February 2014

I hardly expected to see any wildlife sightings with the wild weather we have been having, but the odd windless and dry days have been really springlike.

Bank Vole - Woodford

Animals are beginning to move about - I have seen the odd badger carcase – and there are squirrels and a couple of Roe deer in Morwenstow.  We only noticed them because of the pure white rumps like beacons in the woods.  Our Wood Vole has made regular appearances in our garden.  The trail camera produced another sighting of a fox in a garden in Stratton.

Some of us did some maintenance work by Hobbacott incline in January where we flushed a Sparrowhawk.  I also had a trip to Fremington Quay recently – there are some nice waders – Greenshank and Redshank as well as Little Egret and Shelduck to be seen. 

There are still a lot of Goosanders at Upper and Lower Tamar Lakes.  A group of 8 Cormorants and a flock of Lapwing and Golden Plover at the upper lake too.

Lesser Celandine - Crosswater Morwenstow

At the Lower Lake, also known s the old Lake as it was first built to provide water to the Bude canal in the early 19^th Centrury, on the bird feeders near the bird hide were Great Spotted Woodpecker, Nuthatch and Marsh Tit.

On two separate sunny days we came across 7-spot ladybirds but not much else.

In the water at the bottom of Hobbacott incline I saw around 200 Gyrinus sp. – Whirligig beetles.

Honeysuckle is beginning to show new green leaves and Herb Robert has flowered.  Yesterday (Sunday) the first Lesser Celandine we have seen in flower was at Crosswater.

[transcript of a report given to Cornwall Wildlife Trust Tamar Group on 17 February 2014]