November '11
Weather This Month
Max Temp = 14.9°C Min Temp = -1.6°C Mean Temp = 8°C
Max Wind = 22mph
Day's Of Rain Over 2mm = 11 Rain 24hr Max = 15.8mm Rain For Month = 95mm Rain For The Year = 1417.2mm
Diary
28th. A trip out to Martin Mere over the weekend had us enjoying Swans, Geese and Marsh harriers. We also had a look around the North West Birdfair stalls held at the Mere and in truth it was terrible as few stalls of interest were present. I did have a good chat with the lady on the Red Squirrel stand which was nice. My father perused a stall of wood carvings and bushcraft having recently become very active in this field. Mandy set her eyes on a new pocket guide to Butterflies and I treated myself to a DVD on the birds of Northern America. The DVD will help with a few of the birds we hope to see next year although over 500 species are on the DVD I would be happy to encounter 180.
I
had things to do on Saturday on my return from work and Sunday was at
Martin Mere so few chances to check out the garden in daylight. I did
steal a few moments at first light on Saturday morning though and boy
was it a treat with plenty of Chaffinch and Goldfinch present. Four
Blackbird also were present and much to my delight one was tucking into
the berries on our homegrown Pyracantha plant. Next up was a sighting a
lovely female Great Spotted Woodpecker as it strangely clung to the
sunflower feeder for some time as it picked out sunflowere heart one
after the other. Gone are the days of peanuts I think. Not to be outdone
a cracking Song Thrush leapt down to the sultana feeder and snatched a
few before heading to the security of the Elder tree. Winter, dare I
say, is here!
20th. The
garden is starting to come to life as the average temps begin to fall
so the birds start to seek gardens more and more. As most of the reports
suggest it has by no means been cold as most days reach double figures,
but it has been cooling down every so slightly with the odd dip down to
where an air frost has been present. Dare I say it but the rain has
mostly been non present but I have noted that this could change for the
coming week as a Westerly moves in. The Goldfinches are the first to
show signs of the change with small flocks of 20 birds zipping between
feeders and the tops of next doors sycamore trees. I have still not
noted any real numbers of Blackbirds with only singles been seen as they
sometimes steal an odd sultana before disappearing with a high pitched
wail! Jays are now regular as clockwork as I put out monkey nuts before
first light. They have to make the most of this early feed as I am
unable to put them out before dark in the evenings. They are so keen to
be fed they are often here before any real light is noted. This beats
the Squirrels and Magpies.
The garden is still quite green on the whole and even the odd flower from a Verbena and soapwort are still braving the days.
7th. We decided to have a look at the new nature reserve that has been created by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust just outside Preston. Brockholes Quarry opened it's doors this year with it's cutting edge visitor centre design that is a floating island in effect. The centre itself is very impressive and it does feel quite different from other Nature Reserves we have visited. It's brief is to share nature with everybody of all ages, sexes and levels of appreciation. It hits the mark spot on with that remit but as primarily a birder it seems the hides are a jack of all trades yet master of non. Sadly the design is strange with windows being obscured at eye level and the ledges to low to lean on. the other thing that I am surprised at is that they have been built out of wood that has ended the life of two hides already due to them being burnt down and others being vandalised to great extent leading to many windows smashed out.
Where the reserve is a winner is the promise that this site holds. Already fantastic birds have been recorded and I am sure that once things fill in and grow up it really could be a premier site to visit. We made ourselves members only to find that we have to pay the same amount to park the car as those who are not members. A convoluted explanation is forthcoming but to be honest you can never excuse members being treated the same as non members. we note we are supposed to think of it as helping Lancashire Wildlife Trust....MMmmmm.
Did that sound negative? Well in truth it really is a superb site despite it's approach to reach out to all people. It is our second visit to the area and most certainly will not be our last. In two visits it has cost us £15 in car parking charges which is a considerable cost over only two visits but I am sure this is something that will change in time. If you would like to read more please click HERE.
We noted 38 species on our trip and was surprised to note so many Dragonflies and Butterflies on the wing. No Swans apart form mute but the Ancient woodland is very beautiful at this time of year. It helped as it was a day of blue skies and whilst in the sun, warmth! We even had 3 Buzzards soaring on thermals.
Before we set off for Brockholes I quickly visited my Vis mig spot and after getting there at 06:45 I was pleased to count many Fieldfares (326 in total) Also had a couple of Crossbills land right at the side of me which was ace. I managed two hours as it was freezing but I was happy with the amount of Thrushes.