As my first post I would like to tell about what wildlife I have found in Cambridge, both birds and not just birds.
Birds:
The well-publicized peregrine pair in the city-center has reared three chicks this year. One of them performed the impossible and ended up having a successfull first flight, something that has never happened before in the city! They can be seen on or around Emmanuel URC where they perch or engage in spectacular acrobatic displays.
There is another peregrine pair in Cambridge, a peregrine pair residing in the Cherry Hinton chalk pits. They were also very successfull this year, and have reared three young. It is magical watching them cruise overhead over the reserve.
There is a sparrowhawk pair living in woodland just off Grange road. They were also hugely succesfull, and this year have raised at least 2 chicks. One of these chicks is extremely vocal and was calling the entire time I was there, which was rather funny. Due to them nesting in a dead tree they can be safely observed from a rather long distance, and I have heard of unconfirmed reports of Tawny owls in this area as well. I won't reveal the exact location because I have not seen the sparrowhawk nest publicized ever before. There is also a sparrowhawk pair living in a tree just off Ascham road.
What I can publicise are the wonderful tawny owls living in Jesus college, Cambridge. It is closed to the public for now, but I have permission to enter from a professor. This year the pair has been incredibly successful, rearing 4 young which have all fledged and can be seen on the grounds easily. They can be observed close to the Orchard. There is also a successful green woodpecker pair as well as a fox pair.
Barn owls haunt the riverbanks of the Cam at Newnham meadows, most notably Skater's meadow, and can also be seen at Byron's pool on the other side of the river beyond the weir. I did try to see them but so far I have not been successfull.
It caught me completely off-guard when I learned of long-eared owl records in Cambridge, all in one place! Due to the sensitivity of the bird, i will not disclose where it is even approximately. It should be safe to share that the place is located on College grounds.
Red kites visit the area, and I have seen them twice over the city center as well as once low over the chalk pits, which caused terrified peregrinelets to orbit it, screaming.
Buzzards are relatively sparse, and the only time I have seen them this year was over the city center, which exacted immediate retribution from the mother peregrine, but they ended up just orbiting each other.
I have great spotted woodpeckers living in my garden or somewhere nearby. A green woodpecker visits and once woke me up with its cackling, right outside my window.
There were cuckoo records from Skater's meadow, but I was unable to find the bird which eluded me photograph-wise now for 2 years strait.
Other wildlife:
Plants:
This is a relatively new interest for me, I guess a girlfriend madly enthusiastic in a certain subject can infect you with interest in that subject, in this case botany. I was searching out plants which interested me the most. Orchids were the prime target
Moon carrot is doing well in the chalk pits, and also on a roadside verge nearby. They are nearly impossible to find in the chalk pits, growing far up on cliffs and barely visible, but are plentiful on the roadside verge. This is one of the three places in the UK where it grows.
I was able to observe some unflowering common spotted orchid remnants at Skater's meadow, having arrived too late to see them flower
I might have seen pyramidal orchids, or might not have.
White helleborine orchids are rare in the UK, but grow in Cambridge. I was really surprised to find out that a massive amount of them is growing on a playground in Nightingale recreation grounds. I travelled there too late to see them flower, but bulges on the stem got me thinking they are about to flower again.
I have been trying to figure out where I could see bee orchids, and found out that they grow on a roadside verge in front of the eye clinic at Addenbrooke's! I arrived too late for the incredibly beautiful flowering, but found the flower remnants still attacked to the stem. I hope they are allowed to grow here next year!
I have also seen these orchids, both near Skater's meadow. I have no idea what they are- can anyone identify them? One grew next to the river at the end of the field next to Skater's Meadow, past the logjam
Other animals:
This year has been bleak for frogs and toads! I have been looking for frogs and toads for a science project (NO dissections, just standard measurements like mass, length of jump, length of body. This is done because of a project parallel to an EPQ, recommended by a biologist), and despite visiting Byron's pool and Barnwell East I was unable to find them. I did, however, see the really bad sight of a dried-up frog skeleton near my house. Cat may have got it. Hopefully will be more lucky with August nearby. They get everywhere in August.
Foxes live in Jesus college and also I have found a den in Barnwell East
Badgers live in the city, but I will not reveal where they are. I will share, however, that they do live on college grounds off Grange road.
During my observations in the chalk pits, I have seen bats flying around as well
I tried to find glow-worms glowing, but only saw the males in the chalk pits
I collect mushrooms, but so far have found only some I was not looking for but still collected, and have seen others in gardens.