directly overhead and partially hidden.

News through the grapevine is that waxwings have been spotted in our region, so do keep an eye out for these and other winter visitors during the cold snap.

Mike.

November

2010-11-19T00:47:00.001-08:00

Autumn is well under way now with the trees losing most of their leaves and letting in more light to the reserve footpaths. As a result, birds are much more visible.
The usual favourite spot at the north-east of the reserve is once again occupied by a resident robin who is already getting used to passers-by who drop food on the fence posts, and is becoming quite tame. I spotted a second robin hanging around nearby. Great tits, bluetits and longtailed tits are foraging in good numbers around the park. Also seen in the last week are jay, wren, grey wagtail, great spotted woodpecker, goldcrest, tree creeper plus a dipper in the brook. I've also seen what look like warblers of some sort, possibly chiff-chaff. Most warblers are summer birds, flying south for the winter, but some east-European birds have taken to migrating west instead, overwintering in the UK. If anyone sees and identifies an interesting or unusual bird in the park, please let me know.

One of the person-friendliest of our winter birds, Robins are always good for a photo if you give them seeds or mealworms.

Longtailed tits are delightful little birds. Very active, they forage in family groups of a dozen or more.

Late OCtober

2010-10-30T15:35:00.001-07:00

October is drawing to a close but a few dragonflies have still been flying at Willsbridge in the past week, mostly those most hardy of insects, common darters, but I also spotted a single southern hawker on the 28th briefly patrolling the mill pond. Leaf cover is now thinning which means light is permeating through the canopy allowing birds to be more readily seen. A robin has set up residence in the northeast of the reserve near the old fence posts where walkers regularly drop food. This little area is prime real-estate for robins but is also included in the foraging circuit for great, blue and long-tailed tits. I spotted today (30th) a tree creeper. Light was awful so no pictures, but two days ago I got a nice photo of a dipper in the brook near California Road.

As has been reported in previous years, a robin has taken up residence near a regular winter food supply at the northeast of the reserve. This is in all probability not the one that was here last year as their lifespan is sadly very short, on average about a year and a half. They like mealworms best, but will take assorted seeds. I left the peanuts here for bluetits and great tits as robins won't touch them.

Dippers can often be found along Siston Brook in or near Willsbridge. This is normally a bird of the countryside so we are extremely fortunate to see them in suburbia. They regularly nest under the bridge near the mill but can best be seen in the winter months.

Apple Day

2010-10-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

A good attendance at the Apple Day event today (10/10/2010) was treated with warm afternoon sunshine. Photos of the event will appear here:

http://willsbridge.fotopic.net

I took rather a lot, all in camera raw format, so give me a day or so to process them all.

Some of the photos are of individual children. I think kids make great photographic subjects, however if any parent or guardian has any objection, please leave a message on the photo website and I will remove them without hesitation. When selecting a particular photo from the index, you may select an option to leave a comment regarding that photo. Equally, if any parent would like a printable copy of their child's photo, leave your email address in a comment and I will send it to you.
Best regards,
Mike.

Update: Photos now available for viewing at the above website. Copy and paste the above http link into your browser to view them.

September

2010-09-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

The month of September has sprung a surprise at Willsbridge. With the garden pond gradually filling up, common darters have been seen around it attempting to recolonise it following its drying out over the summer months. Whether it will last intact next year for long enough to support a new generation is anyone's guess, but at least the tubs are looking good having held water all through the summer. Common darter, southern hawker and many different hoverflies will hang on into October, until sharp frosts finally finsh them off. Look out also for late red admiral butterflies on Autumn flowering ivy around the park or on fallen apples in the garden.
Fungi are now appearing around the reserve with good examples near the large field maple on dead wood and elsewhere.

Hoverfly in flight near Limes Wood

Male common darter resting on hawthorn berries. This is a rather pale individual. Sometimes females carry some red pigment, making sex determination difficult. However in this instance the lack of a vulvular projection on segment eight and the slight waisted appearance shows it to be a male (probably...)

July cont'd

2010-07-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

A brief circuit round the Willsbridge park turned up a surprise today (30th July). In the leaves of an oak tree near Small Clift Meadow, I saw what looked like a moth fluttering in the remains of a spider's web. On closer examination I realised that it wasn't a moth at all but a purple hairstreak butterfly. I have long suspected they were resident at Willsbridge since I had a fleeting glimpse of one six years ago, and this particular oak is a very good candidate. I decided that non-intervention wasn't an option, so I gently disentangled the butterfly from the strands of web, and shook free the spider that had bitten off rather more than it could chew. The butterfly seemed somewhat exhausted and one wing was damaged but it was still alive. Hopefully the spider, which was dwarfed by even this small butterfly hadn't delivered a killer bite. As the insect perched on my finger it slowly opened its wings, They were pretty worn but there were enough scales remaining to reveal a thin band of purple, showing it to be a female. I placed it on an oak leaf and left it in hope that it still had enough energy to lay eggs for next year.

Here she is.

July, and an old chestnut: ragwort

2010-07-29T05:24:00.000-07:00

July is the month of the summer dragonflies and nymphalid buterflies. Unfortunately, following a dry spring/summer the garden pond at Willsbridge has dried out. This has always been a rather high maintenance pond,having a large surface area to volume ratio, and it'd probably be best to reassign the space (or maybe dig a deeper version?). The tubs are faring much better as are the refuge and mill ponds, all currently showing good numbers of azure damselflies. Common darters are likely to start appearing soon.

The buddleia bushes are looking their best now and attracting comma, red admiral and peacock butterflies. The latter species have just emerged and look stunning.

An old chestnut that polarises naturalists every year is ragwort. As a lover of invertebrates I've done a fair bit of digging around regarding this plant and there are lots of myths, half-truths and downright misinformation, mostly from those with a vested interest in livestock. Hardly surprising because the plant is toxic to livestock.

First and foremost, if this plant is inadvertedly cut and dried amongst hay for winter fodder, it is very dangerous to all livestock. Normally livestock won't graze it simply because it tastes bad, but when dry it is less unpalatable, but its toxicity is relatively higher. In this form it can cause liver damage and even death.

The myths:
Ragwort is a foreign invader. Wrong. Common ragwort is a native plant and has been for thousands of years.

It will kill your dog. True, except your dog won't eat it.

There are blanket laws which compel landowners to eradicate it. False.

The truths:
Wholesale destruction of ragwort from land that does not carry grazing animals is neither necessary by law, or desirable for the sake of the invertebrates that depend on it.
DEFRA recognises its risks and benefits and the law strikes a sensible compromise. If ragwort is deemed a risk to livestock by potential contamination from adjacent land to that carrying the livestock then the landowner can be given an order to clear it.
Of course it also makes sense to keep grazing land clear of it.

It is just about the sole foodplant of the cinnabar moth. This moth has suffered serious decline in the last few years. Whether this is due to loss of the foodplant or due to other factors, I don't know. But if there is no foodplant then there will be no moth. I've heard people say that there are alternative foodplants, but from a personal point of view, I have NEVER seen cinnabar larvae on anything but ragwort. Other butterflies such as small copper and common blue also love it as a nectar source.

So lets forget the hysteria, and definitely keep grazing land or that used for hay clear, but also leave some space for this most maligned of wildflowers.

Comma on buddleia at Willsbridge

Ragwort, important for invertebrates, or serious pest? See text above.

Exuvia in Willsbridge refuge pond

2010-06-19T11:04:00.000-07:00

Good news from Willsbridge regarding the refuge pond. This pond was dug late February in 2008 as a refuge for aquatic wildlife away from the disturbance that the other ponds in the reserve are subjected to. It was initially left to its own devices after being filled with water from the brook, and not much seemed to be happening during the first year. However, on 15th June this year a dragonfly exuvia was seen on a flag iris in the pond. Early enquiries suggest it's probably a southern hawker. Since these dragonflies take around two years to mature from egg to adult then the egg must have been laid in the pond's first summer, and there was sufficient prey in the new pond for the young larva to make it through two winters.

Here's the exuvia:

A very "Odd" butterfly

2010-06-07T06:35:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's not the butterfly that's odd, but the location, a "park and ride" car park of all places. It's at the Bath suburb Odd Down, where the grass verges were sensitively planted with wildflowers many years ago. Since the underlying rock is limestone (where most of the Bath stone in its buildings came from), calcerous loving wildflowers have thrived including bird's foot trefoil and kidney vetch. It's the latter that has enabled a viable population of Britain's smallest butterfly, the nationally scarce small blue. Flitting about along the verges and between the parked cars they're a wonderful example of what a municipal organisation can do with suffient endeavour.

When I last visited on the afternoon of June 5th 2010 I counted about a dozen of these tiny butterflies in about an hour, and believe me, with a wingspan from tip to tip as little as 16mm, they are tiny!
Interestingly, I didn't get asked once what I was doing, whereas in previous years I had been. I think people have become more accustomed to nutters lurking in the hedges with cameras "Oh, they're only chasing butterflies, the silly beggars.". Common blue can be seen there too.

Here's a small blue from my recent visit, a male.

Messing about on the river(side)

2010-05-31T06:41:00.000-07:00

For many years the Avon near Keynsham has been a hot spot for the nationally rare scarce chaser dragonfly (libelulla fulva) which can be found between Keynsham and Saltford, and beyond. An afternoon walk along the bank yesterday (30th May) eventually turned up about a dozen recently emerged individuals, plus hundreds of banded demoiselles and a few white legged damselflies. Look for them in the nettle patches and rough grass areas along the bankside footpath east of Keynsham Lock. Also check out lilypads on the river for red-eyed damselflies.

Mike.

Female white legged damselfly (platycnemis pennipes)

Banded demoiselle male (calopteryx splendens)

Scarce chaser (libella fulva)

May 15th - Large red damselfly - male

2010-05-15T06:07:00.001-07:00

Two large red damselfly males spotted in vegetation at the back of the garden pond, Willsbridge LNR, this morning, 15th May, the first odonata that I've seen in the reserve this year.

April roundup

2010-05-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

A somewhat late roundup of April.

Summer warblers well in evidence with chiffchaff, and blackcap heard in several spots in the reserve. Lots of wrens in song. Goldcrests seen surrepticiously searching for bugs in the trees.
Green woodpeckers yaffling from both ends of the park, robins extablishing territory and mercilessly defending it. Blackbirds almost deafening in their competition for the best song.

Butterflies proliferate with orange tip, comma, peacock, green veined white, large white, small white, brimstone and small tortoiseshell, and on the 28th April a brief visit from my first holly blue of the season, a female.

With the summer canopy soon hiding the bird population, it'll be difficult to post many more until late autumn, so I hope you enjoy these.

Goldcrest seen in the reserve on May 1st.

Chiffchaff, one of several in and around the park. Seems like a good year for them.

Great spotted woodpecker. This is a male. These are secretive birds, hiding the wrong side of tree trunks if they spot you, but not half as difficult to spot as the green woodpecker.

A blackcap, sometimes called the northern nightingale. For anyone who has heard a real nightingale, it really isn't true, but the blackcap is still a delightful warbler, and the song is rather nice.

Holly blue seen in the garden on 28th May. This is a female, denoted by the black tips to the wing uppersides.

Easter Eggstravaganza

2010-04-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

Photos for the school holiday drop in event at Willsbridge on Wednesday 7th April can be viewed here:
http://willsbridge.fotopic.net

I hope you like them.
Mike.

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2010-03-18T02:53:00.001-07:00

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Wonderful Willsbridge

2010-03-09T07:55:00.000-08:00

I visited the park on Monday 8th March armed with camera and long lens. My intention was to look for a sparrowhawk seen on the previous Thursday, and also try to spot and photograph goldcrest. The latter is Britain's smallest native bird, smaller even than the diminutive wren. It is very active, seeking out insects and grubs in nooks and crannies in the woodland trees. It has a preference for conifers but will visit deciduous trees as well.

At the Mill I disturbed a grey wagtail which headed down to the brook. Seeking to stalk it for a photo, I failed dismally, and already alerted, it took off upstream. But while on the stream platform I saw a tree creeper. Although I got a few shots, none were particularly exceptional. While watching that bird, I was distracted by two goldcrests directly in the tree above me. I frantically ran off a dozen or more shots trying to catch one or the other. The tree creeper was joined by two others, and although I would have dearly loved better shots of these, the goldcrests were the bigger draw.

I caught the sparrowhawk later along the footpath, and also nailed a couple of 'lotties' for good measure.

A cracking day out, Gromit!

The somewhat elusive tree creeper, there are several in the park currently. It grips the treetrunk with its long claws, using its curved beak to probe for grubs in the bark.

The diminutive goldcrest, Britain's smallest bird. Named after the yellow flash on its head. Can be difficult to spot as it hunts for grubs and insects in nooks and crannies in the trees.

As agile as a bluetit, the goldcrest is very active so I was as pleased as punch to capture this delightful little bird.

This sparrowhawk had surprisingly cryptic plumage. It was only when I saw it move briefly that I spotted it. Even then it was only easily visible through the telephoto lens of my camera.

Longtailed tits, often called 'lotties' by birders, must be one of Britain's favourite birds after maybe the robin and bluetit. Sometimes likened to a ball on a stick, they roam the woods in groups of up to a dozen or more. Numbers have been hit by the hard winter but they are still easy to spot around the park. They make delightful photographic subjects, if you can catch them!

Another 'lottie'.

Buzzards

2010-03-03T05:00:00.000-08:00

A pair of buzzards have been flying around the valley recently, giving me speculation that they may be considering nesting at Willsbridge. I'm not sure what the effect such an event may have on songbirds nesting in the park but they are nevertheless stunning birds to watch. Listen for their plaintive high call as they maintain contact with each other.

The shots below were taken on Monday March 1st.

Mike.

A hint of Spring

2010-02-24T13:36:00.001-08:00

There was a hint of Spring today in Willsbridge Valley this morning (24th February). Crocuses were on display in the wildlife garden and on the slope near the barn, and were visited by honey bees.

Until the rain clouds rolled in that is...

Where have the frogs got to?

February

2010-02-07T04:52:00.000-08:00

February has a hint of spring with hazel catkins appearing almost overnight and snowdrops rising from the woodland leaf litter. Food for birds is still scarce however and robins are at their boldest at this time of year when offered seeds or mealworms.

Robins are Britain's favourite wild bird. They are an easy photographic subject with even modest cameras. The spot at the north-eastern end of the reserve at Willsbridge is a favourite territory for at least one robin. Just drop some food on a couple of the old fence posts there and wait for a few minutes about six feet away. Then snap away as the current resident tucks in. Catch him away from the food for a more natural looking shot.

Hazel catkins are appearing now. The "lamb's tails" are the male flower that disperses pollen on the wind. The female flowers are red and much smaller.

Snowdrops are the first ground based flowers to appear in the woodland. These were snapped in Catscliff Wood near the cottage bird feeders.

Robins always make delightful photographs and are an easy photographic subject because they are surprisingly bold at this time of the year. Tempt them close with seed or mealworms.

Willsbridge Wassailing 2010

2010-01-25T03:30:00.001-08:00

The Willsbridge Wassailing event, which celebrates the turning of the season and waking up the orchard in preparation for Spring, is always well attended. Wassailing 2010, held on Sunday 24th January, was no exception. A cracking event.
Photos can be viewed here: http://willsbridge.fotopic.net
Mike.

January

2010-01-09T11:17:00.001-08:00

The big freeze continues into 2010 and at the time of writing (9th January) looks set to continue. This means particular hardship for the birds at Willsbridge, but I have noticed that walkers are once again dropping food on the wooden posts at the north-eastern end of the reserve. I'm sure it's a welcome addition to the birds' regular forage to top up their carbohydrate intake and keep them fit and well. Bluetits and great tits love peanuts, swooping down to grab one then flying to a safe place to peck away at it with relish. Robins are well known for loving mealworms but will take grass and other seeds at a pinch as well.

One effect of the cold weather is to send large numbers of winter thrushes to the west country, so look out for fieldfares and redwings feeding on berries in the Longwell Green area. There was a mixed flock of around 20 birds feeding on berries in tall shrubs alongside Woodward Drive on 7th January, and there were also two or three redwings in Catscliffe Wood at Willsbridge, joining a resident songthrush and blackbird, foraging amongst dead leaves and ivy.

A redwing. A winter thrush that visits southern counties in large numbers during hard winters. Note the pale eye-stripe and the reddish underwing. Once they have found a source of berries they will remain, voraciously consuming them until they are gone then moving on. So if you see them, make the most of it!

Fieldfares often accompany redwings in winter visits to this country. It is a very handsome bird, a little larger than the redwing. Note the slate grey head. Another nomadic feeder that can be rather shy, so I was chuffed to bits to capture this one.

Wrens suffer real hardship during cold winters. Sadly, many won't make it. The species relies on large broods to recover those lost in such winters as the current one. The delightful individual right was snapped in Willsbridge today (9th Jan).

December

2009-12-16T06:20:00.000-08:00

Seemingly endless grey skies, cold weather and other commitments have limited my visits to the Willsbridge reserve so far this December. I have noticed one or two redwings in the vicinity so these winter visiting members of the thrush family should be looked out for near St Anne's Church and around the Long Beach Road car park. Last winter saw an influx of hawfinches to St Anne's churchyard which are locally quite rare, so I've been watching out to see if they return.

Since this is the run up to Christmas, may I wish all AWT members, staff and volunteers a very merry Christmas and best wishes for 2010. Above is a seasonal winter robin that I took in the snow last February to get you in the mood.

Mike.

December 2009 tree dressing event

2009-12-06T15:00:00.000-08:00

A couple of showers failed to dampen enthusiasm for the 2009 annual tree dressing event at Willsbridge on 6th December.

The above photo and others taken at the event may be viewed by all at http://mike.photos.gb.net/

Mike.

November

2009-11-25T06:39:00.000-08:00

A rainy and breezy month has whipped many of the leaves from the trees with a golden carpet around the hornbeam trees along the dramway path. During one walk I saw several squirrels browsing the leaf litter for hidden food, quite happy for me to stand very still about ten or fifteen feet away, but scurrying for safety up the nearest tree whenever a gust of wind rustled the branches. A buzzard was also heard calling, and subsequently seen flying over the treetops. It was eventually seen off by a couple of angry crows.Several interesting fungi were found around the big field maple growing from the decaying logs stacked there. Seen were ink cap, butter cap, sulphur tuft, turkey tail and candle snuff. Thanks to Alison and Joe for help with identification of these.

Mike.

Ink caps. The caps drip black residue as they age.

Candle snuffs. So called because they look like a black candle wick that has been snuffed out leaving white ash at the top.

Turkey tails. These bracket fungi resemble the pattern displayed on the tails of turkeys.

Butter caps. The yellow centres are said to resemble the colour and texture of butter. They don't remotely resemble the taste though.

Apple event October 2009

2009-10-25T14:07:00.000-07:00

Hi all. Just a short note for those who wish to view photos taken at the Apple Day event at Willsbridge on 25th October 2009. They may be viewed by anyone at http://mike.photos.gb.net
Just click on the link above to jump straight to the photo album index then click on the event heading. Click on the first or any picture in the index to view it.
Cheers,
Mike.

October

2009-10-14T03:05:00.001-07:00

The fine weather has continued into October, which has enabled dragonflies to continue to survive, although night frosts will no doubt signal their eventual demise. In the meantime there are southern hawker males patrolling the ponds, and females visiting to lay eggs (oviposit). Common darters can still be seen around the reserve, gleaning heat from south facing paths that are in full sun.
The odd speckled wood butterfly can be seen, and do keep an eye out for painted lady. These are continuously brooded and some of the offspring from the huge influx last May still survive. Sadly, they won't survive even a mild winter.
Red admirals are a little bit tougher and can make it through light frosts, and there have been reports of a late influx from Europe so these are worth watching out for. They seem to favour the slope past the paddock where there are ivy flowers growing.

Incidently, I got a message from a regular who has asked if there were kingfishers along the brook. I have seen one once or twice in previous years although none this year. I don't think they nest in the reserve and they're easily disturbed so I think you have to be lucky to catch a glimpse of them, but they do visit from time to time so watch out for them. Dippers are more regularly seen and in the spring have reared young.

A common darter tandem pair ovipositing in the garden pond.
He will stay attached as she deposits eggs into the water, preventing other males from mating with her until she has given his offspring a chance.

A painted lady. Although this one was snapped at Blagdon Lake, the Willsbridge reserve benefits from being in a sheltered valley and can support butterflies well into autumn. This individual was snapped on October 10th.

September

2009-09-30T09:01:00.000-07:00

September is a month during which nature begins its gradual shutdown in preparation for winter with most of the summer's butterflies gone. But Dragonflies are still around. Common darters have proliferated around the ponds and elsewhere during the month with sunshine holding up throughout the month. Common darters are long lived dragonflies, quite hardy, and can be seen well into October. You will often see them flat on south facing footpaths soaking up the ground warmth.

Late emerging comma butterflies can sometimes be seen sipping from overripe blackberries or from fermenting fallen apples, but I haven't seen any for the last week or so of the month so it looks like they're already slipping into hibernation.Female and male southern hawkers have been seen around the garden and mill ponds.

A common darter male patrolling his 'patch' over the garden pond.
He will retreat to stone paths to warm up on cooler days then make regular forays to the pond in search of visiting females.
He will battle with other males in impressive low level aerial displays to maintain his territory.

A female common darter. Females do not usually have this reddish colouration, but note the spur near the tail which males do not possess. I snapped her just as she was finishing off a meal of a small insect. She is now waiting by the pond for a mate before laying eggs (ovipositing) in the pond.

August

2009-09-02T03:17:00.000-07:00

Summer is past its peak and the nights will soon be drawing in but there is still activity in the Willsbridge reserve. Southern hawkers and common darters can be seen around the park when the sun shines. Females visit the ponds to mate and lay eggs (oviposit) where the males set up station and wait for them. Males are fiercely territorial at this time, driving off others of their species from their patch of water.Look out also for brown hawker as they are resident along the Avon and regularly travel up the brook to hunt. They are easily recognisable as the only British dragonfly with brown coloured wings, although "brown" is more a beautiful bronze when they reflect the sunlight in flight.Migrant hawker is another occasional visitor at this time of year. Superficially similar to southern but smaller with the characteristic white 'tack' mark at the top of the abdomen.

Late summer nymphalid butterflies are nectaring regularly to build up energy reserves to enable them to hibernate through the winter. Look for them on hemp agrimony and buddleia in the reserve. They happily coexist at this time, sharing nectar souces, as their time to contest territory and mate will be in the spring.
We should also be looking out for third generation painted lady. These are the grandchildren of the ones that crossed the country in huge numbers in May after travelling up through Europe from their native North Africa. They should be larger than the current generation and will be the ones that attempt to migrate south in autumn. Sadly, they are nowhere near as successful as the other great traveller on the other side of the Atlantic, the monarch, and it is thought that most of them will die before reaching their original starting point in North Africa. Make the most of the superb year for this magnificent butterfly. It may be many years before we see such numbers again.
Finally, a reminder that pictures from recent events at Willsbridge can still be found at http://mike.photos.gb.net/. I have placed no restriction on copying images from these events for your personal use so please feel free to do so.

A third generation painted lady. This is a grandchild of one of the huge number of immigrants in May. It is thought that this generation will attempt to make the journey back to North Africa, most of them failing in the attempt.

Common darter male. Look for them around the ponds in the reserve. Females are brownish.

A migrant hawker. These do not breed in the reserve but are regular late summer and autumn visitors. They can be identified by the white 'tack' shaped mark at the top of the abdomen.

August events

2009-08-05T11:49:00.000-07:00

Hi all.
I shall be covering the August school holiday events at Willsbridge with photos published on my photosite, starting with Aquamania on Wednesday 5th August. Photos should be processed and uploaded within 48 hours following the event finishing.
The website is http://mike.photos.gb.net
Previous events will remain as space permits, so feel free to browse them as well. Also featured are my nature photos.
Mike.

July

2009-07-17T02:32:00.000-07:00

As I write this, the rain is pouring down and I am reminded of the last two summers that hit our wildlife hard. However, so far at least, there have been spells of sunshine between the rain during this current unsettled period. Insects can survive downpours so long as there is sufficient sunshine to dry them out, and in the case of dragonflies, to allow them to hunt for prey.

A warm end to June gave the kick start needed to give July good numbers of ringlet in many areas. Willsbridge has had better years but the late June emergence continued into July. When I last checked on 15th July a few could still be seen in the grassy areas around the meadow.

Gatekeepers have emerged along the hedgerow by the horse paddock down the slope from the meadow.

Late summer commas have emerged earlier than usual in good numbers around the reserve - these are the darker variants that have matured slowly and will be joined later by the offspring of the lighter "hutchinsoni" commas that emerged last month. Both sets of emergences will overwinter as adults provided they can survive the next couple of months before hibernating.
Peacocks are also emerging and feeding on the buddliea bushes in front of the mill and behind the barn.

Despite worries about southern hawker numbers being down this year I saw three adults hawking for prey in the reserve. They are a highly mobile species so even if numbers in the mill pond are down currently, they should repopulate it readily from other areas.

Remember last May when The Times reported The Invasion of the Giant Painted Ladies? Blown out of all proportion by the paper, maybe, but there were thousands of migrant butterflies crossing the English Channel to our shores. Now, having reproduced on countless thistles, and sometimes nettle, the offspring are emerging. When freshly emerged, these butterflies are breathtakingly beautiful. Make the most of them as we might not get a repetition for many years.

A male southern hawker taking a rest from hunting for prey in the reserve. Once he has built up sufficient reserves he will adopt a stretch of water and guard it, waiting for females to visit to mate and lay eggs. Look out for them over the mill pond and the new refuge pond.

The privately owned horse paddock near the reserve's meadow area is looking very good for wildlife currently. A combination of light grazing and little other management is generating ideal habitat for small skippers such as this one.
Keep an eye out over the fence for them nectaring from knapweed as you pass.

This painted lady is probably an offspring from the mass influx from North Africa in May. Laying eggs on thistle and occasionally nettle they are maturing into adults now so we can expect to see many more before the end of summer. This one was snapped nectaring from teazle in front of the mill.

Look out for the summer's new emergence of peacock butterflies.
With just one brood per year, this is a long lived butterfly, conserving its strength in order to hibernate through the winter to mate and reproduce next Spring. The larvae feed on nettles in communal webs. This one was snapped on the buddliea behind the barn.

Here's hoping the current unsettled period ends soon.

Mike.

June

2009-07-06T08:29:00.000-07:00

June is a relatively quiet month where dragons damsels and butterflies are concerned with the spurt of Spring hitting a plateau and the high summer emergences occurring in July. However, the warm Spring coupled with a good start to Summer has accelerated damselfly nymph development and good numbers of azure and large reds have been seen, especially around the garden tubs. The garden pond has all but dried out so it's fortunate that the tubs have been able to take up the slack. On 25th June the first ringlet butterflies were appearing in the reserve along with several hutchinsoni commas. The latter are a paler variant of the regular comma whose development from egg to imago is much faster. These go on to produce normal looking adults in the Autumn, mixing with the slow tracked individuals that emerge in late Summer. Also on the 25th a scarlet tiger moth was seen several times around the garden.A single dragonfly exuvia was seen on 30th at the mill pond. It's been a good year for large skipper, with a few individuals spilling over into the reserve from the horse field adjacent to the meadow area.

With three broods a year, speckled wood can be seen in wooded glades throughout the summer. This is a female. She is much less aggressive than the male, who will defend his patch by chasing off other butterflies.

The ringlet is a summer butterfly, usually emerging around 1st July. It was a week early this year. Best seen in the reserve near the meadow.

Large skippers are a meadow species but occasionally visit the wildlife garden to feed on nectar from the flowers there.

Scarlet tigers are occasionally seen in the garden. I have also seen a caterpillar or two at Willsbridge so I wouldn't mind betting that they breed there. They are a day flying moth but can be quite elusive, hiding the bright red underwing when at rest.

Have a good July, all.

Mike.

May

2009-05-31T08:48:00.000-07:00

A glorious end to the month, and finally the damselflies are out in force around the garden ponds. Large red and azures are mating and ovipositing. There appear to be fewer in the mill pond though, mainly large reds. Holly blue is conspicuous by its absence, also no beautiful demoiselles yet seen in the brook. Interestingly, I have seen the latter in some numbers along the banks of the Avon at Keynsham, mixing with banded demoiselles. This is the first time I've seen them there as they generally prefer fast flowing streams rather than the lazy flow of the Avon. Could the wet summers of the last two years have driven many of the growing nymphs downstream, either through the deluges sweeping them there or through food pressures?

The big nature subject of the month has been the huge influx of painted lady butterflies, thought to be the biggest migration since 1996. Many passed through the park from Tuesday with up to four individuals at the same time pausing to nectar on the perennial wallflowers in the garden.

A male large red damselfly near the garden ponds on the lookout for females or prey.

Large red damselflies in mating loop. After mating, the male will continue to clasp the female while she deposits the fertilised eggs (ovipositing) in the ponds. This ensures that his genes are passed on to the next generation.

Painted lady butterfly, part of the recent mass influx from abroad, nectaring on perennial wallflower in the garden. This flower bed is a recent initiative that is already showing promise.

Have a good June, all.

Mike.

Damsels in May

2009-05-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

It's been a lean month so far for odonata at Willsbridge. Reports of various dragons and damsels have been coming in around the country but our collection of bathtubs and ponds have all been waiting for first emergence of these insects.

Finally on Saturday 16th May I saw two male large reds at the garden pond. I don't know whether they had emerged there or were visitors from elsewhere, but they had acquired their full adult colouration making them at least several days old. They have perhaps a week or two in which to find a female and mate. Here's one of them.

Mike.

April

2009-05-06T06:22:00.000-07:00

April 3rdA cool start to the day with a couple of chiffchaffs singing in the park, and a blackcap singing just outside along the path to St Anne's church. The sun broke through this afternoon and out came the butterflies with two brimstones, four peacocks and a comma for starters. Then two pristine looking orange tip males tussled together before disappearing up the hill towards Long Beach Road, the first OTs I've seen this year. A further OT seen near Court Road. A song thrush was singing his heart out near the quarry.
April 4thVisiting the reserve in the afternoon I saw several commas and a couple of peacocks basking near the bottom of Long Beach Road entrance with a single orange tip male passing through. Also green veined white, small white and an undersize large white.
April 7thPrior to attending the regular volunteers' meeting in the barn I spotted a male OT settled on a garlic mustard flower in front of the mill. A cloud had passed in front of the sun so I was able to take a few snaps before it warmed up and flew away.
April 14thBluebells are looking nice along Catscliff Wood. Stitchwort beginning to appear amongst them. Dog violets can be seen towards the far end of the reserve along the upper footpath.
April 16thBluebells along Catscliff are joined by stitchwort and common storksbill.Several orange tip males, a peacock, a comma, a single brimstone male and a single green veined white female seen in the garden. A male speckled wood seen at the reserve's eastern entrance, my first in the park this year. Still waiting for holly blue.
April 23rdRed campion is showing amongst the bluebells, and a single holly blue seen in the wildlife garden. It was far too active to get photos but it's nice to see it at last. A pair of blackcaps look to be nesting in the foliage over the far bank of the brook opposite the big field maple.

Male blackcap. Can be heard currently in two or three locations within the park.

Green veined white female. Often be confused with small white, GVW does not attack cabbages. The larval foodplant is garlic mustard.

Orange tip. With the cryptic colouration of its lower underwing acting as superb camoulflage, it frequently roosts on garlic mustard or hedge parsley. Garlic mustard and cuckoo flower are its main larval foodplants.

This male brimstone rested for a moment at the garden pond, presenting a nice picture while nectaring.

A speckled wood male catching the sun and waiting for females to pass by. Lovers of woodland glades,they will chase away other insects from their patch.

Here's to a good May,

Mike.

March

2009-04-03T11:26:00.000-07:00

March 1st A Spring-like start to the month with bees in the garden gathering honey and nectar from the crocuses.

March 11th A dull day in the reserve today, brightened with the first signs of green leaves appearing in hawthorn bushes towards the Long Beach Road incline, blackthorn blossom just beginning to flower by the quarry, and the first few celandines on the east path out of the reserve. A longtailed tit had its tiny beak full of feathers to line a nest near the reserve's east exit. There is plenty of bramble around that area which is a favourite protective habitat for them to build their nests although I didn't spot one.

March 13th A buzzard was seen circling over the mill.A single pond skater was seen on the main garden pond, common newts seen in garden pond and tubs.

March 17th A beautiful spring day saw lots of butterflies with several comma and male brimstone seen in the reserve and three small tortoiseshells up the valley from the reserve near Court Road. STs populations have crashed in recent years so hopefully this is a sign of resurgence of this species. The patch of ground, north of lower Court Road, which I believe is council owned, is a mix of regularly mowed grass, scrub that is largely left intact, and grass that is occasionally cut back. This is an excellent and diverse micro-habitat, supporting more than 20 butterfly and day-flying moth species, and it's good to see that councils can sometimes get things right.

March 25th A stiff breeze today but with some sunshine. A buzzard taking advantage of an updraft from the slope between St Anne's church and the reserve was mobbed by two gulls. Several wrens seen and heard. A possible chiff chaff was heard in Catscliff. Celandines are well under way and the first tentative signs of bluebells in bud.

March 27th More breezy weather with sunshine and showers, but a good day for wildlife in and around the reserve today with a buzzard seen circling low over the barn twice. A pair of jays were active in Catscliff Wood, and at least four chiffchaffs seen just outside of the reserve along the path to St Anne's Church. None were singing but just checking out their surroundings so maybe newly returned migrants. Wrens have been tantalisingly close but I keeping missing my chance of photos of this bird as they are so active and always ready to bolt for low cover and disappear.

March 28th A small tortoiseshell was investigating a patch of new nettle growth just outside of the reserve near the path to St Anne's Church. It looks an ideal spot to lay eggs so I'll keep an eye out for larvae.

March 29th 2 commas, 3 peacocks and no less than 7 small torts near Court Road, one of which was ovipositing in new nettle growth.

March 30th Too much cloud for much butterfly activity, but a chiffchaff was singing in the park near the path to Cherry Garden Lane, the first I've heard this year.

March 31st Another cloudy day but at least three chiffchaffs heard along with green woodpecker, and a male blackcap spotted in the park.

Spring crocuses getting bees off to a good start.

A long tailed tit collecting nest material. I still haven't found the nest!

A welcome upsurge of the recently declining small tortoiseshell, reinforced by a late influx last autumn from continental Europe.

Some warm sunny days this month saw the usual hibernating adults emerging like this male brimstone nectaring here on celandine.

See you next month,

Mike.

9th March - herons

2009-03-11T08:23:00.000-07:00

March 9th
Another of those magic moments today, this time by the riverside near Hencliffe Wood, Hanham.
Grey herons have begun to congregate at their usual nesting spot just past the east entrance to St Anne's railway tunnel on the south bank of the Avon. On the day I visited there were around a dozen birds but I would expect numbers to rise as more arrive. Last year there were around 18-20 pairs.
On the Hanham side rooks are also begin to gather to nest in the stand of tall trees almost opposite the herons. In addition, several buzzards were seen slightly west towards Bristol, with evidence of a nesting pair that were frequently calling. Around 200 jackdaws were roosting in the same area as the herons, frequently taking off together with their argumentative 'jack-jack' calls. A great spotted woodpecker was hammering out his mating summons, and a green woodpecker's laughing call was heard. Add to that the resonant 'teacher-teacher' call of a nearby great tit and the bright cheerful song of a robin, and the end result was a wonderful cacophony of noise! A cormorant was seen with wings spread nearby. A cracking day out!

Coming in to land in the treetops. With that huge six foot wingspan it looks a precarious business!

Taking time away from the nest to preen and just chill out for a while.

Around 200 jackdaws were roosting in amongst the herons, frequently taking off with lots of argumentative 'jack-jack' calls.

Look out for buzzards circling overhead with their high contact calls.

The herons will be nesting and rearing young until May so there's plenty of time to catch sight of these huge birds, frequently taking off to rest away from the nests or to feed. The best views are from the Hencliffe Wood bank where you can look across the river to see them. If you're driving, from Hanham head east along the A431 to the Whittucks Road traffic lights and turn right into Whittucks Road. At the bottom of Whittucks Road, turn left onto Abbots Road then second right into Castle Farm Road. At the bottom of Castle Farm Road is a car park. Leave the car there then walk through the two gates at the far end of the car park. Follow the lane down to riverside, branching right along the lane through the woodland. As you pass a stand of very tall trees to your left planted in rows you will hear the rooks overhead and there is a path leading down to the riverside past a stone ruin. You should now be almost opposite the eastern entrance to St Anne's Tunnel. The herons' nests are slightly west of the tunnel entrance across the river from where you are standing.

Mike.

February

2009-03-02T09:08:00.000-08:00

Feb 1st.

Bitterly cold today with a raw easterly wind. Scouting around the Long Beach Road car park, a bird let out a sharp "peep" of alarm as I passed and it flew into the undergrowth. I was surprised to see it was a hawfinch. It may have been one of the flock seen over the last few days at St Anne's church (see January blog entry). At the church there were fewer birds seen today so perhaps they are either moving on or dispersing. I still managed to get reasonable snaps of this individual (right). This redwing was snapped in the area behind the Long Beach Road car park (below right).

3rd. Following overnight snowfalls I got down to the reserve early today to get photos of snow on the trees before it was lost.

I also got the obligatory 'robin in the snow' picture. This is quite easy to do: find a robin guarding his patch, put some snow on a post nearby, drop some seeds in the snow, move away a little and wait. This one was at the north-east of the reserve.

14th. I walked through St Anne's churchyard today on my travels, pausing for a few minutes to see if any of the recent hawfinches
were present. No hawfinches seen unfortunately, but a couple of great tits were in fine vocal form, and as I left I was surprised to hear the 'cronk cronk' of a raven calling from a large redwood tree in the old vicarage garden. It took off heading towards Willsbridge.

21st. A single male frog seen in the garden pond mounting a lonely vigil in wait for females to turn up. In a neighbour's garden catching the sun was a comma butterfly, the first butterfly I've seen this year.

23rd. The male frog has been joined by others of both sexes and mating pairs seen in all ponds.

Totals of both sexes mill pond: 20+garden pond: 7garden tubs: 6

The crocusses are looking splendid in the garden with honey bees visiting them already. This one was snapped on the 23rd.

Roll on Spring!

January

2009-02-01T02:36:00.000-08:00

The new year heralded a continuation of the raw weather that marked the end of 2008. Fortunately, Willsbridge is in a sheltered valley so even the meager winter solstice sunshine is surprisingly warming, and the bare branches let in plenty of light to the wooded paths enabling photo opportunities such as this bluetit snapped on the 2nd January.

Also, watch out for immigrant species such as redwing which are often accompanied by fieldfare. Redwings look like thrushes but look for the reddish underwing and the prominent white eye stripe. Fieldfares are larger with a slate grey head.A flock of redwings were in local gardens near the reserve on the 7th, and 9th. This one was snapped on the 9th.

In the mill park on the 9th was this tiny bank vole that had made its home in a hole in the wall at the north eastern end of the park. Taking advantage of dropped food left for birds by walkers it kept popping out to grab a seed or other titbit, seemingly oblivious of people passing by.

It's also worth the occasional walk around the open space behind the Long Beach Road car park where finches and other passerines may be seen. Goldfinches, chaffinches are often there with the occasional bullfinch. Although declining in many parts of the UK, house sparrows are thriving there.

Talking of bullfinches, I've seen a pair regularly over the past couple of weeks in the patch of scrub beyond the northeast of the reserve. Usually very shy, this pair for once allowed me to get within about 35 feet.

Snowdrops have appeared in the southwestern end of Catscliff Wood.

On the 28th there was an exciting spot. In the trees around St Anne's churchyard just a few hundred yards from the reserve was a hawfinch. I'd never seen this species before. And surprise, surprise, it was there again on the 29th with a couple of mates. By the 30th a total of nine birds were seen, bettered only once in the region at Yate in 2006 when twelve individuals were seen.

Mike.

January

2009-02-01T02:28:00.000-08:00

The new year heralded a continuation of the raw weather that marked the end of 2008. Fotunately, Willsbridge is in a sheltered valley so even the meager winter solstice sunshine is surprisingly warming, and the bare branches let in plenty of light to the wooded paths enabling photo opportunities such as this bluetit snapped on the 2nd January.
Also, watch out for immigrant species such as redwing which are often accompanied by fieldfare. Redwings look like thrushes but look for the reddish underwing and the prominent white eye stripe. Fieldfares are larger with a slate grey head.A flock of redwings were in local gardens near the reserve on the 7th, and 9th. This one was snapped on the 9th.
In the mill park on the 9th was this tiny bank vole that had made its home in a hole in the wall at the north eastern end of the park. Taking advantage of dropped food left for birds by walkers it kept popping out to grab a seed or other titbit, seemingly oblivious of people passing by.
It's also worth the occasional walk around the open space behind the Long Beach Road car park where finches and other passerines may be seen. Goldfinches, chaffinches are often there with the occasional bullfinch. Although declining in many parts of the UK, house sparrows are thriving there.
Talking of bullfinches, I've seen a pair regularly over the past couple of weeks in the patch of scrub beyond the northeast of the reserve. Usually very shy, this pair for once allowed me to get within about 35 feet.
Snowdrops have appeared in the southwestern end of Catscliff Wood.
On the 28th there was an exciting spot. In the trees around St Anne's churchyard just a few hundred yards from the reserve was a hawfinch. I'd never seen this species before. And surprise, surprise, it was there again on the 29th with a couple of mates. By the 30th a total of nine birds were seen, only bettered in the region once before at Yate in 2006 with twelve individuals.

December

2009-01-02T03:47:00.000-08:00

I had another superb day's wildlife spotting at Willsbridge today, 17th December.

I joined my pal Jerry in the park just after 10am, and armed with cameras and long lenses we headed to the north eastern end, dropping nuts and seeds on the fence posts. The usual bluetits, great tits and the resident male robin soon put in an appearance. We walked along the path to St Anne's church car park where there is a large weeking willow. There is often plenty of bird activity around this area and we were immediately rewarded with several goldfinches and a bullfinch. Just about to head back, we spotted a treecreeper climbing the trunk of the willow.

Walking back towards Willsbridge we saw a songthrush and several dunnocks. Dropping more nuts and seeds on the posts on the way back, we had to chase away a rather cheeky squirrel to prevent it hoovering up the bird food.

Continuing along past the quarry, we saw a great spotted woodpecker. Keeping quiet, we watched it for several minutes until it gradually drifted northwest up the hill.

I said to Jerry "A treecreeper and GS woodpecker. What a great morning. All we need now a grey wagtail and a dipper to round it off."

Jerry's comment was "Of all the places we go to see wildlife, we get the best variety at Willsbridge, and it's even better because we can get close." And I think this is one of Willsbridge's strengths. Because it is a suburban reserve with regular walkers then the wildlife has become accustomed to people.

As if to order, the grey wagtail appeared, darting over the roof tiles of Mill Cottage, and we also saw a single dipper in the brook between the garden and Willsbridge Hill.

Finally, as I left Jerry at the Long Beach Road car park, I walked home along the path adjacent to the car park and spotted a tiny goldcrest in the trees. A wildlife reserve is really something special when even the car park has something to offer!

Cheers,
Mike.

October musings

2008-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

A month of contrasts with some mild days, with some cold ones with night frosts is what we should have expected but an Indian summer hung on giving surprisingly mild and sunny days. Common darters were seen in the garden right up until the 27th, then a cold snap hit the region on the 28th.

I snapped this common darter mating pair (right) and got really lucky with this patrolling southern hawker by the garden pond on the 9th. (below right)

There were speckled wood, red admiral and comma in the park on the 11th, with the latter two feeding on ivy flowers. Ivy is a vital late source of pollen and nectar for adult butterflies to feed up before hibernating for the winter. I got really close to this red admiral doing just that.

On the 12th, I got down to Bristol Uni to catch sight of the famous eagle owl that had taken up residence there, just off Woodland Road (below right)

The 23rd was dull and overcast, meaning the light was awful, and who should turn up in the brook near California Road just upstream from the reserve but a pair of dippers. They must know when photos aren't going to be very good and out they pop!

These toadstools emerged in the garden on the 24th. Can anyone identify them? ( below right)

The 27th started fine but cool, but pictures were still to be had in the park. A friend noticed this tiny toadstool growing out of moss on a dead log. It stood around half an inch high. (below right)
Regular walkers are putting food for birds on the fence posts at the far end of the reserve again now as Autumn draws into Winter. This means that birds will include the posts on their foraging rounds and can be tempted down with a few seeds or nuts. Robins give delightful photo opportunities as they aren't shy when there's food on offer and you can approach surprisingly close.

A speckled wood and a few red admirals were seen around the park but the weather drew in by the afternoon.

The month is drawing to a close with a cold arctic blast on its way. Birds don't often visit my garden, probably because of too many cats in the area and insufficient tree cover, but I've stocked up the feeders just in case, and I've got my little bag of nuts and seeds for the fence posts in the reserve. Hopefully the birds will get their share from the voracious squirrels.

Mike.

A quiet moment

2008-10-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

You know that you sometimes get one of those rare moments when by chance you get close to nature? For instance if you're in a wood and catch sight of deer, and if you're very quiet you can watch them graze because they haven't seen you?

On Friday I had one of those moments.
A little upstream from Willsbridge next to Siston Brook I was watching a comma butterfly feeding off blackberries. It had seen my movement as I approached and closed its wings as a precautionary measure; the underside of an autumn comma's wings are dark and look very like a dead leaf, giving it excellent camoulflage. Very useful for the months to come when it hibernates through the winter. I knew that if I was patient and kept still, it would open its wings again to catch the warmth from the sun, allowing me to take a photo of it.

While I was waiting, a flock of longtailed tits flew into the hawthorn tree right above and in front of me, with one of them offering a perfect chance for a photo by sitting where there was a gap in the tree foliage.

These delightful birds are tiny, and I must have been less than six feet away from this individual, but I was still able to run off several shots before it got bored and flew away.

Then I looked back at the comma, and it had opened its wings. Perfect!

Early September

2008-10-01T07:15:00.000-07:00

The butterfly season is fast drawing to a close with the autumn equinox just around the corner, so this will be the last of my weekly updates until next year. If I see anything interesting I'll be sure to report it.

Here are my notes for the week for the three visits to the reserve that I made:

Tuesday 2nd - A fine morning but only a little activity in the garden. Two or three common darters and a large white or two plus a worn comma was about it before the clouds rolled in just before noon.

Wednesday 3rd
A bright sunny morning but cool. Lots more activity today. It just goes to show that it's sunshine that the insects want rather than temperatures, although things warmed up by noon.
I saw speckled wood, large, small and GV white, meadow brown and a fresh looking comma, the latter no doubt winding down already for winter hibernation.
Dragons were about too, with two male migrant hawkers, male and female southern hawker, and eight common darters that included a tandem ovipositing pair. The other six were all males. I briefly saw a brown hawker.

Thursday 4th
A nice day until clouds rolled in during mid-afternoon followed by a deluge. I got home with a few minutes to spare. The comma was back, and while I was photographing it a southern hawker perched nearby.

August at Willsbridge

2008-10-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

Sunday 24th

Butterflies
The late speckled wood emergence has begun with one or two fresh individuals seen. Fresh red admirals were seen browsing the buddliea. Plenty of large whites still around. Only a few gatekeepers left now, all looking a bit tired.
A male summer comma seen in the garden, also past his best.

Dragonflies
Damselflies are finished for the summer I think as I saw none. A single southern hawker female investigated the garden pond briefly but didn't stop to lay. Maybe it's a bit too cluttered at present?
Common darters are less fussy and several males were hanging around there, along with a single female whose tail still held a droplet of water following ovipositing. Around four male CDs were also seen squabbling over the mill pond. I was suprised not to see any southern hawker males over the mill pond, but there's still time provided we get a few sunny spells.

Wednesday 27th
The last of the summer holiday events, Wild About Trees saw many of the regulars from the previous events although the weather was not kind, yet again. The light was awful but there was still a little insect activity in the garden with large and green veined whites, gatekeeper and meadow brown. A mating pair of common darters proved too elusive to photograph. One of the volunteers found a female stag beetle. As mentioned by separate email, photos from all four summer events at Willsbridge may be viewed at http://mike.photos.gb.net.
If you click on a thumbnail of a photo it'll display at normal size. Click on it again to view full size in the Windows viewer. You may need to click on it a second time to toggle the largest size. If you then right click on the image you have the option to download the picture. All AWT members who attended the events are free to download as many of the images that they wish in this way.

Thursday
Took a late afternoon visit when the clouds began to break around 3:30pm. Just a few large whites and a speckled wood were seen in the garden plus a total of four common darter males in the garden and over the mill pond. A tiny toad (toadlet?) was spotted in the garden.

Finally, who on earth pruned the buddliea behind the barn? There were still blooms left on this bush but it was cut right back to base level. The nectar is a vital fuelling station for many insect species overwintering peacocks and red admirals. In any case, the end of August is hardly the time to cut these shrubs back.
I am not a gardening expert but would suggest cutting the bush near the disabled parking point in late January early February so that this one flowers first. This area is in shadow by mid afternoon in late summer so earlier flowering would be more advantageous. The one behind the barn where it catches late summer sunshine should be left until March before pruning back so that it flowers in late August. I have been informed that picking off dead flowerheads regularly will encourage new flowers well into Autumn.

Mike.