So here’s your weekly recent sightings blog. Another great week on the reserve and an amazing place to see wildlife has been the viewing platform next to the visitor centre. The great spotted woodpeckers are now making regular visits to the bird feeders along with robins and blue, great and coal tits. A male sparrowhawk has been seen regularly as well in the top meadows and in the education field. Two pied wagtails have been enjoying picking bugs out from the tiles on the roofs and making lots of noise in the process. Treecreepers and jays have also been spotted from the platform with the jays making their presence known with their vocal screeching and the treecreepers silently making their way up and down trees. Other species spotted include raven, nuthatch, goldfinch, rabbits and lots of tawny owls to hear from 4pm onwards.
(Great Spotted Woodpecker by Simon Gray)
The trees are starting to lose a lot more foliage since the temperatures dropped. Making the wildlife easier to spot and also ensuring there’s a lovely crunch underfoot. It’s been fantastic to see the reserve change, from the lush greens when I arrived to the array of colours over the last month and now as the leaves fall and the temperature drops I look forward to the next instalment of seasonal change. Maybe a nice hoarfrost to set the wood glistening.
A species which gave us a bit of a surprise on the reserve this week are a very cute wood mouse who we noticed when we were doing the annual nest box empty. He’d made quite a home for himself for over the winter, so we left him in there looking very sleepy and completely unperturbed by our intrusion. Wood mice are one of most common small mammals and make a tasty snack for many other species such as foxes and owls. To increase their chances of survival they are active mostly at night, can leap great distance, have great night vision and will even shed the end of their tail if they are caught.
(Wood Mouse by Chris Shields - RSPB Images)
I had a particularly interesting encounter with nature this week when I came across a pheasant not the most exciting species I grant you, not even native having been introduced to the UK by the Romans. This pheasant however was quite territorial so much so that he followed me 200yards down the track and then through the wood for the rest of the day. He spent at least three hours following me around. He was completely unfazed by me, practically sat on my feet at some points. I did manage to get this lovely picture though and luckily he didn’t display any of the aggression that males are renown for when defending territories.
(Pheasant by Becky Austin)
I hope you all have a great weekend of fun and exploration, keep an eye on the weather forecast and stay safe.