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| Common Lizard |
The dramatic change in the weather during the second week in April, from a cold, dry, north-easterly airflow to a relatively warm, moist south- westerly, has had an equally dramatic effect on our wildlife. There has been a surge in plant and animal activity.........even the grass is growing once again! Migrant bird species have been arriving on cue; on the 15th April (18th last year ) the unmistakable song of the Chiff-Chaff could be heard from local woodland. Swooping over the water of Llyn Mair, Swallows made their appearance on the same day. In Coombe Abbey Country Park near Coventry, Swallows were seen on the 14th. For me, the migrant bird I always look forward to seeing is the Pied Flycatcher (PFC). This beautiful little bird flies all the way from sub-Saharan Africa to nest in the woodlands of western Britain, including those around Dol y Moch. There is evidence that individual birds return to the same nest site that they occupied the previous year. I was very pleased to see a male PFC arrive on the 16th April (15th last year) and immediately begin to investigate the nest box that was used by PFCs last year. Could this individual be last year's occupant......? On the 20th, this male was joined by a female and preliminary courtship began with both birds entering the box. As I watched and reflected on how incredible and wonderful it was that these little birds had returned, I was suddenly aware of a female Sparrowhawk overhead in characteristic hunting mode. In an instant my dilemma was obvious.......do I let nature take its course or do I intervene and prevent this predator from taking one of the PFCs? I felt very protective towards these little birds; after all, they had flown all that way from Africa...................There then followed some very tense moments as I watched the hawk quartering the hedgerow trees in long looping guides. Fortunately, the hunter continued on her way either unable to spot the prey or detecting my presence near-by. What would I have done if the Sparrowhawk had attacked the PFCs? What would you have done?
Two other migrants arrived on the 22nd, the Willow Warbler (15th last year) and the Blackcap (3rd last year). I am pleased to report that our local Ospreys are now incubating eggs.
Flowers in bloom include Wood Sorrel, Wood Anemone, Golden Leaved Saxifrage, Primroses and Bluebells.......just! I spotted two in flower on the 15th April (17th March last year ).
I visited our ponds last week armed with a torch as it was 10 pm! Peering into the water, I discovered a hive of activity. (Beats watching telly!). There were Water Crickets skimming over the surface, and lots of Water Beetles swimming 'purposefully' between the surface and the bottom. However, most fascinating was the writhing masses of Nematode Worms amongst the sediment and vegetation. A solitary Palmate Newt was floating near the surface but immediately sank motionless to the bottom when it detected my torch light. A newt has a passing resemblance to a lizard, but of course they are very different creatures.The newt is an Amphibian and the lizard is a Reptile. The Common Lizard also called the Viviparous Lizard (Scientific name : Larcerta vivipara ) is found in a range of habitats including woodland, grassland, sand dunes and gardens. I think the specimen shown in the picture is a female which I discovered under an old piece of sacking lying on the roadside (to which I returned the lizard after photographing it). In springtime you may see a Common Lizard basking in the sun in order to raise it's body temperature; lizards are 'cold blooded'. In April and May the lizards mate and live young are born in July. During the winter months they hibernate underground or in piles of logs or stones.
Still not seen any butterflies locally but dare say there are a few about in the Midlands.
Lastly we wait for the Cuckoo to arrive. The dates it appeared in previous Aprils were as follows: 27th, 2008; 19th, 2009; 22nd, 2010; 19th, 2011; 26th, 2012.
My prediction for this year is 25th April.........tell you in my next blog if I was right!
Month
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January
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February
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March
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Days of precipitation
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25
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27
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18
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Total precipitation mm
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139.8
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103.8
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85.2
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Maximum precipitation mm
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26 (25th)
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27 (13th)
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20.8 (15th)
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Average temperature 0C
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4.6
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3.8
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3.3
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Maximum temperature 0C
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12.1 (27th)
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11.1 (28th)
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15.3 (5th)
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Minimum temperature 0C
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-3.9 (1/25th)
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-3.6 (25th)
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-5.4(14th)
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Average wind speed mph
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1.4
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1.2
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2.2
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Maximum wind speed mph
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28 (27/28th)
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33 (5th)
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28 (11th)
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Dominant wind direction
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W
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ENE
|
ENE
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Date shown in brackets
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| Lesser Celandine |
The North wind doth blow and we shall have snow,and what will poor robin do then, poor thing? So goes the nursery rhyme.Well, we have had the snow (not very much at Dol y Moch) but a little further east at Llangollen they received huge amounts. Roads were blocked by fallen trees and branches brought down by the sheer weight of snow.The wind that brought the snow came from the north-east which is the direction from which the wind has been blowing for the past few weeks, bringing very cold and dry conditions to the UK (and at Dol y Moch plenty of sunshine).The low temperatures have put spring 'on hold' - plant growth has slowed dramatically. Grass in the farmers' fields has virtually stopped growing with the result that ewes with their suckling lambs have little on which to graze. Fortunately for the lambs, the weather is dry - a cold, wet spring puts the lambs at risk from hypothermia as their thin coat of wool gets sodden.
The appearance of our spring flowers is always a welcome sight after a lingering winter. None more so than the pretty Lesser Celandine braving the current wintry weather. It first appeared on the 14th February (St. Valentine's Day). My records show that in previous years first sightings were as follows:- 3rd Feb. 2008; 16th Feb. 2009; 2nd March 2010; 23rd Feb.2011; 31st Jan 2012.
In the sixteenth century it was referred to as 'swallow herb.'.......bycause that it beginneth to springe and to flowre at the comming of the swallows' (Lyte 1578)
Wild flowers are often called by different names in different areas of the UK. Lesser Celandine, for example, is also referred to as Butter and Cheese, Star Flower and Spring Messenger to name but a few.
It's actual scientific name is Ranunculus ficaria. All classified living things have a universal scientific name of usually two Latin words, a noun followed by an adjective. In the case of Lesser Celandine, Ranunculus comes from the Latin for frog (Rana) as the plants tends to grow in damp places where frogs abound! Ficaria comes from Ficus (Fig) because the root tubers of Lesser Celandine are fig-like in appearance.
Returning to our nursery rhyme, what about poor robin? Well she might sit in a barn and keep herself warm, and hide her head under her wing, poor thing. Better still, she could join other hard-pressed, hungry birds during this wintry weather at your bird feeding station, tucking into life-sustaining fat-balls, peanuts, mealy worms and seeds............and don't forget to provide water for drinking. Which reminds me, our tadpoles now have tails and are actively feeding on algae which coat stones and water plants.
Next blog will include weather data for Jan, Feb and March.......I feel cold already!
