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

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