Owl Week.

It has a been an owl week. On Thursday morning  we watched a Barn Owl hunting (see post below). Yesterday a Tawny Owl was seen hunting along the disused railway line during the day. And today I noticed that a Little Owl has taken up residence in the hollow of an Alder tree in a neighbour's field. Little Owls nested in this tree in 2003, 2004 and 2005 and then were absent for the next seven years. This year one has appeared again. Whether it is one of the original pair I do not know but they can live up to ten years. It is also possible that this one (or pair) are the descendants of the pair that used to nest in that tree, as they are a fairly sedentary species, meaning that they do not move far from their natal area.

Little Owls are not native to the British Isles, they were introduced from Europe in the 19th century. They do not appear to be detrimental to our native wildlife.

The two photos below show typical poses of Little Owls. They are seen during daylight and sit still for extended periods (10s of minutes). They are probably surveying the ground for small mammals, birds, and invertebrates including earthworms, insect larvae, beetles etc.  When they do fly it is with a characteristic fluttering motion.

Two Yellow Flowers

After an extended and unseasonable cold March spring seems very slow to start. Here in Endon we had about a week of dry weather at the start of the month, but we have also had fifteen days that started below freezing, about 16 days with snow fall or snow lying on the ground. The warmest day so far has been 13th March at 13 degrees C.

However, they might have been buried under the recent snow drifts, but two species of wild flower are starting to make an appearance. Today, at Cecilly brook and Hales Hale Nature reserves in Cheadle I saw Lesser Celandine and Coltsfoot just beginning to open. 

Coltsfoot flower.





Cecilly Brook Nature Reserve, Cheadle.

And, amazingly really, considering the unseasonable weather, we saw a butterfly (probably a Small Tortoiseshell or Peacock) fly across a road and go behind a dry-stone wall along Stoney Dale, Oakamoor. I suspect that it had been hibernating, on a house or sheltered position on a tree, that had warmed up in the sun to a sufficient temperature to allow it to fly. Its future does not look good as, even in spite of the Coltsfoot and Lesser Celandines, there are very few sources of nectar on which it may feed - even garden plants are suffering in the cold and snowy conditions.

 

 

Started the British Trust for Ornithology Breeding Bird Survey today. Surveyed vegetation of SK0444. Here is a photo I took while doing the survey. It show a view of Moneystone Quarry in the distance and Hawksmoor Nature Reserve (on the left).

 

 



 

Endon Barn Owl

Watched the Endon Barn Owl this morning at about 7am as it quartered the rough grasslands adjacent to the Caldon Canal between Endon and Stockton Brook. This winter must have been very hard for Barn Owls that depend, mainly, on small mammal prey. I have only seen one bird at a time, though postings on the Staffordshire Birds blog suggests there may be two. If there are and if they are a pair the will probably have started a nest by now. Given the length and harshness of this winter it seems unlikely that barn Owl pairs will raise many young this year.

I took these pictures this morning. Notice the Magpie in the bottom one. This Magpie and other corvids were mobbing the owl for a while.

Snipe and Raven.

While walking to work this morning, along the Caldon Canal towpath between Endon and Stockton Brook, I disturbed two or three Snipe that were sheltering in the small wetland area that is adjacent to the canal about half way between the two villages. The Snipe rose up between the scrubby willows with their characteristic zig-zag flight, flew in a circle across the canal, and then landed again, presumably to feed in the shallow pools. I have been told by someone that has lived in Endon all his life, that Snipe used to be very common in the fields around here. Now they are an occasional sight, but one which perhaps been more common this year than of recent, due to the birds taking refuge here from the even harsher climate in the nearby uplands and exposed wetlands.

 

Later, as I was walking back home along the Caldon Canal towpath this lunchtime I spotted a Raven flying overhead. This is not an unusual sighting, though it does take a little experience to separate out all black members of the corvid (crow) family.  The Raven is the largest of the Carrion Crow, Rook and Jackdaw, but relative size is not easy to assess when you see a bird in the sky, unless, of course, there are other corvids close by. Anyway I was sure my sighting was a raven because of its long, narrow and pointed wings, diamond shaped tail, and thick neck.





A Raven on a roof.
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Skylarks and Frogspawn.

I have heard my first Skylark of 2013 and seen the first frogspawn of this spring. Neither were around Endon, but in Radnorshire. The Skylark and frogspawn were both in upland pastures near the Elan Valley.  



Skylark fromBy nottsexminer (Skylark  Uploaded by Fæ) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons  



Upland pool with numerous clumps of frogspawn 15th March 2013.

Early Spring Flowers at Oakamoor.



The very first fresh plant growth is starting to show. The green flowers of Dog's Mercury and daisy-like flowers of Winter Heliotrope are now open at Oakamoor. The Wild Garlic, the bright green spear-like leaves of which show in the bottom picture, is not in flower yet, but it soon will be. Unfortunately I could not smell the glorious vanilla-like scent that usually emanates from heliotrope flowers, perhaps the weather was too cold for them to produce scent, or perhaps my nose was too cold to smell it. These three plant species, along with others such as Lesser Celandine and Bluebell, undertake much of their life cycle early in the year before the trees become heavily leaved. This means they can take advantage of the spring light levels before the tree canopy begins to shade the ground. These early flowers benefit certain flying insects such as solitary bees and wasps that are active during March and the start of April; the plants provide nectar and pollen on which the insects can feed up after the long winter fast. Of course, the insects in turn pollinate the flowers, thus ensuring a supply of seeds over the coming year.

Dog's Mercury.

 

Winter Heliotrope.



Dog's Mercury and Wild Garlic emerging from last years leaf litter. 

 

A few birds heard on a morning walk to Cheddleton.

Walked along the disused railway line towards Cheddleton this morning. At about 8am I was alerted to the sweet twittering of several flocks of around 20 Siskins each feeding in the tops of the Alder trees that grow along the Endon/Churnet valley, and beside the railway line itself. Perhaps they are feeding up as they move northish to either breed in the UK or prior to their return to continental breeding grounds.

We also heard Great Spotted Woodpeckers drumming amongst the trees growing in the wet woodland between the Caldon Canal and the River Churnet just before Cheddleton Flint Mill.

Another notable sound was the song of Reed Buntings. This is the first week this year I have heard them sing.  In two places (just outside Cheddleton and from railway line near Hazelhurst Junction)  I heard two males singing in opposition to each other as they establish their breeding territories for the coming season.

Male Reed Bunting