Todays recent sightings blog comes from Visitor Officer Mark Day, as he shares with us just what has been seen on the reserve of late. Over to Mark!
All around the reserve there is plenty of life on the move. Despite December, the darkest month approaching, there is still plenty to see. Nature never stops and many of the creatures that call Coombes Valley home will be making the most of every minute of daylight that they’re blessed with.
The early evenings we are now seeing are great times for watching wildlife. Image of valley view by Rachel Coyle.
This week, reports from the team from all around Coombes Valley have come in and here’s a selection of what they have seen:
Flocks!
Wood pigeons are abundant here at the moment. They may not be high on the tick list of birds to see, but its fascinating to note the increase in numbers due to migration at this time of year. If you walk out into the reserve, sooner or later you’ll hear the loud flapping of a flock of wood pigeons as they burst from the trees towards the sky. We’ve had a sighting of 350 birds in a flock here this week.
Also seen in numbers, albeit fewer, are redwing and fieldfare. I’ve seen them around the fields heading down towards the valley floor and also foraging for insects, worms and berries on the woodland floor heading from the plantation towards Buzzard Bank. If you see flocks of birds that look around the size of a blackbird or thrush then it’s likely they’re redwing and/or fieldfare. Trees with berries and open fields are a great place to start looking out for them.
Fieldfare (RSPB-Images)
Moths!
Even during the colder months, moths are still on the wing. Records in our log show that we’ve seen the aptly named december moth, and in the office building a scarce umber. The latter is as the name suggests, scarce. It’s most common in woodlands like Coombes Valley and old estate plantations, This moth overwinters in the egg stage.
Mammals!
Another sighting of red deer on the reserve this week. They were seen in the fields across the valley as you look across from our viewing platform. The red deer rut is now over and the dominant stag of a group will be able to exclusively mate with the hinds. As food sources become scarcer during the winter, red deer will increase the amount of browsing of young tree shoots. With the shorter days, the periods that red deer are most active coincide with our movements. Look out for them at dawn and dusk if you yourself are on the move at these times.
We’ve also noted a lovely sighting of a fox cub this week. Always a pleasure to see one of Britain’s iconic mammals. The team saw this one on the drive down towards our landholding in the Churnet Valley. These again are a species to look out for if you’re out and about in the darker hours of the day.
Red Deer Stag (Chris Gomersall, RSPB-Images.com)
Favourites!
Two iconic bird species of Coombes Valley were frequently seen this week. That superb hunting machine, the sparrowhawk, has been around the top meadow on more than one occasion and there is the remains of a goldfinch not too far down into the valley suggesting that’s where a meal was procured!
The warden and volunteer team have also noted several woodcock. These birds increase in number due to autumn/winter migration like many others. They are extremely well camouflaged on the woodland floor and visitors walking our trails will no doubt be passing very close to them without noticing them. When the team are out on the reserve and ‘off-piste’ though, they may stray into the territory of a woodcock and flush a bird from the ground. You can get very close indeed to one before you’ll realise. Unlike a pheasant they don’t add to the shock factor of disturbing one with a screech as they take to the air. They’re guaranteed to make you jump though!
Woodcock at Coombes Valley (David Tolliday RSPB-Images.com)
We’d love more people to help provide material for our blogs and social media. If you have photos, stories or lists of sightings from your visits, please do note them in the book in the visitor centre or send them in to us at coombes.valley@rspb.org.uk