by
Bob Stockhausen
Redwing
Estuary( not in our survey area); on a rising tide, the birds will be closer. Look out for migrant waders such as Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Dunlin, Sanderling, Knot and Grey Plover.
Lakes and Reservoirs [eg...]. Ducks from the north, especially Teal, Widgeon and possibly American Widgeon, arrive to join our resident ducks, who have just completed their moult and are in splendid condition
Sheltered Valleys or Scrubland. Departing summer visitors such as Redstarts, Whitethroats, Garden Warblers are on the move . A strong NE wind may bring may bring Eastern European birds on passage, while a strong NW wind could blow in American migrants. Literally anything could turn up! The Scilly Isles have a good reputation for this.
Moorland. Winchat, Wheatear, Merlin and Golden Plover will be on passage. The Snipe is becoming more evident on lowland areas. Watch out for its noisy alarm call and its zig-zag flight as it is flushed out.
Gardens. Numbers of birds in the garden are usually low, but watch out for the return of Blue Tits, Great Tits and Coal Tits to feeders, along with Siskin if you are near conifer woodland. I have noticed small, mixed groups of tits visiting my garden, so I have cleaned out the feeders and topped them up with seed and nuts.
Where there are berries, the Fieldfare and Redwing will visit, especially at the colder times of the month
General. Keep an eye skywards for a late Swallow or House Martin and listen out at night for the call of Tawny Owls as well as the familiar "Tewit-tewoo", they also utter a piercing "kee-wik" call.
Recorders. Please record in your Wildlife Diaries all the winter visitors, birds on passage, the appearance of Siskins at bird tables and any Owls
and Moths
by B Stringer
The Hummingbird Hawk Moth
( pictures by
Alison Jewell) is still visiting our gardens as is the
Silver-washed Fritillary (picture right), Wall, Small Copper, Red Admiral and Painted Lady
Large White and Speckled Wood.The Holy Blue appears from my observations to have had a bad year, but should still be around ivy in your garden. While buddleia flower is
practically finished, now, Michaelmas Daisy, Golden Rod and Sedum are still
good places to look for butterflies. Look too for them basking in any sun we
get on South Facing walls.Butterflies species differ in how they survive the winter - as eggs (eg most Hairstreaks), caterpillars (Small Copper, Common Blue, Gatekeeper, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Silver-washed Fritillary, Speckled Wood, Wall), pupae (Holly Blue, Specked Wood) or adult butterflies (Small Tortoiseshell, Peacock, Comma, Brimstone). The ones we see later in the year are likely to hibernate as Adults and these are obviously the first butterflies to look for in the New Year.
Keep a look out for the giant caterpillars of
the Hawk Moths. Privet and Convolvulus (right) caterpillars have both been seen in
one garden in Lezant . Get out
your digital cameras and
send us some pictures.
Click on image to enlarge
Please record all the species that you see this month.
by Jenny Bousfield
Hedgerows and woodland edges are still full of fruits, although most Rowan and Elderberries will have been taken, late Blackberries, Guelder Rose, Rosehips, Hawthorn and Sloes which will remain until the frost softens their skins and they become palatable for the birds. Holly berries are beginning to show colour. Note the variety of wild rosehips, large and oval for the Dog Rose, smaller and brighter red for the Sweetbriar and the much rounder, duller red hips of the Field Rose. The Burnet Rose has very dark, almost black fruit. Other berries to look for include those of the Nightshade family and the brilliant jewel like fruits of the Black Bryony twining through the hedgerows. Also twining, but at a higher level will be the fruits of the Wild Hop, often un-seen until the leaves begin to fall.
Recorders. Please record in your wildlife Diaries where you see species marked in RedBats
by
Alex Howie
October
is the time of year when bats are looking for
suitable sites to hibernate in. The best time to see them is when they
emerge from the roost at sunset, then when they return at sunrise, if you
are up that early! If you are lucky enough to get hold of a bat detector
you can pick up the clicks of their eco-location, as they home in on an
insect the clicks get closer together until it catches its prey.
|
Hunting:
Bats
particularly like trees, either for roosting or as a food source as
trees play host to numerous insects. You often see bats flying up
and down a row of trees or hedge or the edge of a woodland hunting
for insects. They can also be seen flying over a watercourse or a
pond hunting for insects and also in our gardens. |
|
| Roosts: Bats roost in caves, roof spaces and in tree hollows. Look out for holes, cavities and splits in the trees. Droppings can be found in caves, roofs and around the bottom of trees. Bat droppings are similar to small mammals but on closer inspection are very crumbly due to the insect contents. Small mammal droppings are hard and are difficult to crumble between the fingers. | |
| Hibernation: Bats hibernate from December through to late March – April after a sleepy period (torpa) in November. |
| Bats are the only flying mammal and can live up to 30 years | |
| They are protected by law | |
| The 14 British bats only eat insects – a small Pipistrelle bat can eat at least 3,500 midges a night | |
| Bats are not blind. but use echolocation to catch their prey at night |
What you can do to help: In common with all other species, bats key needs are a home and food. Bat boxes can be erected to provide a home if you have suitable trees in your garden, but buildings provide many opportunities. Learning where bats are roosting now and monitoring their numbers, can provide important information to tell us if their numbers are changing. Establishing where bats are feeding is also important - trees, farmland, hedgerows and water play an important role. Identification of species is hard, even with a bat detector, but please record any information you can find about bats roosts and where you see bats feeding.
We
have a couple of pipistrelles
feeding every evening from insects around our Leylandii. The trees have
outgrown their location so we will be thinning them slowly so that the
bats can adjust to possible decrease in food supply - editor