Wildlife Diary February 2024

We very rarely see Rabbits on the LLP despite them being often seen on neighbouring land in the valley. Most of their signs are droppings on the path in the Main Field near the First Field Shelter. However, Mateo spotted quite a few at night with the thermal imager in September and with the winter dieback of vegetation several Rabbit size holes were spotted in the hedge near the Field Shelter. On the 2^nd there was evidence of digging outside one of the lower holes and what is probably nesting material, a mixture of fur and dried grass.

Four Mandarin Ducks flew up from the Frog spawn in the Watercress patch in the Flo Pond late morning on the 4^th and the Ealy Purple Orchids were emerging in the mown patch in Kiln Close. On the 7^th Harry and Tim started putting in the corner posts for the 2^nd Field Shelter in Kiln Close.

The two young Almond trees in the Orchard were starting to produce their delicate pink blossom by the 12^th.  Celandines were appearing in the rough grassland. Blubell leaves were emerging in Corner Wood and along the Apprentice Path and there also were lots of Primrose leaves appearing in Corner Wood. Harry and Josh began the winter pruning of the Apple trees in Forde Orchard on the 14^th and on the 15^th the first of the Tadpoles in the ponds had hatched. On the 16^th the Conservation Team and volunteers finished hedge laying the top wall in Forde Orchard and burned up the brash.

A Fox Moth Caterpillar was seen on the Long Path in the Main Field on the 18th and on the 20th, Mateo led six visitors on a Winter Bird Walk around the reserve. Unfortunately, most of the seed in the winter bird food crop had gone and very few birds were seen just Robin, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Dunnock, Goldcrest, Starling, Buzzard, Herring Gull, and Carion Crow. On the 23rd the was a pair of Stonechat on the crop, Grey Wagtail on the Ashburn beside the Apprentice Path. We also saw the first blossom on the Blackthorn in the Kiln Close hedge. A mixed flock of Blue, Great, Coal, Long-tailed Tits and a pair of Marsh Tits were seen near the ponds on the 26^th.

The wild bird food crop area will be extended this year, and this area was mown on the 27th and on the 28th mowing of the crop was started. Pip and Harry took down the electric fence around the winter bird crop, putting up a smaller one around the allotment plots.

On the 29th a pale Buzzard was seen flying up from the ground where the cutting had happened. A pair of Mandarin Ducks flew up from the river where the abstraction pipes are. This is very close to the nestbox used last year so we are hopeful they might nest again.

The mean temperature for February was 8.5°C significantly above the average for the month here of 6.36°C and the 2^nd highest we’ve recorded in 18-years, (2022 was 8.9°C). We had 20-days with rain and a total of 271.8mm (average 117.57mm). This is the 2^nd highest rainfall for February recorded here, topped by 308.5mm in 2020.