SS15 wildlife watching: Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas

Thursday 11 May 2023

Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 11th May 2023

Date: 11th May 2023

Time: from 6:30 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 11°C to 13°C

There were 2 outstanding highlights from my visit this morning: a memorable encounter with Red Fox cubs and my first record of Painted Lady for the site.

In recent weeks, I have been focusing more on the undisturbed northern section of the site where I very rarely see any other people. Having seen a lactating vixen Red Fox in this area during my visit on 25th April 2023, I had expected or hoped to see and photograph young cubs here during May.

After spending some time in the northern section of the site, I decided to return home via St. Nicholas Church with a chance of seeing returning Swifts flying around the spire. I failed to hear or see any Swifts but as I sat on a bench just outside the church, I saw a small rusty red mammal run through the overgrown grass and immediately disappear in to the hedge. It took a moment for me to realise that it was a tiny Red Fox cub!

This particular location is where I had successfully seen and photographed Red Fox cubs during early May 2020.

Over the next 15 to 20 minutes, 2 more Red Fox cubs ran through using the same well-marked track and disappeared in to the same section of hedge. Shortly after that, I saw a single Red Fox cub on numerous occasions at the base of the hedge although I am not sure if it was the same animal or whether each of them had decided to peer out. I was able to get many photos over a period of about an hour.

Photo: Red Fox cub

Whilst waiting for the intermittent appearances of the Red Fox cub(s), I saw a single Painted Lady, my first record for the site.

Photo: Painted Lady

My visit to the site this morning started with the sighting of a Reeves’ Muntjac in the field/paddock immediately behind Larkins Tyres.

Other highlights included the following: a Sparrowhawk flying over the church in a southerly direction, a singing male Common Whitethroat in bushes in the immediate vicinity of the church, a singing male Lesser Whitethroat again in the northern section of the site, a male Mallard which flew in to the pond in the northern section of the site but quickly flew off again, a singing male Greenfinch again in the northern section of the site, a Green Woodpecker heard calling close to the church, a Great Spotted Woodpecker heard calling distantly from the south west corner of the site, 6 singing male Blackcaps (all unseen) and 3 singing male Chiffchaffs (1 seen).