Grimpo Nature Notes from Pete Lambert June 2011

I have never been sunburnt this often in April in my whole life, even whilst working abroad. The driest April possibly since records began ended with a wet and windy welcome to May. I have tried a little harder to take note of the timings of things, our barn nesting swallows reappeared on 21st April, rebuilding their nest and bombing the sheltering laundry beneath with mud and droppings. On the 25th April my first St Marks flies droned along the lanes, [ punctual this year as they are said to appear on St. Marks day which is the 25th April!], legs hanging untidily beneath their black clumsy bodies and on the 28th April Maybugs or cockchafers loudly crashing into the backdoor.

Phenology is the study of naturally reoccurring events such as the flowering of plants and the appearance of migratory species. The murmurings are that this year the floral spring displays are at least two weeks early, certainly the bluebell in the woods and the hedgerow garlic mustard are beginning to go over all too soon. I felt that this year had been a good year for violets though a friend pointed out that with such good dry weather I had probably been outside more often than usual in April. Regardless of whether there were more or less this delightful low nodding blue flower was cherished on grassy verge and woodland path-side all the same.

An awkward path lead us up into the thick woods past brooding low yew trees beneath one of which was the carcass of a  badger cub just feet away from a very active sett. I was intrigued even turning over the corpse to reveal a burying beetle making the most of the opportunity. Badger cubs have a clandestine existence for their first year, spending a lot of time underground, virtually ignored by the adult members of the clan. Adult badgers never initiate play, it is always the cubs that provoke the grumpy grown ups. A third of all badger cubs do not survive longer than 3 months, many are sadly the victims of infanticide by females other than their mothers, the corpse being dragged to the surface. I can only guess that this was the fate of this youngster.

It is the fate of many other mammals also to be prey items in the diet of a successful predator. Whilst following the footpaths through a local Estate I was admiring the collection of stately ancient trees, big, gnarled, long limbed living monuments. Another Estate that I visited a few weeks before had been felling their ancient trees for firewood, shame on them, that’s what coppice and plantations are for.  Back to my walk, one of these trees had been rendered by time so it was hollow and pocked by holes, looking up I could see lots of twigs and stuff, and to my delight on the ground Barn Owl pellets. The pellets are the regurgitated remains of the owls meals, a matrix of fur, feathers or both which contains bone fragments. After soaking the pellet it can be teased apart to reveal the identity of the bone owners. I took home three pellets, in one the skull, jaws and limb bones of a Wood mouse or Yellow necked mouse , though more likely to be the first. The other pellets contained the bony remains of a House mouse and a Field vole. The jaw sizes are different, the teeth of the mice are vaguely similar to our molars but the vole teeth are distinct in being arranged as a zig-zag. Much can be learnt from the study of owl pellets, kestrels and other birds of prey leave them too, on the simplest level I now know that the three mammal species are found locally and even better I may even see a Barn owl with luck and good timing.

And finally the wildlife flyboat down by the canal is delivering again, a keen eyed friend has seen reed warblers, scimitar swifts, early damselflies, a Red Admiral and the pretty Common Blue butterflies. Keen-eared too he has heard a cuckoo in the Rednal area, I heard  mine in a wet wood on the Weald Moors north of Telford and I hope you will also share in this simple early summer pleasure.

Happy wildlife spotting!

Pete Lambert

If you would like to share your nature notes please email me on petewoodman@thewoods12.fsnet.co.uk , thanks.