March - new life — Liddells

4th March

A jay, and then a second jay join the procession of creatures that have appeared in the story-telling circle.

A heron demonstrates why there might be very few frogs in the big pond.

6th March

The older buck seems to have an offstage interchange with the younger buck. You can see that the older buck is no longer in velvet while the younger one still is.

The hares are still in evidence near the story-telling circle. Here are three manoeuvring round each other. There is a delightful early morning chorus of birds in the background.

8th March

Clare’s attempts to capture footage of frogs mating have thus far been unsuccessful although there are plenty of videos of herons hunting frogs; unfortunately because of the camera angle, the herons are mostly headless. Here is one that is not beheaded and showing the black spots on its foreneck.

11th March

The old buck is captured scraping vigorously - he is clearing debris from the ground to make a couch. To put it differently, he is making his bed so he can lie on it.

12th March

A mallard drake defends his territory against another drake. The second drake seems to have got straight back in the water although it is chased off again.

Clare noticed that the regenerated elm in the north-west corner of the Pit Wood has lost more of the original trunk, leaving a very slender strip to support life, and yet the tree is sprouting. The buds resemble small raspberries.

13th March

There have been no Mandarin ducks on the big pond this year until now. They seem far less active than the Mallards. Neither John nor Clare have been able to find out from whence locally come the ducks. (Clare has just read an article on not ending sentences with a preposition, a rule that she was taught at school.)

16th March

There are thrushes singing from many high perches on Liddells at the moment. It is pleasing to see one on the ground in the story-telling circle.

The Chiffchaffs are back and singing, although ‘singing’ is a generous description of the sound they make. The collective noun for Chiffchaffs is ‘a confusion’ - maybe this is because looks-wise they are similar to Willow Warblers. Chiffchaffs have blackish legs, Willow Warblers’ legs are pale yellow/brown - so as not to be confused, Clare thinks ‘Chiffchaff/charcoal’.

Another visit from a Jay to the story-telling circle; this one presents a great close-up view.

Although the camera missed capturing any frogs mating, Clare was delighted to see that there is frogspawn in four ponds, so frogs have clearly been busy. She heard a Tawny Owl calling in the daytime, discovered that there is now a much larger patch of Coltsfoot in the north-west corner, the primroses are out on Primroseside (the north bank of the spring stream), she saw at least five Bullfinches on her visit and half a dozen Goldfinches on the feeders - far more than in recent weeks, celandines are beginning to appear in flower and the native Daffodils planted in the Top Strip have not only begun to clump up but are now appearing in places in the Top Strip other than the original planting sites. It’s all very Springlike and yellow.

17th March

A warm and still day, so Clare took a gamble and opened the hives for the first time. She was pleased to see all three marked queens, one of whom had started spring laying. As all three colonies have come through the winter and have plenty of stores, there is no need to disturb the bees again for a little while. This is the earliest Clare has ever been able to open the hives.

19th March

Clare has moved one of the cameras to the feeding station - she has noticed how quickly the nyjer seed is being eaten in spite of very few birds seeming to be on the nyjer feeders - and decided to investigate. Although Clare has heard a Woodpecker drumming recently, she hasn’t seen one on the feeders until this footage appeared.

A male Mallard displays, and a Mandarin is heard calling.

20th March

World Rewilding Day. Clare had a delightful morning hosting a friend of a friend’s nephew. Moritz had come to Hexham to give a concert and, having visited Liddells before, expressed a wish to return. Nature obliged and in spite of seeing no Siskins or Redpolls this season thus far, there were several of both on the feeders, numerous Goldfinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and a couple of Tree Sparrows (also notable for their absence recently). A pair of Bullfinches perched nearby and two hares ran through the Pit Wood as Clare and Moritz strolled along. There was a peacock butterfly in the far north-west corner and a Buff-tailed bumblebee queen searching for a nest site in the same area. In spite of all these sightings, Clare only managed to capture a photo on her phone of three different finches sharing a feeder. Yesterday she had moved a trail camera to overlook the feeders so expected to find all this activity recorded, however disappointingly the camera had recorded nothing that day.

21st March

Delighted by all the finches, Clare and John went back to the feeders and John took his camera.

A pair of hares pause in the story-telling circle.

22nd March

The trail camera has recorded some activity on the feeders; the first footage provides a nice example of pecking order, the second more amicable feeding.

24th March

Clare had moved one of the cameras to an entirely new position - on an old stone gatepost looking along the north-east boundary between the Pit Wood and the Orchard. It transpires that this is a favourite pheasant run so much deletion of footage followed. Three deer, a doe and two kids, appear grazing near the camera and you can see that the young buck is still in velvet.

31st March

Ruth planned to have a ringing session today, the last of her practice runs before starting regular ringing in May. She was surprised by netting and ringing at least ten Chiffchaffs. Quite a confusion. Clare was interested to see that each bird showed a clear yellow feather on the leading edge of the wing. Ruth showed her how the Chiffchaff can be identified by the emargination to the sixth primary feather, whereas the emargination on the Willow Warbler is only to the fifth primary. Of course Clare first had to learn that emargination is a slight indent along one edge of the feather. Clare will probably stick to ‘Chiffchaff/charcoal’. The Chiffchaffs varied in weight from 6.8g to 8.1g. 6.8g is barely more than a level teaspoon of salt. In addition Ruth ringed two Dunnocks, a Long-tailed tit, a female Bullfinch and, after Clare had left, two Tree Creepers one of which had been ringed on an earlier occasion.

After the ringing Clare wandered around looking to see what plantlife might be emerging. There are dandelions flowering on the Meadow and Opposite-leaved Golden Saxifrage brightening up the Pit Wood. Although the Blackthorn is still not in flower, Wych Elm, Aspen, Hawthorn and Larch are all greening up.

A ladybird was sunning on the gatepost and John noticed some badger scat on one of the paths - it looks very like wrought iron.