To celebrate the wintery wonderfulness of Coombes we have wrote a series of Christmassy nature facts to get you in the festive spirit.
Nature is amazing and we were hard pressed to condense it down to just 12 facts. But we think we've cracked it and now we’re bringing you the first countdown installment to our 12 favourite Coombes wildlife stars of winter.
Get singing everybody!
The Twelve Coombes wildlife highlights of Christmas!
...Twelve robins singing...
Robins are one of the most iconic Christmas creatures around, so it’s only fitting we start our countdown with them. The reason there seems to be so many robins around during the winter is twofold.
1) There actually is! During winter our resident robins are joined by their cousins from the continent, especially Scandinavia. What’s hello in Scandinavian?
2) During the winter, our other birds may have flown off to warmer areas or reduced their amount of singing to conserve energy. The Robin however sings right through winter. It does so to hold onto its territory until the breeding season next spring.
Robin on branch – Genevieve leaper (RSPB-images)
...Eleven foxes hunting...
During the winter months, foxes fur becomes even longer and denser, allowing them to keep on hunting throughout the winter months. Their sharp hearing lets them hear the squeaks, rustles or pitter-patter of their prey, even when it might be hidden below snow or leaf litter.
Foxes mate from late December to February, so at dusk you may hear the barks of the males, followed by the eerie scream of the replying vixen.
See if you can identify any fox footprints in the mud?
Curious fox – Grahame Madge (RSPB-images)
...Ten moths aflapping...
A mild winter is a very good thing indeed for some of Coombes Valleys more hardy moth species. The imaginatively-named Winter moth, December moth and November moth, along with the Mottled Umber will fly throughout the end of the year.
They can be active in temperatures as low as 4-5 °C, so it’s still worth getting that moth trap out! There is little food about for moths at this time of year. Many moths won’t eat as adults, just mate and lay their eggs ready to hatch the following year!
...Nine pink purslane blooming...
Pink purslane has many other names such as: the Candy Flower, Siberian Miner’s Lettuce or Spring Beauty. It is usually an annual plant, with small pink flowers.
Although its name ‘spring beauty’ suggests that it’s an early bloomer, they can actually flower as late as September in a usual year. As a testament to how mild it’s been so far this year, we actually still have some in flower up here at Coombes Valley! So come along and keep your eyes peeled for this pretty little flower over the next week or so, before the weather turns!
Pink Purslane – The Orkney book of wildflowers (http://bit.ly/1yqGizn)
Keep an eye out for our next instalment of 12 Coombes wildlife stars of winter!