My Patch – September 2017

September is definitely showing signs of Autumn. There are more blackberries, the ivy is starting to bud and early mornings are seeing an increasing amount of mist and glistening spiders webs. 

Morning of September 7th before heading to work I heard a call I recognised but not heard on my patch before. A green woodpecker hopped along the fence of one of the gardens and up into the tree. I regularly see spotted woodpeckers but this was a first for here. There were lots of garden birds about this morning; great tit, coal tit, goldfinches and starlings. 

September 18th – I never like seeing shapes of animals on the road but when its next to my patch I dislike it even more.  It was a badger. This isn’t the first badger I have found in this spot, there was another in February.  I called the field owner to help me move her, we moved her from the road into the field to allow nature to take its course rather than her getting smashed to pieces by more cars.  Next year I want to try and get to know the badgers that roam around the area.  Thankfully there hasn’t been a cull here so they have been safe this year.  I do worry that if I get to know them and a cull happens next year I would loose new friends.  Of course I would try to protect them but unfortunately the land around the field has a different owner so there is little control.  

September 21st – Autumn colours are starting to show in the trees, the copse and the brambles and hawthorn berries seem to be plentiful in the hedgerows. I heard a buzzard calling in the distance that drew my attention behind me, 10 roe deer were walking down the edge of the copse. 

I had a companion again who came for another walk, he was helping with finding holes! I think it’s a new hole and belongs to rabbits which is slightly concerning though! Billy doesn’t go hunting, there is another cat however who does, he catches field voles! 

My Patch – August 2017

August 4th – The starlings are growing, and becoming noisier by the day. They are becoming rather bossy!

There have been bananas put in the garden area and today there was a speckled wood feeding on them and 6 red admirals on the buddleia. 

August 7th – Tonight I saw ‘Strike’. A starling that was born last year, it has two white tail feathers so is fairly identifiable. Its good to know that he/she is still around. 50 swallows feeding over the field was a great sight. They have suddenly appeared but I think that is due to the rapeseed crops being harvested so they are now feeding over the remaining crop fields. 

August 13th – this afternoon / evening the farmer began to harvest the Wheat crop. 

August 15th – they have finished harvesting the 126 acres and are now bailing. Tomorrow I will be able to walk freely across the field. A buzzard flew up from a pile of straw into the copse; the first one I have seen since April. 

August 31st – Tonight I took my first walk to the river at bottom of field. Some of the path is a little over grown so I had to walk part of the way in the next field. I’m glad I did; as I came out from the trees a brown hare ran from the field back into the trees, it took me by surprise. The river is looking quite over grown and it is difficult to see into it. I might need to do a little tidying of the banks over winter just so there are some small paths to the river so it’s easier to see. At the moment it’s actually difficult to tell where the edge of the bank was so I had to be a little cautious. I did however see 2 mute swan, a moorhen and most surprising of all a kingfisher flew by 🙂 I accidentally discovered a rabbit hole when I nearly lost my foot down it! There are lots of tunnels through the vegetation that surround the field, I would guess most are rabbit, mice / rats. There are also some tyres and rubbish that needs collecting!

On my walk back 42 canada geese flew over 🙂

 

My Patch – July 2017

I’m not sure where the last few months have gone! I fear the answer is spending far too much extra time at work. July and September are really busy and there is little time available for days off (though I did manage to squeeze in Birdfair 🙂 in August). Working later in the evening means little time to get to my patch unfortunately. Though I did manage a few short trips in July…

July 3rd – I took a short walk around the top end of the field encountering, 1 swallow, 3 woodpigeon and 11 starlings. 

July 12th – tonight there was a rabbit on the track at the side of field. I am yet to see a rabbit IN the field! 

July 17th – this evening I took a walk around the edge of part of the crop. I wanted to see what other plants were growing. I hadn’t gone too far from the house when Billy decided to join me, I always hear a meow before I see him! 

I found thistles, brambles, camomile and a few other plants and grasses that I am having problems identifying! A white plume moth, a red solider beetle and a red admiral. 

There are tracks through the crop that I’m guessing are either foxes, deer or both. 1 woodpigeon and 6 swallows flew over. 

July 19th – I was stood in the garden of the owners house looking again for any birds still nesting, when out flew a house sparrow carrying a feacil sac from under the roof tiles, I could hear the chicks chirping 🙂 There were also 15 Swallows over the field. 

July 20th – Roe deer and 3 swallows tonight. 

July 25th – The tree bumblebees appear to have gone from the facia board and I have seen the collard dove with the broken beak who is still feeding.

While looking out over the field from the gate 11 swallows flew by. I’ve started to notice that rooks and crows fly back over the field at dust to roost in nearby trees.