December Nature Notes

December Nature Notes · 01 January 1996

'Queendown Warren'

During the Christmas holidays the regular dog walkers at Darland Banks and Queendown Warren were joined by those who needed some fresh air and exercise after too much turkey and television. On Darland Banks many bushes were still loaded with the berries of this year’s warm and productive summer. Hawthorn, ivy, privet, blackthorn, spindle and dog rose berries were particularly noticeable. Rose hip are the favourites of wood (or long tailed field) mice who store them in old birds’ nests. Wood...

'Dormice'

The beginning of the month was unseasonably mild. A red admiral butterfly was seen feeding on a mahonia bush in the garden, many ladybirds were still active and the dahlias remained unblackened by frost. Whilst helping with conservation work on Burham Down during December I came across hundreds of nut shells under the trees of a hazel coppice. Mammals had gnawed holes in many of the shells, through which the kernels had been extracted. Most of the holes had been made by bank voles and wood (or...

'Redwings'

The orchards and fields around Hartlip are hosts to hundreds of fieldfares and redwings. They are members of the thrush family and are Winter visitors from Scandinavia. They are feeding mainly on the fallen apples but will also eat rose hips and hawthorn berries. Fieldfares resemble missel thrushes in build and flight. They have pale grey heads and rumps, rich chestnut backs and black tails. They are extremely wary birds and have a rather harsh ‘chack-chack-chack' call. Redwings are like...