Winter Watch 2009/2010 at Little Marshfoot
October
The month started very dry, with no rain for a good three weeks. Then it started to rain with a vengeance on the 6th, and by the weekend the grass had greened up and the plants were looking healthier.
The visitors to the garden in the first week of October include:
Great Spotted Woodpecker and Lots of Goldfinches are regular visitors to the bird feeders but the Goldfinches are also to be seen in the hawthorn hedges
Carrion Crows - this year a young crow has arrived that has some white wing feathers - which make him easily recognisable. It is good to note that he is a daily visitor, and so he is very dependent upon us for food - which includes lots of peanuts.
Presumably most of our other regular visitors are 'regulars' - Collared Doves, Magpies ( a family of five), Blue Tits, Great Tits, Greenfinches, Blackbirds, Sparrows, Chaffinches, Wood pigeons, Robins, Wrens, Reed Buntings, Starlings
The blackbirds are busily stripping the berries off the Rowan trees - a few years ago these had all disappeared by the end of July, but nowadays they last until the autumn - is this because there are fewer birds around that eat them?
Other birds are busy taking the seeds from the giant sunflowers that we have left standing for them - greenfinches, chaffinches,
Second week of October
Great Spotted Woodpecker and lots of Goldfinches continue to be regular visitors to the bird feeders and the Goldfinches are also to be seen in the hawthorn hedges and together with chaffiches, and greenfinches on the large heads of the sunflowers that have been left for them to enjoy.
The weather is cooling now, down to below 10C at night
21st Female Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding at the peanuts - how do we know it is a female? Males have a red nape, but not the females. Juveniles have a red crown, pink vent and "blotchy" white shoulder patches.
November 2009
This was a very wet month, and the Levels are already flooded, something we don't normally see until the New Year. Eastbourne saw record rainfall for november of 235.2 mm, but the weather was relatively mild, averaging 13.3C for the month.
December 2009
The month continued with warm, grey and wet weather. But by the 18th snow had come early. Little Marshfoot always looks beautiful in the snow, as the high pressure brings lots of sunshine and lovely sunrises and sunsets. This is the time when it is so important to feed the birds. In the garden our regulars were supplemented by a female Bullfinch - really rare visitors nowadays. Then we saw a large flock of lapwing flying over the adjacent fields, looking for food - normally they do not fly as close to the town as here. Beautiful birds.
Other Wildlife
We have a resident family of grey squirrels - 3 this year - who love to try to dismantle the peanut feeders, although we do leave peanuts in a bowl on the ground for them as well. The fox also makes a meal out of the peanuts, and occasionally a badger visits us to eat the fallen seeds and grain under the bird table.
January 2010
The year started with hard frosts, and snow in the evening of the 5th, it snowed all day on the 6th although the temperature was oC so there was little settling during the day unlike in other parts of the country.
On the 6th, we had 24 wood pigeons, 26 collared doves and ten magpies feeding from the bowls of peanuts, together with chaffinches, sparrows, a Jay, blue tits, great tits, greenfinches and reed buntings on the grain feeders. A male pheasant was seen in the lane, on the 7th a Mistle Thrush visited us ........
on the 8th a male pheasant visited the bird feeders, together with 25 collared doves.
January 9th saw a good 6 inches of snow, and the grain on the ground was quickly covered with snow. The pheasant was back, together with 9 magpies, 26 collared doves and a very sorry looking songthrush.
The snow was present on the 10th, 11th and 12th with a hard frost. The ice on the pond was 4 inches thick.
The apples on the ground attracted a lone fieldfare and a few starlings. A couple of song thrushes shyly probed the ground under the hedges for food, and the ground was covered with chaffinches, reed buntings and sparrows. Blackbirds also present
A small flock of 12 Long tailed tits visited the peanut feeder on the 12th, and the other point of interest were the two male pheasants feeding on the grain on the lawn. The snow is gradually melting, but there remains more snow than grass.
13th. Yet more snow overnight! Settling to about 3 cms on top of the last snowfall.