Date: 26th October 2020
Time: from 8:30 a.m.
Weather: dry, sunny, moderate wind, 8°C to 11°C
With regard to birds, there were a number of highlights during my visit.
As I accessed the site from Larkins Tyres, I immediately heard a Goldfinch singing and then saw 5 or 6 of these birds as they flew off. This was my first sighting of this species since the spring or early summer.
Shortly afterwards, a flock of at least 150 Woodpigeons flew over and during my visit I continued to see smaller fly-over groups. Autumn is a period when large numbers arrive in the UK for the winter months from Europe.
I was again able to watch a very active and calling Green Woodpecker in the western section of the cemetery and I was able to get much better photos than those on my last visit. I also heard another calling Green Woodpecker and a calling Great Spotted Woodpecker in the immediate area around the church.
As I returned home via the track towards Larkins Tyres, a Sparrowhawk flew directly over me although my view was partially obscured by tree cover.
With regard to mammals, I had 2 very brief sightings of Red Foxes this morning, the first running through the central area of the cemetery and the second in the area immediately behind the church.
During the spring, I was able to take many excellent photos since I was aware of reliable locations to "watch and wait" for the Red Foxes. It is very difficult now to guess where a Red Fox may appear around the site and my sightings are usually brief and result in photos with rubbish composition and/or a lack of sharpness and/or just the rear end of the animal, albeit a nice bushy brush is the sign of a healthy animal. These photos demonstrate a typical encounter ....
Photo: Red Fox .... rear end with a nice bushy brush
However, I have had chance encounters with Red Foxes on each of my last 3 visits when I have seen them behind the church and I am thinking that this may become a new "watch and wait" location, perhaps with some suitable bribery (dog biscuits or tinned dog food).
On my visit this morning, I had unusually extended views of a male and a female Reeves’ Muntjac (males have short, backwards-curving and unbranched antlers). Both animals initially appeared from the bushes at the extreme western edge of the cemetery and walked slowly in to the central section of the cemetery before disappearing. This enabled me to take several photos, albeit I missed the opportunity of a Magpie perched on the back of one of the deer.
I saw 4 Grey Squirrels this
morning: 2 together in the wooded area approached along the track from Larkins
Tyres and 2 individuals in separate parts of the cemetery.
Finally, given the very cool temperatures this morning, I had the surprising sighting of a very active Red-tailed Bumblebee in the cemetery. This is a distinctive and common and widely distributed species in the UK. Queens emerge from hibernation in March and workers are present from April onwards. Males emerge later in July and mate with new females who are prospective queens. The males, the old queen and the workers die in the autumn (usually by early October) but the new queens hibernate.
Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):
Robin
Sparrowhawk
Reeves' Muntjac
Grey Squirrel
Here are some photos from my visit:
Photo: Green Woodpecker
Photo: Green Woodpecker
Photo: Magpie
Photo: female Reeves' Muntjac
Photo: male Reeves' Muntjac
Photo: male Reeves' Muntjac
Photo: fungus species
Site totals to date:
Mammals = 6
Butterflies = 21
Dragonflies and damselflies = 7
Reptiles = 1
Amphibians = 0
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature
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