We begin with an apology if this month’s blog is briefer and/or less illustrated than usual - on 15th, after a period of intermittent failures and resurrections, Clare’s computer died. Conclusively. She then had a bit of a wait for a new one to arrive and a further period of gathering the necessary courage to set it up on her own and discover what might, or might not have been lost photos-wise in the period between the last backup and the computer’s demise.
Here is some trail camera footage from the end of last month which we retrieved after we had published February’s blogpost. The Barn Owl that was captured by the trail camera last month has been frequenting Liddells ever since. It seems to favour hunting over the Wetland and also flies through the Pit Wood. Sadly no bats were captured on the trail camera we’d put near the bat box; we’d put it up just before Storm Gareth arrived and consequently we had several clips of howling wind and madly waving branches. We’ll try again later in the year.
1st March
John cut the logs necessary for the bridge treads; he and Robbie finished brashing the trees north of the story-telling circle. Sadly for us, Robbie leaves on Monday for a period of travelling. We wish him well on his ventures and we’ll miss the superb help he gives us.
4th March
John started work on the bridge treads. We were thrilled to find that the biggest pond has a large amount of frogspawn. The frogs have adapted to the change in the depth of the water and laid at the southern edge where the water is shallowest. Bright things frogs. Perhaps we could say that they have transcended the change in their environment in which case we could call them Frogpondians. (Clare has been saving that ever since it was the OED Word of the Day on January 19th.)
John surveying his handiwork. The treads will eventually span the whole bridge and be secured in place. In case you were wondering.
7th March
John has been keen to return to strimming and started today by creating a new path within the Pit Wood. While he was working he heard a clunk that didn’t sound like wood or stone and when he hunted around found a roe antler. In all his decades of stalking, this is the first he has ever found.
We rather like the three videos of movement in the Pit Wood.
The new path going downhill from the south side of the Pit Wood towards the north side
The new path on the north side of the Pit Wood, heading back towards the Orchard
8th March
It’s not often the trail camera captures footage of small birds however we are delighted to have this visual evidence of a Thrush in the Pit Wood. We have been hearing them singing and from the Scrub as well.
10th March
The bees in one of Clare’s hives had finished their box of fondant and had started building comb in the empty space. Clare removed it because if they had continued, and filled the box, it would have been very difficult to remove the crown board when the time comes to inspect the bees. On her way down to the bees she heard starlings singing and chattering away in the oak tree nearby. She has no idea what was so exciting them, other than that it was a beautifully sunny day and worth singing about. Our molecatcher has had more success. He reckons he has caught the principal offenders now so has flattened all the molehills ready for the wildflower season. We have decided to replace the tapes that were supposed to keep the ponies away from the bees and out of the Pit Wood. We had stopped running a current through the tapes since the ponies had learnt not to touch them, however we hadn’t realised that Paul and William had obviously worked out that the current was off, and they had been lifting the top tape with their heads and holding the bottom tape down with their feet, and making their way through. We wondered how come the bottom tape was so dirty. We have decided to replace the tapes with wires. John started work on this today.
There is some nectar in the cells so the bees are starting to build their own stores
They look as if they’ve been hung out to dry
11th - 17th March
John has continued working on the new fencing. On the 14th he noticed a Heron flying away from the largest pond. No doubt there is slightly less frogspawn in there now. We have seen the Barn Owl several times. Yet more videos of a hare on the trail camera. We have included one because we love the way its ears twitch, apparently just when a Great Tit starts calling.
New fence nearly finished. The wires need a final tightening and the staples hammered home
The new fence looking towards the bottom gate
21st March
The day after the first day of Spring, and Clare and Sally had a walk around to see what flowers might be out and to listen for newly arrived migrant birds. They found Dandelion, Common Daisy, Native Daffodils, White Violet, Primrose and some very small, low-growing white flowers which could be Whitlow Grass (we’ll need to take advice) but heard no migrants. They did however see and hear a Woodpecker (Great Spotted) drumming on the dead top boughs of an oak, which seemed to attract a Mistle Thrush which flew in and joined it. Probably not the companion for which the Woodpecker was hoping. Clare and Sally, though largely Sally, spotted frogspawn in the three other ponds. Clare noticed that one of the newer Willows on the Wetland was bearing catkins.
23rd March
We moved one of the open-fronted nesting boxes to a tree in the Pit Wood which has plenty of ivy as cover. Fingers crossed our newly acquired understanding of the likely users and their needs will pay off. The trail camera captured a buck and a doe moving through the Top Strip.
Newly sited box, offering lots of cover
25th March
Clare heard a Chiffchaff singing in the Scrub. Apparently Wheatears are usually the first to arrive (although we have never seen these birds on Liddells, we have seen them on crags a few hundred yards away), followed by Chiffchaffs. We hope to see and hear Willow Warblers nearer the end of next month.
28th March
We are dismayed to have discovered that the big pond has developed an algae infestation. Sadly, left unaddressed, this will kill off any aquatic life; indeed it may already have done for the frogspawn. We are investigating treatments - so far barley straw seems to be the least invasive.
On a happier note, Clare has now seen and heard several Chiffchaffs, mainly in the Scrub and the Pit Wood.
29th March
John extended the new path in the Pit Wood. Clare spotted a Peacock butterfly on a Willow that is in flower at the top of the Scrub, and when she got closer to photograph it, saw and heard that the tree was covered in honey bees also collecting the pollen. By a happy accident she took a very short video of this rather than a still photograph. She also discovered that there is new moss in some of the bird boxes.
The nest builder
30th March
John added the last post to the new fence. Hooray - a tick on the to-do list and a job that shouldn’t have to be done again, unlike the path maintenance that requires regular sessions every year. Clare has made a start in the Top Strip.
31st March
Clearing up in the North-east Strip - moving logs and making brash heaps ready for the chipper. This was the very first area we worked on at Liddells and we’ve done nothing since until recently when John and Robbie did some felling and brashing. John identified a patch of ground that he thinks is a deer bed. It has scrape marks and is the right shape and size.
Deer bed