Things are getting very busy here at Greylake, West Sedgemoor and Swell Wood. For us, rather than the wildlife. We take advantage of this time of year, after the breeding season but before the wintering birds arrive, to do a lot of our management out on the moor.
Although we have cattle grazing to control the vegetation growth, they don't eat everything. There are some types of plants they don't like, and would take over if we simply left them alone. This week I had the chance to do my very first topping (exciting!), which is basically large scale lawn mowing. This helps to knock back the invasive vegetation, allowing the other species to thrive, and also prepares a low vegetation height for the breeding waders like lapwing and redshank next year.
You get to potter about slowly on the tractor and watch all the wildlife around you. The swallows came in almost immediately, taking advantage of the insects I was disturbing. A few buzzards also appeared, looking for small mammals and things that might show up. And a couple of hares also zoomed off as I got near them. Don't worry, they found new places to hide very quickly.
I was also watched by this swan and cygnets, rather unconcerned by the large vehicle just across the ditch from them.
I don't know what happened to the other adult, usually both would stay with the young all the way through the winter. Cygnets have a long childhood, only really leaving the parents when they breed again the following year.
I've seen a lot of the cranes recently too. They seem to enjoy hanging about in the fields that have been cut for hay which gives great views. This includes the parents with one chick, that I saw several mornings in a row in the same field. One morning they came close enough for me to take a couple of photos, although I only had my phone, not my proper camera, so they aren't great. I might try and take my camera out at some point, I just don't want it getting damaged.
As I was going through a gate on Tuesday, I noticed this rather cool looking beetle sitting on it. I found it it was a musk beetle, named because of the stink they give off when threatened. They are a type of longhorn beetle, I'm sure you can see why. They are quite common in the UK, especially in wetland areas with lots of willow trees, like the Somerset Levels. Still, I enjoyed seeing it.
Every morning I go across the road and check our weather recordings, including rainfall levels. There is a metal funnel which catches the rain, and every day there seems to be a different type of spider in it. On Friday morning it was this harvestman, which isn't actually a spider. It's a type of arachnid, because it has eight legs, but it has only a single body segment, rather than a separate thorax and abdomen like a spider. There is a small spider in there as well. So I tipped them out and they scurried away.
I had a couple of nice sightings at Greylake on Thursday this week. I was busy strimming the path when I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye and spotted a stoat running across the path not too far away. And later on, as I was getting ready to leave, a flock of about twenty green sandpipers flew over. No photos, as it was all too quick, but it just shows you that there are things to see, with a bit of time and luck.
Swallow update: the chicks must have hatched because the adults are now both out catching food most of the day, but I can't see them yet. Maybe next week they'll be big enough for a photo.
That's it for this week. Till next time.
Kathryn