On Saturday we woke to a proper covering of snow. The feeding station was surely going to be hectic, but unfortunately we weren’t going to be there to see it. First destination was Thirsk Racecourse, for the Northern England Raptor Conference. Lots of interesting talks, and a fascinating flock of Jackdaws and Rooks which spent the best part of seven hours displaying and chasing around just outside the window of the conference room, tumbling in the icy-cold, strong breeze. Then it was off to visit family in West Yorkshire. This morning there was even more snow, and plenty of Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Blue Tits. The journey home after lunch was thankfully not plagued by any adverse weather; in fact, it was a beautiful afternoon. So, we decided to make a brief detour to check a herd of Roe Deer not too far from home. They weren’t where we expected them to be, but something was moving through the long grass…then it leaped in the air before dropping out of sight again; a strong healthy-looking fox, complete with white-tipped bushy tail. We watched it for over half an hour as it crept backwards and forwards, melting in and out of our vision. Then, in the next field, we found the deer. At least two could be seen, watching us from among the waving grass stems, although there have been as many as eight at that site recently. As the sky darkened and the last rays of daylight faded we completed our journey back to home, a warm bath and a mug of hot chocolate.
Author: martin and sarah
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“Have you seen…”
…a big, black, hairy bull? He’s got a ring through his nose” Not exactly the words you want to hear from a farmer on a quad bike, when you’re in the middle of nowhere doing some more tetrads for the BTO Atlas. No, we hadn’t seen him, and weren’t entirely reassured by the farmer’s assertion that the bull was very placid. So, we headed on into the forest anyway. No sign of any bulls, friendly, angry or otherwise, and no sign of any birds. The howling, icy-cold gale was probably encouraging them to keep themselves tucked away in the densest areas of vegetation. Eventually we did find a tit and ‘crest flock. Plenty of Long-tailed Tits, those entertaining balls of pink, black and white fluff, Goldcrests, Coal Tits and the regular churring of Wrens (now there’s a species with ‘angry little bird’ syndrome) along our route. Then, nearing the end of our eight mile walk, there he was; contentedly munching the pathside vegetation, and clearly very placid.
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The magical hour
We’re sitting quietly, dressed in full camo, overlooking a badger sett. Red Squirrels are leaping through the nearby hawthorns, oblivious to our presence; we’re privileged to watch as they quietly snuggle down into their dreys, close to our lookout position. Daylight is drawing to a close and Blackbirds, Goldcrests and Coal Tits suddenly increase their volume of conversation. Perhaps it’s a final reassurance to each other that they are still together as a flock before settling down for the night. Our dark-adapted eyes reveal at least two Woodcock, leaving the camouflage of the woodland floor and heading into the night to search for food. The sharp ‘ke-wick’ of a Tawny Owl cuts through the descending mist and the quavering ‘hoo-hooo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo’ reply is echoed by a distant rival. As we reach the point where our own visual acuity is no longer enough to resolve either shape or movement, even with the assistance of the finest optics that Leica and Zeiss have to offer, we melt into the night – leaving the wood to the Badgers, Foxes, Deer, owls and other denizens of the dark.
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Wild Goose chase
For several years now we’ve been involved in the Icelandic-breeding Goose Census, and our survey work has enabled us to enjoy some spectacular flocks of birds departing their overnight roosts as daylight breaks, not only the geese but there’s also a roost of several thousand starlings at East Chevington, the site we count. Barn Owls are a regular feature of our early morning visits there as well. However, 2007 produced fewer geese than we expected and last month’s count revealed the presence of very few Greylag Geese and no Pink-footed Geese at all. We know they are around in southeast Northumberland – after all, we see birds regularly and it isn’t unusual to hear them calling in flight over our house at night. This month’s count was scheduled for this weekend so we headed out at 05:30 this morning, and headed for separate sites. Very few again at East Chev, but Sarah saw several flocks flying in over QEII Country Park. We haven’t found the roost site yet, but eventually no less than 1700 Pink-feet were gathered in one field…only 10mins from our house! Some map-work has revealed the possible roost sites so we’ll be out early again tomorrow. Maybe the census will have to change the site that is required to be counted in southeast Northumberland, although East Chev still holds some birds so we may have to carry out our own co-ordinated count at multiple sites to determine the exact number wintering in our area.