Friday 4 February 2011

Friday 4th.February 2011

The car thermometer read 11C. as I pulled up in the car park , to do the bird survey . On opening the door , I was well pleased that I had donned a fleece and had also put a jacket woolly hat and gloves in the car , just in case before I left , as a gale was blowing across the site , and the wind was bitter . Even before I had got out of the formal garden the gloves were on and I was wishing that I had also put in a scarf .
It didn't help that birds were very few and far between , which wasn't surprising given the strength of the wind , which was also blotting out any calls . In the bird less orchard , even the female Hazel flowers alongside the now fully open male catkins seemed to be felling the cold , looking much less vibrant that when under blue sky and sunshine . Most birds found were in sheltered areas behind walls and hedges and the species recorded slowly increased . The 'best' of the visit were Green Woodpecker and Nuthatch , and an average total of 15 species were recorded .
On the edge of the big meadow I spent some time looking in vain for Brown Hairstreak eggs on the bare Blackthorn bushes . I don't know of any sites for this butterfly in Kent , but , 'if you don't look , you don't find' .
Down along the bottom edge of the meadow , a log on the ground produced one of the few fungi seen on the visit , the fungi , probably a Mycena species , growing inside the log .
The most excitement came at the far end of the same meadow , when from a distance , I spotted a deer that I thought was beyond the fenceline in the woodland adjacent to the Golf Course . Through binoculars , I could see that it was in fact in the meadow and it stayed in the same position as I approached that end . Unusually , the female Roe Deer came out into the open , as if to greet me . She kept coming , watching me all the time , until there was about 25 metres between us , then , in a split second , she turned and raced off back to the fenceline , which she cleared with ease , before disappearing into the cover of the woodland , not to be seen again . Poor picture quality was down to the light and the fact that given the conditions and not expecting to find much , I just took the old camera .
On my way back to the car park , a stand of Snowdrops caught my eye .
Hedgelaying in deepest Surrey tomorrow and conditions not sounding too good , but you never know what might turn up .

3 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Difficult conditions today greenie for sure, but as you stated, if you don't look you don't find!

ShySongbird said...

That wind has been vicious here too Greenie. Always nice to see catkins, I used to love finding the first of the year when I was a child.

Strange you should mention the Brown Hairstreak, I was only looking them up yesterday to remind myself when I need to try and see them this year after missing out last time.

Well done with the Roe Deer.

If your forecast is like ours you may well get wet tomorrow!

Ken. said...

Hi Greenie.
You did well finding the female Roe Deer.
I like the Snow Drop photo.
Let's hope the weather improves.
Have a good weekend.