I've said before how differently I feel about winter since seeing our sites through the full cycle of seasons. When life goes back into the ground, everything takes an essential break to recuperate and replenish, readying for the kick-off again in the new breeding season. That gives us humans the time to restock, set out new goals, complete heavy-duty habitat works, tidy the piles of brash, clean out nest boxes, repair equipment and, of course, consume a copious amount of coffee and biscuits on the sites without too much disturbance to the wildlife.
Here are a few shots of our biodiversity sites on the coldest and most peaceful days.
Grassland in the North West Zone
Wetland plants, North West Zone
Spring is just around the corner in the North of Brockley Wood
Lowlight: Forgetting to include any representatives of an entire taxonomic kingdom...
2. Highlight: Yet another year with our superb ecology volunteers carrying out record numbers of surveys; we seriously cannot thank you enough!
Lowlight: The state of my car by the end of summer.
3. Highlight: Of all the new species this year to Gatwick, I think the Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) was my favourite, singing in the scrub west of Brockley Wood.
Lowlight: My least favourite new species for Gatwick was Ash Dieback disease (Hymenoscyphus pseudoalbidus), now prevalent around the South East UK.
Shriveled and blackened leaves in summer
Diamond-shaped lesions around buds
4. Highlight: iRecord became available as a phone app, meaning I can now record wildlife anywhere in the UK, 24 hours a day!
Lowlight: The Wood Mouse population reached apocalyptic levels, meaning this was what I was mostly recording...
Our most recorded mammal in a single day
You again?
5. Highlight: After the fish removal from Pond 3, this year Great Crested Newts are back laying eggs!
6. Highlight: Gatwick's Biodiversity Action Plans scooped another award this year and also got a mention in the International Airport Review.
Lowlight: All of our restored meadow grasslands, rich in wildflower and grass species, in which we take so much pride, are slowly trying to kill me.
7. Highlight: Discovering our first Slow Worm in Ashley's Field, a new reptile record for the Gatwick sites!
Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis)
Lowlight: Discovering our first Slow Worm poo.
8. Highlight: We hosted even more wildlife events for biological recorders, Gatwick staff and the general public.
Lowlight: Probably the wettest, most unpredictable set of wildlife events we've ever had
Tom S. models the latest in binbag fashion-wear
9. Highlight: I am finally making good progress with the malaise trap invertebrate sorting, with excellent volunteer help and the Sussex Wildlife Trust lending us their classroom!
Entomological enthusiasts Ryan Mitchell and Natalie Kay
Lowlight: Cranefly legs have become a living nightmare.
10. Highlight: The work of our excellent conservation volunteer groups, led by Tom Simpson, has resulted in great feedback from the general public about our sites.
Lowlight: Some not-so-lovely feedback from the public.
The survey start-off was signaled by a group of 9 Pied Wagtail, which must have just emerged from their communal roost. Plenty of Reed Bunting and Wren were calling around the River Mole reed beds, and the occasional Song Thrush giving a high-pitched 'tseep'.
Snipe explosion / spontaneous combustion
After yesterday's survey Snipe joys, this ominous pile of Common Snipe feathers is a bit of a sorrowful sight. Still, there is a good population around at the moment and the Sparrowhawk (presumably the culprit) has got to feed too.
We stopped in our tracks as we got closer to the reed beds, scratching our heads over this one call...
For a moment there we couldn't put our finger on it. However, later on and further downstream, we heard the more familiar, squealing cry...
Water Rail is the weirdest thing you will hear along the River Mole (except maybe for Tom Forward's imitation of a Water Rail).
A pair of Common Buzzard called to each other, one gliding towards the woodland with a Carrion Crow in wing-flapping pursuit. On the far side of the river, along the woodland strip, we scanned the gorse and bramble scrub for any movement... Luke then spotted a new species for the Gatwick surveys!
Stonechats are a stunning little bird, slightly smaller than a Robin. Its name comes from the call which sounds a bit like two pebbles being bashed together. The pair we saw are probably temporary winter visitors to our sites.
A scatological interlude to look at some mystery poop...
Too small for Fox, but containing lots of fur... A Stoat or a Mink perhaps?
The tell-tale cigarette ash poo of Green Woodpecker
Mistle Thrush made their machine-gun calls as they shot past overhead. Fieldfare were the loudest though; I love how they sound on the verge of hysteria.
In the north of Brockley Wood, Chaffinches were calling loudly; it makes a nice change as we are usually a bit light on finches here. A flock of Redwing were busy in the understory and a Coal Tit called from the canopy.
As we rounded the bend on the river, two Roe Deer stood motionless only meters away. Just a little further along, the gang caught a view of a top predator - Sparrowhawk! Unfortunately, I was too busy predating on rich tea biscuits and missed it.
Towards the end of the transect we were closer to the tree line; Ring-necked Parakeets started up their cry, disturbing another Common Buzzard. A lonely Little Egret took off downstream in lumbering flight. Although we didn't find Katherine a promised birthday Kingfisher, we did get a lovely Grey Wagtail zip along the river and land up next to us.
We start with wagtail, we finish with wagtail.
Winter shrubs: Bramble, Field Rose, Gorse and Spindle
Our species list from the day; 37 is a new record I think! Our total species recorded on our timed transects at Gatwick since 2012 stands at 79.
