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By our analogue it absolutely is autumn. For wildlife the alpha varies but for those that migrate, the alpha signals the time to chase aliment sources and warmer climes. We, accept it or not, action warmer climes for those added arctic and east.
["200"]October so far has brought bead bys of golden plover, about 90 pink-footed geese landed, with added aerial over and 11 whooper swans were on Astley basin on the 7th. Additionally actuality apparent are redwing, fieldfare and siskin.
The birds are attractive acceptable in their best bib & tuckers; all their accoutrement accept been renewed afterwards the end of their summer moult.
Lovely plumage! meadow pipit with continued afterwards claws artful the affront wire
The abate birds are acceptable braver and afterpiece forth the fenceline/scrub at the bottom of the hillside and by the backbone & channel ditch. They accommodate growing numbers of meadow pipit, stonechat, reed bunting, and the busy goldfinch flock, who are raiding the thistles for the seeds.
Male stonechat
Regular sightings abide for marsh & willow tit, abundant spotted and blooming woodpecker in the warren breadth (at the aback of the Causeway and to the larboard of Shan House bridge). Early October brought in a yellow-browed warbler and a snow bunting; so who knows what added rarities may about-face up! At the Causeway/Lemonroyd lake, a kingfisher and an otter have been seen.
At the end of September, cossack began to bead in; dunlin, belted plover, little stint, ruff, redshank, spotted redshank, snipe, lapwing and good numbers of curlew (up to 60 accept been apparent on one day). They accept become added adaptable application the reedbeds and the lakes so analysis the company centre for the latest news.
Around the reedbeds and lakes, are accretion flocks of wigeon (males whistle, not quack), shoveler, pochard, teal, bristling avoid and gadwall. Also goldeneye, copse duck, little egret, cormorant and blah heron.
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Interesting look; blah heron on a actual still day so cannot accusation the wind
In the UK during winter, avoid populations actively expand; for instance wigeon become 400,000 from about 300 ancestry pairs; that’s a lot of whistling to attending advanced to.
In mid whistle; wigeon adage acute but calm and abating “weee-oooooo”
The added secretive water rail has been heard and a bittern was on the backbone & furrow. As autumn progresses into winter, these ambiguous birds are accepted to become added arresting partly to chase for aliment but additionally because winter visitors access their numbers.
Despite the advance appear autumn, some collywobbles and dragonflies abide to roam the site. The hardier insects are usually arresting until at atomic backward autumn. Apparent afresh are red admiral, ample white, migrant hawker and common darter.
red admiral
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Roaming the armpit (most days) are affluence of marsh harriers, red kite, sparrowhawks, kestrel, buzzards and the 2 little owls are still assuming in the dragline admixture by the company centre. Appear the end of October, we will be assured the acknowledgment of short-eared owls who coursing at dark forth the hillside and pastures scrub.
Not a bird of prey; a aphasiac swan ‘busking’, which is a balmy blackmail affectation for bureaucracy position/territorial control. Not that the added one seems bothered. Still, admirable plumage!
Recent armpit account includes:
Bowers basin aisle is bankrupt as the predator fence assignment continues, and the aisle is aloft to anticipate calamity afterwards baptize levels heighten on the Backbone and Furrow.
The acreage aloft Fleakingly reservoir, as allotment of meadow management, is now actuality aching by Hebridean sheep and Hereford/Angus cows.
The contempo association clutter aces was a abundant success; so addition is appointed for Sunday 29th October 11am-3pm; all volunteers acceptable and this is your already in a lifetime adventitious to apply one of those long-handled thingy-ma-jig claws (sensibly, of course).
Half appellation will be abounding of adventure, on top of our accepted analysis backpacks for rental (£3), there will be a Trick or Treat Treasure Coursing - Hallowe'en style! Collect your area from the company centre amid 9am-5pm. (£1) Runs 21st Oct to 29th October.
Speaking of hallowe’en; On the hillside path, scary devil’s drillmaster horse insects are actuality seen. If abashed they rear up like a scorpion and bald their accessible aperture but don’t get too abutting as they can eject a abhorrent smelling aqueous and accord a aching bite.
["1210"]Devil's drillmaster horse - Chris Shields (rspb-images.com)
So, cycle on the apprehension and the rain (with a few acceptable brilliant canicule for us humans) to advice accompany in added winter visitors. Finally, airy Monday on the 2nd October was animating to say the atomic and it was a claiming to those who braved the ocean-like swells on the Main lake…
Up to its close in it; adolescent abundant crested grebe;
Surfing a wave; a air-conditioned coot
Yours, K Sp-8
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