SS15 wildlife watching

This blog was set up in mid-March 2020 during the emerging COVID-19 health crisis in the UK. It initially aimed to provide records of wildlife sightings and photographs from sites within walking distance of my home in the SS15 postcode area of Basildon in Essex during lockdown travel restrictions. Even though the pandemic has largely subsided, this blog continues to include my local wildlife sightings, my trips away from home plus some personal thoughts and reflections on other issues.

Wednesday 31 May 2023

Today is World Otter Day

Today is World Otter Day.

However, every day should be World Otter Day to celebrate these amazing mammals!

It all started back in 2009 with Otterly Mad Week, a week of events, education and fun and in 2014 it became International Otter Awareness Day.

Finally, in 2016 it evolved into the IOSF World Otter Day on 27th May each year, a day designated to spread awareness of Otters and highlight some of the charities and organisations around the world dedicated to protecting the worlds Otters and their natural habitats.

Otters are carnivorous mammals in the sub-family Lutrinae. The 13 global Otter species are all semi-aquatic, aquatic or marine, with diets based on fish and invertebrates.

Lutrinae is a branch of the Mustelidae family which also includes Weasels, Badgers, Honey Badgers, Martens, Minks, Polecats and Wolverines.

In the UK, Lutrinae is represented by the Eurasian Otter. It was effectively wiped out from much of it’s traditional range between 1950 to 1990 and it became restricted mainly to Scotland, especially the islands and the north west coast, west Wales, parts of East Anglia and the West Country. It is still a relatively rare but widespread species but it is now again found throughout the country although the largest populations still remain in the traditional strongholds.

The Otter is now protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It is also a priority species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework, a European Protected Species under Annex IV of the European Habitats Directive and listed as Near Threatened on the global IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

I have seen Otters in the UK on many occasions, almost exclusively in north and west Scotland where they can be seen reasonably easily (especially on the island of Mull) but I have also seen them at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen in Norfolk. In addition, I have seen captive animals at the British Wildlife Centre in Surrey.

Here are some of my photos of this beautiful and entertaining mammal:

Photo: Otter at Loch Scridain, Mull, Argyll, Scotland

Photo: Otter at Loch Scridain, Mull, Argyll, Scotland

Photo: Otter at Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll, Scotland

Photo: Otter at Loch na Keal, Mull, Argyll, Scotland

Photo: Otter at Loch Scridain, Mull, Argyll, Scotland

Photo: Otter at Bunnahabhain, Islay, Argyll

Photo: Otter at Broadford Bay, Skye, Highland

Photo: Otter at Broadford Bay, Skye, Highland

Photo: Otter at RSPB Strumpshaw Fen, Norfolk

Photo: Otter at British Wildlife Centre, Surrey

Photo: Otter at British Wildlife Centre, Surrey

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Monday 29 May 2023

Record from my flat - Grey Squirrel

I see Grey Squirrels on a fairly regular basis from both the front and back of my flat but occasionally, like this morning after returning from my visit to my local patch site around St. Nicholas Church, they pose nicely on the rear boundary fence ....

#DefendNature .... Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

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Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 29th May 2023

Date: 29th May 2023

Time: from 6 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 9°C to 12°C

I have had a varying experience and success in watching and photographing a Red Fox vixen and cubs at St. Nicholas Church this month.

I had another visit to the site this morning with the main focus again being the Red Foxes.

As I began to walk up Church Hill, I heard what I believe was the vocalisation of Red Fox cubs in the wooded area to the left of the road although it was impossible to see anything in the dense vegetation.

On arriving at my usual location for watching and photographing Red Foxes, and as on my previous visits, I scattered some dog food and dog biscuits at the front of the hedge and then settled down to wait off to the side in my bag hide.

When I have been successful previously, I had to wait anything up to an hour for the Red Fox vixen or the cubs to appear. However, this morning, the vixen appeared almost immediately and I was able to watch and photograph her on several occasions over the next hour or so.

Photo: Red Fox

I didn’t walk around the rest of the site and keep a complete record list but I did hear a singing male Chiffchaff, 3 singing male Blackcaps, a single calling Great Spotted Woodpecker and a single calling Green Woodpecker.

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Green Woodpecker

Red Fox

Site totals for 2023 to date (2022 totals in brackets):

Birds = 39 (45)

Mammals = 3 (5)

Butterflies = 2 (17)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (7)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site:

Birds = 62

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 23

Dragonflies and damselflies = 9

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

#DefendNature .... Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

💚🦆 🦉🦋🐝🦊🦡🌼 🌳💚
Stay safe, stay well, stay strong, stay connected with nature

Sunday 28 May 2023

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 28th May 2023

Date: 28th May 2023

Time: from 5:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 6°C to 11°C

I had an excellent very early morning visit in beautiful sunshine, blue skies and high wispy cirrus clouds. However, there was a heavy dew and I got very wet feet and legs walking through some of the more densely vegetated areas!

After not seeing any Red Fox cubs on my last 2 visits, I was at last successful again this morning.

In addition, I added another bird species (or possibly 2 species?) to my site list and added 3 butterfly species to my 2023 list for the site.

After my visits on 11th May 2023, 16th May 2023, 20th May 2023 and 24th May 2023, I again visited the same location this morning to hopefully watch and photograph the Red Fox vixen and her cubs. However, on my last 2 visits I had failed to see any cubs.

As on my previous visits, I scattered some dog food and dog biscuits at the front of the hedge and then settled down to wait off to the side. I waited for over an hour but as on my last visit there was again a complete Red Fox “no show”. I therefore decided to have a walk around the rest of the site and return later.

When I returned to the church, I eventually had an extremely restricted view (due to the height of the grass) of a Red Fox by the hedge. I moved over to my usual location off to the side and waited. Over the next 30 minutes, I had several sightings of what I presume was the same Red Fox cub as it emerged from the hedge to eat any remaining food. However, again it was difficult to get any clear photos due to the long grass.

Photo: Red Fox cub

With regard to butterflies, I added 3 species to my 2023 list for the site taking it to 6 species: Holly Blue (1), Speckled Wood (3) and Comma (1)

Photo: Holly Blue

Photo: Speckled Wood

In addition, around the graveyard immediately adjacent to the church, I again saw Wall (2 individuals after only my second record for the site on 24th May 2023) and Painted Lady (a single individual after my first record for the site on 11th May 2023).

Photo: Wall

Photo: Painted Lady

With regard to birds, I heard a singing male Mistle Thrush from the trees bordering Church Hill and then saw the bird as it flew over the church calling. This totally unexpected new record for the site took my total to 63 species.

I also had an extremely strange encounter and potentially another new record for the site. As I walked down “Hilly Road”, the grass strip that leads down from the church to St. Nicholas Lane, I thought I heard a singing male Sedge Warbler in the wooded area to the east. I stopped, listened and heard the bird on 3 or 4 other occasions but failed to see it.

This raised all sorts of questions in my mind since Sedge Warblers are principally found in reedbeds or damp wetlands. However, it can be found in habitats away from water including hedgerows and arable crops although deciduous woodland seems a very strange location! In this same area, I did see a Jay, a species which is occasionally known to mimic other birds, although I heard Sedge Warbler song on 3 or 4 other occasions and did not hear the usual Jay calls. This is a mystery that is not going to be resolved …. unless I hear and see a Sedge Warbler on my next visit.

On this visit, I failed to see the singing male Common Whitethroat in its usual location in the bushes next to Larkins Tyres but I did hear a singing male in the western section of the cemetery and finally saw a singing male close to the church at the top of Church Hill which I was able to photograph.

Photo: male Common Whitethroat

Other bird highlights included the following: Blackcap (a singing male seen, a female seen and 3 other singing males heard), Chiffchaff (2 singing males heard), Great Spotted Woodpecker (1 seen flying in to trees adjacent to Church Hill), Green Woodpecker (1 heard loudly calling near the church).

Species recorded during this visit were as follows (heard only records in italics):

Common Whitethroat

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Mistle Thrush

Song Thrush