NATURE NOTES

Johnny’s Animal Magic

2011
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December

Here is a bird quiz I set in the local community magazine, together with the answers.

(1) If you see a Great Spotted Woodpecker, how can you quickly tell if it is an adult male, an adult female or a juvenile?
Answer : the adult male has a small red patch at the back of his head, the adult female has no red on her head, the juvenile has a fairly large red patch on the top of its head.
(2) If you see some small bats flying low over water in daytime, what are they most likely to be?
Answer : Daubenton’s Bats.
(3) A rabbit breeds in a burrow underground, a hare in a form above ground. Where does a grey squirrel breed?
Answer : In a drey, usually consisting of twigs and leaves in a tree fork or hollow.
(4) What is the name of the small deer native to China which now breeds in the Chilterns, Home Counties and Midlands?
Answer : Muntjac.
(5) How many species of newt are native to the UK? Can you name them and say which one is the largest?
Answer : three; Crested (sometimes called Great Crested or Warty) up to 15 cm, Smooth up to 10cm and Palmate up to 7.5 cm. So the Crested is the largest.
(6) What is a rat-tailed maggot?
Answer : it is the larva of the Hoverfly or Dronefly and it lives in stagnant, often foul, water.
(7) Which prickly plant is very popular with goldfinches?
Answer : The teasel.
(8) Wild Arum has many different, sometimes localised, alternative names. How many do you know?
Answer : Cuckoo-pint, Parson in the Pulpit, Lords and Ladies, Cuckoo Flower, Angels and Devils, Stallions and Mares to name but a few!
(9) How do the propeller-like seeds of Sycamore and Field Maple differ?
Answer : The ‘wings’ of the paired Sycamore seeds are placed at a right-angle. Those of the Field Maple are in a horizontal.
(10) What colour is the highly poisonous fungus Deathcap (Amanita Phalloides)?
Answer : It is very variable with shades of yellow, green and white. It is found in deciduous woodland, particularly near Beech and Oak trees and is more common in the south. Never pick wild fungi unless you are absolutely sure what it is.

I hope you had fun and didn’t find it too difficult

Best wishes for 2012 and good nature watching to all my readers.

November
I saw some mushrooms that I instantly recognised as Shaggy Ink Cap. These start out with a frilled, white, elongated body. This develops into a more typical open cap and then turns soft and black round the edges and deliquesces. My books tell me the Latin name is Coprinus Comatus and they are also called Lawyer’s Wig.

On a recent visit to Macclesfield Forest I was struck by the bright orange lichen on many of the trees matching the autumnal leaves. I know nothing about lichens other than that there are numerous varieties that occur on trees, rocks, stone walls and buildings and they are related to fungi. I also know very little about grasses and mosses, although I remember seeing a natural history programme on TV which tried to persuade the viewer that they are fascinating. In another life maybe!

In early November, I saw a common 7-spot Ladybird near Tolls Farm and near Feeder Cottage a Ladybird I have never noticed before. At home I identified this as a Harlequin Ladybird. This is an invasive species, which is potentially threatening too many of our 40+ residents. You can read all about it and report sightings (which I did) by going to www.harlequin-survey.org. There are at least varieties and the one I saw was clearly a Harmonia Axyridis Spectabilis.

I saw a few Teal (Anas Crecca) at Tittesworth and the log book in the hide shows that other winter visitors, such as Pink-Footed Geese and Wigeon, have been seen there. I have had reports from some of my regular correspondents of early sightings of Redwing and Brambling and a hedgehog near the top of Barlow Hill. If the predicted very cold weather arrives please remember to put some water out for the birds, whether you are in the habit of leaving food for them or not.

October
Steve Plimley reported large numbers of small migrating birds in Heaton in September. These included familiar species such as Meadow Pipits, Linnets, Goldfinches and Chiff Chaff. But he also had a Yellow-Browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) in his garden and greenhouse. This tiny bird is similar to our common leaf warblers, the Chiff Chaff and Willow Warbler. But it breeds in temperate Asia, migrates in winter, mainly to tropical southeast Asia, but also in small numbers in western Europe and only occasionally turns up in the UK. Steve got a ‘twitcher’ friend round and this sighting is going to be included in the official Staffordshire records.

The more you watch nature the better you get at identifying species and observing behaviour. Nevertheless, no matter how experienced you are, sometimes you just can’t be certain what it was you saw. In October I have had quite a lot of relatively late sightings of damselflies, dragonflies and butterflies but I was only able to make a specific identification in a few instances. And late one Sunday evening I was driving along the road from The Hanging Gate towards Cleulow Cross and, as I turned a corner, a large bird flew from the road and dipped over the wall. This sighting was in the dark and was probably about 2 seconds. My experience tells me it was almost certainly an owl and almost certainly not a Tawny or Barn Owl. Something about it said Short-Eared Owl. But I will never know for sure.

Following my last article, Gwen Eardley of Heaton reports that she has seen Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillars in her garden but not the adult moth. Finally, a couple of months ago I told you that the Hartleys of Rushton had phoned me about a giant fungus. I have now received a photo via Alan Weeks. Both my guide books tell me that this a Dryad’s Saddle (Polyporus Squamosus) from its appearance, size and time of year. However, this specimen appears to be in a field and both books say that this fungus ‘seems to explode out of half-dead trees or stumps’. Another mystery for people to phone me about!

September
In late July, I came across a wasps’ nest, close to the ground near Wincle Grange, which had clearly been broken into. I was reluctant to photograph the wasps hard at work trying to repair their home because I react badly to their stings and I was sure they wouldn’t like me going too close. Anyway, this led to conversations with Stuart Goodwin and Nigel Maclean who both confirmed that badgers often break into wasps’ nests. I have since found out that this is because badgers like to eat wasp larvae rather than the insects themselves or the nest material. And my research has also revealed that, from a human point of view, wasps do useful work pollinating flowers and feeding on other insects, which many of us would consider harmful to foliage, flowers and crops in the garden.

I have seen a lot of different fungi whilst out walking in late August and early September but I am no expert in this area. I have been able to identify a cluster of Common Puffball in Sutton and some beautiful specimens of the poisonous Fly Agaric near Gigg Hall. Alan Weeks took a couple of photos of some very large bracket fungus on a tree near to West Lodge, which at least two other people have told me about.

Keith Brightmore spotted an Elephant Hawkmoth caterpillar in his garden in late August and sent me a couple of great photos. I have never seen these caterpillars or the adult moths, which look fantastic in my insect guide. Has anyone else ever seen one of these and, if so, when and where?

Pauline Bostock phoned to tell me about two sightings in her garden. In July she saw an adult Redstart feeding a fledgling on just one occasion. Occasionally Redstarts will perch in very conspicuous place and the male is a splendid sight but they do take a bit of work to see them regularly. My impression is that they have had a good breeding season in our area. On 25 August Pauline saw a hedgehog in her garden. She seemed particularly keen for me to know that it was a really big one!

August
I have been inundated with responses to the item in my last article about birds pecking at glass, wood and/or putty. These have been from people within The Link area by phone, e-mail and in the pub, a phone call from Mottram St Andrew and an e-mail from China - what a wide readership we have achieved! Unfortunately none of these really explain why the crow was pecking at Michael Seal’s window frame because the window was not secured by putty, the wood was not rotten and crows are not insectivores. This will remain a mystery, I think. But to summarise these responses and my own knowledge:

(1) All sorts of birds get injured or even killed flying into windows. If they don’t get hurt and see their reflection they will attack it thinking it is a rival, especially if the bird is a male. Some people put silhouette stickers of birds of prey on their windows to try to prevent this;
(2) Some birds, particularly finches, are very fond of fresh, soft putty because it contains linseed oil;
(3) Some birds will peck at any rotting wood, including window frames, in search of insects.

I recently reported my first ever sighting of a hedgehog in our area and got several positive responses to that, particularly in the Heaton Area. On 4 August I saw one in the road at Longdale crossroads. So hedgehogs are just like buses! On 8 August I followed a Hare along the road in Sutton Lane Ends and it was doing at least 25 mph. So when I got home I Googled, ‘How fast can a hare run?’ Answer = up to 72 km/h (45 mph).

Derek Riley saw a Stonechat at Gun End in mid-August. These small birds are easily seen as they perch on small shrubs such as gorse and broom in heathland and moorland. They are widespread residents in the UK although most of my sightings have been at coastal locations.

Last month I reported a huge fungus reported by Brian and Sheila Hartley. As a photo has not turned up I still don’t know what it was. I can only think it was some sort of bracket fungus on a fallen tree or a Giant Puffball. I know this is not a cookery page but there are several varieties of puffball, they are unmistakeable and they are all very tasty sliced and fried in butter, and if you like it, absolutely delicious with added garlic.

July
Last month I reported a sighting of a mammal by John Weston and myself, which was almost certainly a hedgehog and asked if anyone else had seen hedgehogs in The Link area. Margaret Mullins believes she has found Hedgehog droppings in the garden and Dave has seen them dead on the road more than once in the Heaton area. Michael Seal of Heaton phoned to tell me that a family of hedgehogs were seen frequently in his garden last year and he has seen an individual in the road opposite his property regularly this summer.

Michael also asked me about crows pecking at his windows and apparently eating putty and wood around the frames. I do know that many species of bird will peck at windows. This is more often than not a male trying to attack his own reflection which he sees as a rival. Boys,eh! Both Blue and Great Tits quite often peck around the edges of the small diamond sections in our windows. They are getting at spiders and other small insects, which greatly enjoy our lack of an efficient window-cleaning routine. Birds and wasps will also have a go at wooden frames in poor condition either for insects or nesting materials. I am sure I have read somewhere that some birds take putty but I can’t recall why and haven’t found time to follow this up. Does anybody else have any knowledge of why birds might peck at glass, wood or putty?

Curlews breed in small numbers in our area and our most easily seen along the A54 towards Buxton, in flight or on the ground some distance away. On 11 July I came across one sitting on a fence post right next to the road just down from the A537 going towards Wildboarclough. Pity I didn’t have a camera with me because it would have been a great shot.

Peter Jackson, well known in local pubs and currently resident at Danebridge Fisheries, turns out to be a bit of a Dr Doolittle. On 3 July he somehow managed to get a Spotted Flycatcher to pose on his finger for a photo at The Crag in Wildboarclough. Brian and Sheila Hartley of Rushton Spencer found a huge fungus, 22.5 inches wide and 14 inches high.

June
I have had two more reports of a Cuckoo calling since my last article. Both Spotted and Pied Flycatchers have been seen in Danebridge. Paul Woodcock, Lee Whittaker and I all saw Redstarts, one of my favourite summer visitors, in the second week of June. A family was featured on the BBC’s Springwatch in late May and early June. On 4 June I saw a fledging Wren on a wall very near to Top House and an adult waiting with food in a tree on the other side of the lane. This ‘baby’ was clearly very fresh from the nest and really cute, more so ‘in the flesh’ than the many opportunities we get these days on TV to see young birds developing in the nest.

On 27 May I saw Swifts, Swallows, House Martins and Sand Martins all hawking for insects low over the water at Astbury Mere. I don’t recall ever seeing all four of these species so close together. Swallows and House Martins are common summer visitors to our area and are very happy to use man made structures for their nest sites. Sand Martins are much fussier about where they take up residence and I mostly see them passing through at Tittesworth Reservoir early in the summer season. These three birds are members of the Hirundinidae family. Although they resemble them in many ways, Swifts belong to the very different Apopdiae family. They are the most aerial of all birds (albatrosses probably run them a close second). They even mate on wing and only land to nest. Their nests are usually in crevices on natural cliffs or high buildings although I have seen them nesting on two-up two-down properties in Sutton.

Alan Weeks sent me a photo of a bluebell, which he had measured at 66 cm. I have no idea whether this is a record but it does seem exceptional.

In mid-April John Weston and I saw an animal in the road near West Lodge quite late in the evening. We both thought it was hedgehog. I don’t recall ever seeing a hedgehog since we moved here. If anybody else has seen hedgehogs please let me know. My contact details are always in the list on Page 3 under Neighbourhood Watch, if you don’t have them.

Steve Wrigley sent a photo to the Link team of two birds in his garden in late May. These are Ruddy Shelduck. It is almost certain that the same birds briefly visited John Weston’s garden a few days later. They are not British birds. There are very small resident populations of this species in north-west Africa and Ethiopia. Their main breeding area is from south-east Europe across central Asia to south-east China. It is almost certain that these birds were escapees from a collection, the most likely source around here being Blackbrook Zoological Park.

May
Kate Brough sent me a picture of a male Brambling in her garden. Sadly Kate and Chris have now moved away and I have lost one of my best informants. Peter Robinson sent me two snaps of a garden bird. I got very excited when I identified it as a Spanish Sparrow until I realised it was in Malta and not at Clough Head! I’ve had many reports and sightings of Swallows; John Weston told me that House Martins returned to Bartomley Farm on 11 April. The following week I saw many Orange Tip butterflies in the glorious sunshine in various locations. Alan Weeks sent me photos of a song thrush nest in their garden, a mallard nest close to the road in Wildboarclough and a road-kill hen pheasant near the Winking Man. At the end of April I saw all the following on Gun Moor: Red Grouse, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Linnet, Willow Warbler; Large White, Orange Tip, Red Admiral, Small Heath and Green Hairstreak butterflies; plus unidentified jet black/rust red bumble bees. And Lee Whittaker and Yvonne Bloom both reported hearing a Cuckoo.

On two occasions in April, I watched a Peregrine Falcon fly over the ground and in and out of the top of the main stand at Crewe Alexandra. I guess this male bird was checking out the structure as a possible nesting site. They usually nest on cliffs and rocky outcrops but they now increasingly use high buildings. If they do nest at Crewe they are unlikely to be disturbed by loud noises!

As a naturalist I sometimes regret that I haven’t learnt more about trees and wildflowers because everything is inter-connected. I have said before that if you want to find Bramblings in the winter look for beech and hornbeam trees. I once read that if you want to observe spiders the best thing to do is climb an oak tree. Anyway, Cowslips, Common Dog Violets, Red Campion and Bluebells all caught my eye recently.

Last month’s Link included Enid’s article about wild Rabbits. I couldn’t help but be amused that the Easter copy of The Sunday Times magazine reported they are causing an estimated £300m worth of damage to crops, forests and airports. So, if you’ve got a couple of ferrets and a lurcher, feel free to go hunting!

April
I recall a conversation with Steve Plimbley. He stated that, although there were more pressing reasons, one factor in giving up writing these articles before me was that he sometimes found it hard to find something to say. I too have found this from time to time. Fortunately, this month I have had no end of sightings and reports - the first swallow at Woodhouse Green Farm on 23 March; sightings of owls, meadow pipits, lapwings, curlews, redpolls, fieldfares, wheatears, a female blackcap, bats, frogs, bees and moths; an unidentified, exciting bird of prey at Wincle Minn; early Comma and Red Admiral butterflies in Wincle and a Brimstone in Macclesfield; frantic rookery activity.

However, I have no space to detail any of these. One of my Christmas gifts was ‘The Corfu Trilogy’ by Gerald Durrell. On 18 March I started to read this. ‘My Family and Other Animals’ is the first of these three books and very well known it is too. I read a lot but my but I am a poor reader of novels and biographies. So I was astonished to find myself devouring this book and amazed that I had not read it before. I finished the whole trilogy in less than 2 weeks!

Written from the perspective of a nature mad boy, the youngest member of an eccentric English family who all moved to Corfu just before World War II, these stories conjure up vivid pictures of a Greek island, certainly to anyone who has ever visited one. The characteristics and behaviour of all life-forms on the island are brilliantly described, including the family, multi-national visitors and the local people - invariably in a very amusing way.

I was particularly captivated by lengthy descriptions of a fight to the death between a gecko and praying mantis in Gerald’s bedroom, a tarantula stealing young larks from the nest and a battle involving a large moth, a gecko, a mantis and a scutigera(centipede), which were all eventually consumed by a toad! These scenes brought to my mind those old movies with lizards made up as dinosaurs before CGI came along. It really is nature in the raw. The adult Gerald must have had a photographic memory because his stories are so graphic and detailed. If you haven’t done so, read it - that’s an order!

March
Many people have commented on how common the Buzzard has become. It is easily seen soaring quite high (I often see up to four at once over Wincle) or sitting on an exposed branch, telegraph pole or low wall. When I first began bird-watching you could only see them in Scotland, Wales, the Lake District and the SW peninsula. The greatest numbers are still in those areas but it is now the commonest bird of prey in the UK and breeds in every county. The Kestrel is also very common, characterised by its almost static hovering when scanning for prey. Both these are easily seen in The Link area. The Sparrowhawk is also fairly common but somewhat harder to spot. They can also soar high with rounded wings but they are usually seen flying fast and low, often following a hedgerow or line of trees, in pursuit of prey. I have previously included photos by Alison Weston and John Henshall of Sparrowhawks in their gardens.

Peregrine Falcons have bred on the Roaches in recent years and they are easily seen up there in the breeding season. At any other time, you may see one closer to home but if it sees you it will be off in a flash! Hen Harriers breed in small numbers on the moors around Buxton and there have been a few sightings over the years in the Gradbach/Royal Cottage area. The Merlin is the smallest and least distinctive falcon – the male is not much bigger than a blackbird. They breed on uplands, including the Peak District, but can turn up anywhere in the winter. The Hobby is a summer visitor and occasionally gets seen here in late spring or early summer, usually chasing a dragonfly, swallow or martin.

The Red Kite is a magnificent bird, once seen never forgotten, which is growing in numbers and distribution and one occasionally turns up in our area at migration time (spring or autumn). You may be very lucky and see a migrating Osprey at Tittesworth Reservoir, a Goshawk in Macclesfield Forest or something even rarer in these parts. Unfortunately, none of these are very likely for most of us. Apologies if I’ve missed anything out!

Peter Collins saw 3 pairs of Mandarin Duck on the Dane on 13 March. When I went looking on 15 March I couldn’t find them but there was a fair number of Common Frogs and plenty of spawn in the Feeder and catkins everywhere.

February
Galanthus Nivalis is the best-known and most widespread representative of the genus Galanthus. That’s a Snowdrop to you and me. It is native to a large area of Europe. It has been introduced and is widely naturalised elsewhere, including the British Isles where it was probably introduced around the early 16th century. I have seen plenty of them whilst out walking in the second week of February and they make me feel optimistic that the winter is over and spring has sprung. Kay told me about a new Open University website, http://www.ispot.org.uk/, she had heard about on BBC Radio 4. I have not yet joined but certainly will be doing so. Joining and contributing is easy, it looks great and I recommend it to anyone who has the slightest interest in developing their knowledge of nature, whatever their current level of expertise.

John Turnock asked me about a large flock of birds that were feeding on a field after he had ploughed it. From his description these were certainly Fieldfare, probably feeding on Leatherjackets. These are, of course, the larvae of Crane Flies, commonly known as Daddy Long Legs. Although adult Crane Flies only feed on nectar or do not eat at all during their short lives, leatherjackets can cause considerable damage to plant roots and are considered a pest.

I saw a story in the press about a major ‘twitch’ of about 500 bird-watchers at a house in Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire to see an Oriental Turtle Dove. Guy Milner phoned me to say he had seen a bird of prey he was unable to identify and thought it might be a Lesser Kestrel. If it was he could have had a queue even longer than the one in Chipping Norton! The Lesser Kestrel (Falco Naumanni) is a gregarious falcon very similar to, but smaller than, the common Kestrel. It breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central Asia to China and winters in Africa and the Indian sub-continent. It is very rare north of its breeding range and declining in Europe. Sightings in the British Isles are described by bird-watchers as ‘mega’. There are only 17 accepted records. The most recent I have found on the Internet was in East Anglia in March/April 2010. Sorry, Guy.

January
First of all, I have to thank all The Link readers who have informed me in December and early January of sightings in their gardens or on their land of all the following: Waxwing and Redpoll (Rushton); Fieldfare and Redwing (Swythamley); Lapwing, Snipe, Goldcrest, Siskin, Bullfinch, Brambling, Treecreeper and Long-Tailed Tit (Wincle). You have all obviously been looking after, and looking for, our feathered friends during the big freeze. My own best sighting without venturing outdoors was on 13 January when I found a Common Toad (Bufo Bufo) hiding amongst some shoes in our kitchen.

It always amazes me how tiny birds like the Goldcrest, Wren and various tits survive in the kind of harsh conditions we have experienced so far this winter. It is well documented that their numbers do decline considerably after a particularly hard spell but they usually recover rapidly given a good spring and summer in which to have more than one brood. As someone who has always been particularly fond of wildfowl and waders, I couldn’t help wondering in December where all the grebes, swans, geese and ducks go when all the available water is frozen. Just before Christmas, Macclesfield Canal, The Macclesfield Forest Reservoirs, Sutton Reservoir (aka Turk’s Head), Rudyard Lake and Tittesworth Reservoir were all pretty much frozen solid. There were a few Black-Headed Gulls, Canada Geese, Mallard and Coot on a small area of unfrozen water at Sutton and a few birds on odd bits of water at Rudyard and Tittesworth. But where were all the resident Cormorant, Great-Crested Grebe, Little Grebe, Mute Swan and Tufted Duck and visiting Wigeon, Teal, Pochard and Shoveler (to name but a few of the possibilities)? Birds such as Grey Heron, Goosander and Mallard will readily go to flowing waters such as The Dane but most of those I have listed and waders such as Snipe, Lapwing, Curlew and Godwit prefer still water, preferably with shallow edges and muddy banks.

If anyone is interested, the answers to last month’s quiz are now on the Wincle website. David Moseley correctly worked out that my favourite bird is The Gannet and he sent me some fantastic photos he took on the north Solway coast.



Johnny Morris
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The landscape
Wincle sits in hills that rise out of the Eastern edge of the Cheshire plain. Farms, barns and dry stone walls are all built out of the same harsh millstone grit that make up the surrounding slopes.
The mixed landscape includes farmland interspersed with deciduous woodlands along the sides of the river valley, rising to heather moorland on the high ground.

Sir Philip Brocklehurst, one of the areas landowners in the late eighteenth century described the area as follows- “Few English Districts are more interesting to those who study nature in her wildest and fairest states…. valleys, rivers, rocks and hills lie mingled in profuse variety; the purple heather blends with the green moss and toppling crags rise out of verdant woods”.

Clearly not much has changed since then and a recent review article described the area as “ Conveys a feeling of being totally divorced from the rest of the country. Here rugged heather-clad moorland, swift flowing streams, turbulent rivers, scattered farms and tiny hamlets nestling in the folds of the hills” (Cheshire Life February 2003)

On a clear night, the sky can be particularly beautiful in Wincle. Far enough away from the street lights of the neighbouring towns for a good number of stars to be visible, on a cloudless, moon-free night the Milky Way can be seen and occasionally a shooting star.

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Wildlife
The varied landscape of Wincle and the surrounding area provides a rich habitat for many species of wildlife, including badgers, foxes, stoats, rabbits, hares and field mice.

Bats are often seen on dusky evenings in summer, emerging from their tree roosts to hunt for insects. Owls can be heard throughout the night, both barn and tawny owls. Little owls can sometimes be seen during the day, tucked into a tree or sitting on telegraph wires.

Birds regularly sited include kestrels and sparrow hawks hunting over the open fields, and woodpeckers, nuthatches and tree creepers in the woodlands.

The distinctive cries of curlews and lapwings can be heard over the meadows, particularly in summer. Swallows and house martens are regular visitors, nesting in local barns. Pied flycatchers also arrive in the spring, to make their homes in ivy on the house and farm fronts.

On the Dane, white breasted dippers can often be seen perching on rocks and bobbing in their distinctive way or skimming the water as they speed off to their next spot.

Garden birds might include wrens, goldfinches, tits, greenfinches, collared doves, robins, thrushes and blackbirds.

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