Record from my flat - Red Fox

I seem to be having more success seeing and hearing Red Foxes from my flat at the moment than I am on my local patch around St. Nicholas Church.

I went downstairs this evening at 9:30 p.m. to take some rubbish and recycling out to the bin area and, before opening the rear communal door, I saw a Red Fox sitting on the lawn, seemingly oblivious to a noisy garden party nearby. I watched it for a few minutes before it walked off.

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 17th May 2024

Date: 17th May 2024 

Time: from 7:15 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 11°C to 15°C

I had a quick walk around the site this morning given that from tomorrow I will be away until 3rd June 2024.

For the third successive visit, I failed to find any Red Fox cubs and I didn’t even see any adults. Actually, I am seeing and hearing more Red Foxes from my flat at present than I am around my local patch!

It was initially a routine visit this morning but I did end up with some notable records.

Firstly, I recorded a Common Tern. This is a species that I have seen before flying over the site but definitely not since 2021 when I started keeping detailed annual records. I heard what I think was just a single calling bird above the wooded area in the south of the site which unfortunately I was unable to actually see due to the dense tree canopy above me.

For the third successive visit, I saw Swifts from the top of Church Hill, at least 3 but possibly up to 5 birds.

Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps are still very evident across the site and, although I didn’t see any, I heard at least 5 singing males of both species.

I also saw a Green Woodpecker in the wooded area in the south of the site as I walked home plus I heard 2 other calling birds at different locations. In addition, I heard a single calling Great Spotted Woodpecker in the northern section of the site.

When I return from my trip to Slovenia on 3rd June 2024, hopefully I can begin to build up my records of butterflies, dragonflies and damselflies.

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

Common Tern

Swift

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Green Woodpecker

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Collared Dove

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 38 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 7 (23)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (12)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 11

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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Record from my flat - Red Foxes

Last night at 1 a.m., I was woken up again by the excitable vocalisations of at least 2 Red Foxes in the street outside my flat.

Unlike the last recent occasion, I got up and eventually saw 2 Red Foxes, not least when they triggered the motion activated lighting!

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 12th May 2024

Date: 12th May 2024 

Time: from 6:15 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 14°C to 17°C

The main purpose of my visit as yesterday, was to hopefully find and photograph some Red Fox cubs. Unfortunately, the result was exactly the same with no Red Fox adults or cubs at the location which I patiently waited at covered in my bag hide.

However, I did have a brief view of a Red Fox as I walked home through the southern wooded area of the site plus a Reeves’ Muntjac in the grassed area at the bottom of “Hilly Road” adjacent to St. Nicholas Lane.

With regard to birds, there was a lot of bird song and bird calls from the usual resident species plus several singing male Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps and calling Green Woodpecker and Great Spotted Woodpecker.

I also recorded my first Collared Dove of the year for the site and, after the first record of the year yesterday, I saw 3 more Swifts from the top of Church Hill.

I have recently started using the Merlin app which is amazing at picking up and identifying bird song and bird calls.

This morning the Merlin app picked up all the species that I also heard for myself. However, it also picked up (apparently) Common Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Bullfinch and Reed Bunting, none of which I heard or saw for myself to add to my site list for the year.

I usually record both Common Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat at the site each year but not in the location that the Merlin app picked them up. I have also recorded Bullfinch in previous years but again not at the location that the Merlin app picked it up.

I have never recorded Reed Bunting at the site and most, if not all, the habitat is unsuitable for this species so I am doubting the Merlin app identification on this one!

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 37 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 7 (23)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (12)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 11

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

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In loving memory of my Mum ….

…. on International Nurses Day

Barbara Chew …. 28th February 1932 to 20th September 2018

Nurse at University College Hospital in London

Ward Sister at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Epping

School Nurse at Fyfield School in Essex

To my Mum and all nurses past and present in the UK and around the world …. thank you for your dedicated, committed and caring service. 

Love nature .... act now

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Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

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Visit to St. Nicholas Church and surrounding areas – 11th May 2024

Date: 11th May 2024 

Time: from 6:45 a.m.

Weather: dry, sunny, light wind, 12°C to 16°C

This was my first visit to the site since 21st April 2024 and it was really noticeable that the oak trees had finally come in to full leaf.

The main purpose of my visit was to hopefully find and photograph some Red Fox cubs (as in previous years at this time) but, despite patiently waiting at 2 different and potentially likely locations, I failed to see even an adult.

However, it was still a successful visit given that I had my first record of Swift for the year for the site. Unfortunately, it was just a single bird that flew over the church and the top of Church Hill. It seems that the days of seeing up to 20 Swifts around the church are sadly long gone.

I also added 4 butterfly species to my site list for the year: Holly Blue (1), Orange Tip (1), Speckled Wood (1) and Small White (1). In addition, I saw 2 Commas, a species that I had already recorded this year.

The singing male Willow Warbler seen on my last 2 visits to the site had evidently moved on but both Chiffchaffs and Blackcaps were still present in good numbers. I saw a single singing male Chiffchaff and heard at least 6 other singing males plus I saw 1 singing male Blackcap and heard at least 5 other singing males.

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

Swift

Chiffchaff

Blackcap

Blue Tit

Great Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Robin

Wren

Dunnock

Blackbird

Starling

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Magpie

Carrion Crow

Woodpigeon

Herring Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Here are some photos from my visit …. 

Photo: male Blackcap

Photo: Robin

Photo: Dunnock

Photo: Small White

Site totals for 2024 to date (2023 totals in brackets):

Birds = 36 (47)

Mammals = 3 (3)

Butterflies = 7 (23)

Dragonflies and damselflies = 0 (12)

Reptiles = 0 (0)

Amphibians = 0 (0)

Total species list for the site

Birds = 65

Mammals = 7

Butterflies = 25

Dragonflies and damselflies = 11

Reptiles = 1

Amphibians = 0

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

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

Record from my flat - Red Foxes

Last night at 12.45 a.m., I was woken up by the excitable vocalisations of at least 2 Red Foxes in the street outside my flat .... although I was too tired to get out of bed to look out for them!

Love nature .... act now

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Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

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

Trip away from SS15 – Essex, Sussex, Suffolk, Wales and Somerset

I booked a rental car from 30th April to 7th May 2024 for a trip away from home to include visits to a number of sites in Essex, Sussex, Suffolk, Wales and Somerset.

My aim was to primarily add species to my 2024 UK year list.

My trip provided excellent birding opportunities including 35 additions to my 2024 UK year list taking it to 172 species.

The 35 additions to my 2023 UK year list were as follows: Gannet, Bittern, Spoonbill, Osprey, Hobby, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Sandwich Tern, Common Tern, Arctic Tern, Guillemot, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Cuckoo, Swift, Woodlark, House Martin, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Grey Wagtail, Dipper, Common Redstart, Grasshopper Warbler, Dartford Warbler, Garden Warbler, Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Chough, Raven, Lesser Redpoll, Common Crossbill

This included my first Spotted Flycatcher since 2022 and my first Common Crossbill since 2019.

In addition, I recorded 6 mammal species: Otter, Daubenton's Bat, Red Squirrel, Grey Squirrel, Fallow Deer, Brown Hare, Rabbit

This included my first records of Otter and Red Squirrel in Wales and my first record of Daubenton's Bat anywhere in the UK.

During my trip, I visited the following sites: 

EWT Abberton Reservoir, Essex

SWT Old Lodge, Sussex

NNR Westleton Heath, Suffolk

RSPB Minsmere, Suffolk

World's End and the Ruabon Moors, Denbighshire

LNR Dingle, Llangefni, Anglesey

RSPB South Stack and Holyhead Harbour, Anglesey

RSPB Cors Ddyga, Anglesey

RSPB Ynys-Hir, Powys

MWT Dyfi Osprey Project, Powys

Bwlch Nant yr Arian, Ceredigion

RWT Gilfach, Powys

RSPB Carngafallt, Powys

St Govan’s Head, Pembrokeshire

RSPB Ham Wall, Somerset

In addition, my trip included the "Lost Words" exhibition at Oriel y Parc Gallery and Visitor Centre in St. Davids, Pembrokeshire and my 6th Bruce Springsteen concert at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.

Report and photos to follow ....

Love nature .... act now

Restore and rewild our natural world

Please help save and enhance our laws that protect our environment and wildlife

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