Looking under Logs

In April 2011, we had a large ash tree felled that was undermining our patio and coincidentally providing a toilet pedestal for the winter flock of Starlings.

Candle-snuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon)

A couple of professional arboriculturists duly arrived with rigging, hard hats and chain saws and methodically took the tree down from the top to the bottom.  We enjoyed many open log fires with the resulting timber, but half a meter wide trunk was left in large rounds for me to dispose of.

Well, I tried splitting them, but with no luck and a jarred arm.  

So thinking, laterally, I dispersed them around the garden as ornamental features on the grass near the hedges and fences.

Eyelash Fungus (Scutellaria scutellata)

Four years on, we have a thriving saprophytic  community on and under each of them.  These range from fungi to invertebrates and the occasional vertebrate temporary resident.

The fungi range from the common Turkey tail (Trametes versicolor) on top of the logs, Candle-snuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon) on the sides and a real treat, Eyelash fungus (Scutellaria scutellata) undeneath one of them. 

Austalian Flatworm (Australoplana samgiomea)

The invertebrates have found a really attractive safe and warm refuge under these logs.  I turn them up every week or so just to see what has sheltered there.  There are the ubiquitous slugs and a thriving colony of Woodhoppers (Arcitalitrus dorrieni) which is beginning to colonise Cornwall. Another coloniser is the Australian Flatworm (Australoplana sanguinea) which appears every year under the same log.  Millipedes, centipedes and wood lice all make their homes under the logs too.

Common Frog (Rana temporaria)

Vertebrates are less common but obviously preying on the above and I have recorded Common Frog (Rana temporania) and a Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus).

I just have to be careful that my chicken does not get there before me as she particularly likes small slugs but is very catholic in her tastes and would scoff the lot if I let her.

Logs are well worth placing in your garden as refugia for all sorts of interesting creatures.

Sternus vulgaris

Starling

Starlings

I really like Starlings.  

They are unbelievably colourful – in the right light -reflecting all the colours of the rainbow like oil does; 

they are cheerful – always singing – any bird's song will do and it doesn't even have to be birdsong; 

gregarious – form the small flocks in your garden to the millions in a murmuration.  

Late Pruning

Acrobatic female Bullfinch

We are always late with pruning our ancient Buddleia. We do promise ourselves that we will do it before Christmas so that the buds can develop early. Last year, though we had an excuse to leave it later – in late winter/early spring we cut it back drastically and removed lots of dead wood and overlapping branches. So we complacently ignored our promise to prune in early winter and left it with all the new shoots and dead flower heads.

Winter Birds

Lapwings

I had a spare morning yesterday when it was cold but calm and clear.  I thought I might walk the Bude Valley transect on my own. 

 Try as I might to see a Mediterranean Gull amongst the Black-headed Gulls at the Canal Basin, I was unsuccessful. I was rewarded with a good long sighting in the river Neet west of the sighting platform at Peter Truscott's Bridge.

Here Be Dragons

Beautiful Demoiselle

Four-spot Hawker

This summer has been a fantastic season for all sorts of invertebrates.

In particular, and following a Dragonfly workshop organised by ERCCIS in June at Wheal Seaton and Red River Valley, my recognition skills have  improved somewhat and have helped me identify some of the large numbers of odonata that I have come across this year.  

Platooning

My first Osprey

 You wait for ages … ….

Today was Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS) day for September at my Tamar Lakes sites. We planned to commence as usual at 10am for consistency and arrived on time. It is still summer here in North Cornwall so we did not expect any of the migrants to have arrived. And, we were not disappointed, apart from 300 Canada Geese and a small flock of Black-headed Gulls there were few ducks and heron.

A Common Sandpiper was a plus as was meeting a new acquaintance, Harvey Kendall, who has been watching birds around the lakes ever since the Upper Lake was flooded in the 1960s. He gave us good tips on what was about, Pectoral Sandpipers but no
sighting of the reported two Osprey seen over the weekend.,

Osprey fishing

Now, I can't really say that I have been waiting all my life for sight of an Osprey. When I was a youngster, they were almost impossible to find. But, in the last 20 years while I have been actively building my lifetime list – without travelling I may add – these have been on my wants list.

In recent weeks, I have just missed one on a visit to Lundy with grandchildren and Tim Jones (14^th August) and failed to sight one on the Torridge Estuary WeBS patch of my friends, Tim Davis and Tim Jones (17^th August).

The sight of not one, nor two, but three Ospreys wheeling, diving and fishing over Upper Tamar Lake is a lifetime experience. I did not have to travel far to see these enigmatic birds, they were not just on my doorstep, but on “my” WeBS patch. One appeared far bigger than the others and was seen to fish in the lake, feet hanging down and into the water, but unsuccessful whilst we watched. All three climbed high into the midday sky before soaring off eastwards.

Three Ospreys!

You wait ages for one to appear and then three appear all at once (platooning apparently!).

Well worth the wait though.

Another Leg

Clouded Yellow

Today we walked from Compass Point Bude to Trevose View Widemouth Bay, adding another section to our South West Coast Path Walk.  We took the opportunity of a circular walk by returning via the Kingfisher Walk and Bude Canal for lunch at the Falcon.

Small Copper

Along the cliff top, we were overtaken by many swallows all flying south - summer is coming to and end.  I recorded a couple of Clouded Yellow butterflies and managed my first photograph  They seem so different when feeding with closed wings pale yellow whereas when flying they are a starling yellow and black..  They do seem to prefer the cliff edges on the coastal fringe.

Peacock

Other butterflies were present, particularly amongst the scrubby thistle patches.  Dodder was also in flower but only in one small area near to Philip's Point, Cornwall Wildlife Trust's smallest reserve.


Along the Kingfisher walk, most butterfly species were represented, but in much fewer numbers than last week.  It was warm and sunny, but fairly breezy and getting later in the year too.

Common Darter

The canal was very quiet, but it was afterall lunchtime.  We were delighted by a close encounter with a Kingfisher which "buzzed" us as it flew across the water.  I have never seen so many Common Darter dragonflies.  We were almost into double figures just west of Rodd's Bridge.  The Bird Hide pond was particularly favoured with three pairs  in tandem ovipositing in the open water.