Nature in your local patch
OPAL West Midlands: Nature in your local patch
2009
May 09 notes
15/05/09 17:50
May is the month for listening to the dawn chorus. As the mornings get lighter the birds get noisier. Their songs are varied, beautiful and dynamic. One of most interesting and varied songsters are Greenfinches - a common bird of gardens, hedgerows and the like. It has a diverse range of songs that varies between cheerful chattering to wheezy screeched monosyllabic tones. Others to listen out for are our warblers (Blackcap, Whitethroats, Chiffchaff, Willow, garden and wood (if you are lucky) warbler in woodland and similar habitats, and the tumbling repetitive phrases of Seed, Reed, Cetti’s in wetlands areas). Most of these birds are migrants making a long flight from Africa every year to breed in the UK.
But have you ever wondered why they invest so much effort into this activity? As you walk around you local patch listen to where the birds are singing - you’ll soon see that they are frequently singing in similar places on your walk route. This is a form of spacing behaviour that caused an English ecologist (Eliot Howard) to think about why birds would expend such effort to create territories. He outlined his thoughts in his book ‘Territory in Bird Life’, which was published in 1920. Appropriately for OPALWM he was a Midlander born near Kidderminster and the bird he was watching was the Yellowhammer, a formerly common bird in agricultural landscapes. He noticed that as spring progressed male birds were quick to sing in response to another male’s song and if the intruder didn’t back down it was generally resolved with a few aggressive attacks. These encounters seldom led to injury, aside from a few lost feathers and some dented pride and they do generally result in a victory for the home team. Howard mused that activity served a dual purpose of creating territories and attracting mates. He noticed also that larger species had wider home ranges and territories. Other species hold smaller territories but defend them very vociferously and aggressively. The Robins are perhaps the best example of this. It is a world of sound at this time of year go and have a listen.
As the month progresses it is also worth looking for some of our other fantastic aeronauts, Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata). A good few species will be out as adults now and many of them are widely distributed like the Red Damselflies that were mating and ovipositing in one of our local ponds. The Odonata is great group to start to recording as there are relatively few of them and they are easily identified as adults (after some practice!). They are also great to watch as the males of some species of Hawkers and Darters are very territorial. If you are interested then check out the British Dragonfly Society website by clicking here. Happy hunting.
But have you ever wondered why they invest so much effort into this activity? As you walk around you local patch listen to where the birds are singing - you’ll soon see that they are frequently singing in similar places on your walk route. This is a form of spacing behaviour that caused an English ecologist (Eliot Howard) to think about why birds would expend such effort to create territories. He outlined his thoughts in his book ‘Territory in Bird Life’, which was published in 1920. Appropriately for OPALWM he was a Midlander born near Kidderminster and the bird he was watching was the Yellowhammer, a formerly common bird in agricultural landscapes. He noticed that as spring progressed male birds were quick to sing in response to another male’s song and if the intruder didn’t back down it was generally resolved with a few aggressive attacks. These encounters seldom led to injury, aside from a few lost feathers and some dented pride and they do generally result in a victory for the home team. Howard mused that activity served a dual purpose of creating territories and attracting mates. He noticed also that larger species had wider home ranges and territories. Other species hold smaller territories but defend them very vociferously and aggressively. The Robins are perhaps the best example of this. It is a world of sound at this time of year go and have a listen.
As the month progresses it is also worth looking for some of our other fantastic aeronauts, Dragonflies and Damselflies (Odonata). A good few species will be out as adults now and many of them are widely distributed like the Red Damselflies that were mating and ovipositing in one of our local ponds. The Odonata is great group to start to recording as there are relatively few of them and they are easily identified as adults (after some practice!). They are also great to watch as the males of some species of Hawkers and Darters are very territorial. If you are interested then check out the British Dragonfly Society website by clicking here. Happy hunting.
April 09 notes
04/04/09 20:36
There is also a run of other new arrivals; Field Speedwell is up on the verges of the playing fields and Early Violets are flowering in the dappled shade of woodland glades and paths.
Not to be out done several species of trees are also flowering. Blackthorn and Wild and Bird Cherries are covered branch to tip with paper-thin white and pinkish white flowers. Cherry trees are the source of plumes of beautiful fragrance wafting along the edge of hedgerows and verges, especially in mornings and evenings. Very nice indeed. Goat Willow and Hazel have almost finished flowering and are coming into leaf. White Willow and Hawthorn are or soon will be flowering, providing much needed food resource for our early bees, hoverflies and the like.
We have saved the last bit of this blog for one of our favourite organisms - bees. The sky and flowers are full of Bumble Bees and Honey Bees at the moment seeking nectar and pollen from the early flowers. But my favourite bee of the moment is Anthophora plumipes or using its very appropriate common name the Hairy-footed Flower Bee. This is another of our solitary bees and it is widespread across the south of the UK, becoming much less common in the north (see map here). It is an early flier active early in spring to mid summer (Feb -June) and it uses its long proboscis to feed in long thin flowers such as Lungwort (and other flowers with a similar structure).
March 09 notes
15/03/09 20:13
The last few days of warmth seem to have done the trick. Life is abundant in my local patch. I went off for a walk today with one purpose, to photograph an early flowering and interesting riparian plant. You’ll all know it, certainly in late summer when its large rhubarb-like leaves coat the banks of the local rivers. The plant in question is Butterbur. It is an early flowering species, sometimes as early as February (like last year) and it flowers before producing those huge leaves.
The banks of rivers are now dotted with small yellow flowers belonging to Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot. The former has been flowering for a few weeks. I saw my first solitary flower on March 2nd, but it is much more evident now. I didn’t see any Coltsfoot last time we were out (Mar 13th) so it has arrived in the last few days. Both of these flowers are sun lovers and Lesser Celandine even tracks the sun and closes its leaves when the sky darkens.
The other good news is that the migrant warblers are returning from Africa. I have heard Chiffchaffs singing the last few weeks. We are now waiting for the others, Wilow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and the like. In some areas in the West Midlands Chiffchaffs (and some other warblers) overwinter but not deep in the city.
The ponds of your local patches should be home to mating amphibians and many full of spawn from frogs, toads and newts. They will develop quickly into tadpoles as the weather warms. Amphibians have been in the news lately because of the collapse in their numbers. Ponds and lake in cities, towns and gardens are important habitats as rural dew ponds are being removed at alarming rates.
The banks of rivers are now dotted with small yellow flowers belonging to Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot. The former has been flowering for a few weeks. I saw my first solitary flower on March 2nd, but it is much more evident now. I didn’t see any Coltsfoot last time we were out (Mar 13th) so it has arrived in the last few days. Both of these flowers are sun lovers and Lesser Celandine even tracks the sun and closes its leaves when the sky darkens.
The other good news is that the migrant warblers are returning from Africa. I have heard Chiffchaffs singing the last few weeks. We are now waiting for the others, Wilow Warbler, Blackcap, Whitethroat and the like. In some areas in the West Midlands Chiffchaffs (and some other warblers) overwinter but not deep in the city.
The ponds of your local patches should be home to mating amphibians and many full of spawn from frogs, toads and newts. They will develop quickly into tadpoles as the weather warms. Amphibians have been in the news lately because of the collapse in their numbers. Ponds and lake in cities, towns and gardens are important habitats as rural dew ponds are being removed at alarming rates.
February 09 notes
17/02/09 20:53
Things will really start to hot up in March - keep an eye on these pages for updates of what to look out for. If you get the bug for recording what you see then post your records to us using the contact form. Another fantastic resource that site to keep an eye on is the Woodland Trust ‘Nature’s Calender’ site. Well worth a look.
January 09 notes
31/01/09 22:19
Surprisingly, even though it is the middle of winter, it is worth keeping an eye out for winter active bumblebees! Bumblebees have the remarkable ability to uncouple their wings and pump their flight muscles without moving their wings to warm up. This is a little like you or I shivering to keep warm, and means that Bumblebees can fly at times of the year when other species of bee are simply too cold. As a result they are particularly important pollinators in cold periods of the year when other species are not active.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.
In recent years in the UK, there have been an increasing number of reports of winter active Bumblebees, especially in warmer areas, such as on the coast, in the south of England, and in towns and cities where it is often warmer than the surrounding countryside due to the urban heat island effect. This increase in the numbers of winter active Bumblebees could be due to milder winters, or an increasing occurrence of planted winter flowering plants such as the Lily of the Valley Bush (Mahonia x media) that can supply nectar for the bees to feed on through winter. Scientists are interested in finding out more about this phenomenon and need your observations to do this. To find out more about how you can help, visit the Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society (BWARS) Winter Bumblebee survey web page.
You are most likely to see one of two species flying in the winter: the Buff-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus terrestris) (see adjacent picture by Karen Nichols BWARS) and the Early Bumblebee (Bombus pratorum). Details of how to identify these and other species of Bumblebee can be found here. To find out more about British Bumblebees and their conservation visit the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s webpage.