October

Weather Stats This Month

Max Temp =  15.9 deg C               Min Temp =   0.9 deg C            

 Max Wind  17.2 mph              Max Rain in 24 hr Period = 16 mm

 Max Rain in 1 hr Period = 5.6 mm          Total Rain For Month = 56.4 mm

Diary

31st.  A wet end to the month which really has been quite dry as the figures above show. No freezing temps have been recorded with only a couple of ground frosts to report. As the clocks have now gone back it becomes harder to record events within the garden as light is at a premium in the hours I am at home. Work really is a scourge to the wildlife gardener!. In the garden I have started to notice that the Blackbirds are the first to feed on sultanas at first light. I always like to see the return of the Blackbirds which are in greater numbers as the resident birds are also accompanied by migratory individuals. Outside the garden as myself and Mandy went for our evening stroll we noted a Bat that was flitting about over the main road and a field which was lit by street lamps. This was not a pipistrelle but due to my ignorance of Bat species I am unsureas to it's ID. I hope for the great weather that most of the country has witnessed to continue into November but I guess time will only tell!

21st  Another trip to Spurn point with hope of a few new birds to add to my list. It was fantastic weather with clear skies and temps at midday reaching 14 degC. Our first point of call was at the point to watch any visible migration. The sun made it awkward to take pictures of the many Fieldfares,Blackbirds,Redwings and Starlings that were taking advantage of the warm early sunshine so photography was limited until we managed to get the sun behind us. We started well with sightings of Bramblings feeding with flocks of Greenfinch on seed heads. Plenty of winter Thrushes were calling all around and after an early sit down we noted a Arctic Skua coming close into shore followed by a Woodcock coming in over the sea. Rumours of Ortolan Bunting and Penduline Tit abounded but no real substance was gained. A late House Martin was present and a lifer for Mandy and me in the shape of a Water Rail was seen at the Canal scrape. Plenty of Brent geese were present which is always nice to see and hear as they almost purr with a few odd notes to boot. A little bit of Sea watching did not really provide much other than Common Scoter and several Gulls although a Grey Seal and Harbour Porpoise was seen. A search for a Black Redstart proved in vain but a nice walk upto Beacon ponds were rewarded with a peaceful chance to get a few shots of Blackbirds eating hawthorn berries.

Dunnock

                        Water Rail                                            Common Scoter                                    Brent goose

                                            Blackbird                                                                            Redwing

Back in the garden and a great Autumn is in full show with plenty of dry crisp leaves now falling all over the garden. Much of these are a neighbours sycamore but a few from our own John Downie and other plants are mixed in. I shall collect these up and put them in a pile near to the newly created log pile where they will be allowed to rot as nature intended. As you can see from the weather stats the temps are starting to show a cool edge with the coldest temp of the Autumn now recorded as 0.9 deg C although a slight ground frost has made it feel very cold during the night a clear sky during the day has also lead to daytime recovering quite well with 11.2 deg being reached as I write this at 14.22. The cold nights have now pushed the Blackbirds back into the garden where they stock up at first light with sultanas and then move on throughout the day. Over the years we have noticed a Blackbird with outer tail feathers of white which is quite noticable in flight. We are not sure if this is the same bird but we think it is a strong possibility. We also await to see another Blackbird of the past that has very bright opaque yellow tallons which again stand out very well...we shall see. As I write this another sunny day has brought out a Tortoiseshell butterfly to feed.

14th.  The garden is managing to hold onto some summer colour with the Rudbekia Goldsturm and Verbena Bonariensis doing a terrific job of adding a real splash of colour to the turning and falling of many of the other plants, although the red campion is holding it's own in some quarters of the garden. I remember not really having an Autumn as such last year so this year it is great to witness the superb colours that are now showing amongst our native woodlands. I was reading in the newspaper the other day that stated, due to the timings of the wet and then the dry periods through this year the leaf colour would be mostly browns and golds rather that the reds of some Autumns, and this seems to be quite true locally as the  colours mentioned do seem to be gloriously gold rather than crimson.

The garden has also witnessed the Autumn in the form of new winter visitors. I have been seeing Redwing flying high over the garden all month but today before setting off to Martin Mere 4 Redwings chose to rest up in next doors Sycamore tree for 10mins. It always is a surprise to see how small these scandanivian birds are. If you are interested in theses birds please click here to find out more. I have also manged to hear their migration overnight as I usually try to get out into the garden late at night and listen for the "seeeeppppp" calls overhead, something I managed a few nights ago with three such calls heard. Another visitor was a Green Woodpecker, OK strictly not true, as It flew low through the width of the garden and on through next doors Sycamore and Birch tree. All the same it was great to see his bright greeny yellow rump flash through!

The Grey Wagtail is still very much a regular although he is not best pleased with the changes in the garden near to his feeding area where I throw mealworm for him. I had moved the compost bin to the rear of the garden and placed a log pile in it's place. I have added compost. logs, wood chips and a few plants to which I shall be adding more plants to next year. I have also added a meter square of bark chips where I will again add some plants like the native primula, bluebell, snowdrop and a few other plants that can stand a little shade. Even though the Wagtail is not keen the Robins and Dunnocks are more than happy as many small insects become good pickings on the surface of the bark.

The weather is still really quite warm with day time temps still reaching 14-15 degrees with nightime temps on the whole also holding there own recording averages of 12 or 13 deg. Next week is also supposed to be reasonable after a hiccup for monday. I am hoping that this will hold for the weekend as another trip to Spurn Point and Formby a strong possibility.