And now the flooding

By last Sunday, a week ago, the snow had all cleared completely, to be replaced by fields turning into water meadows: the result of not only the snow melting but also quite a lot of rain and much milder weather. On visiting the Hanson nature reserve last Sunday afternoon we saw that a larger area of the lakes was still frozen as were the small ponds around the reserve – and some of this ice was quite deep. Near one of the hides most of the lake was frozen whilst the birds were a little closer (but not very) to the second hide. There were pochard, wigeon, tufted ducks, mallard and gadwall (and possibly other ducks); swans; lapwings. And many nosiy coots. But no cormorants, herons or egrets.

Though we stayed late and hoped to see owls as the light faded we saw neither barn owls or short eared owls. However, on an early morning walk to the bus just before 7 last Tuesday (19th) I heard our local tawny owl. Good to know that he/she? survived the cold. I must look it up – it’s the one that does the woo-ooo.

Am also keeping an eye on the feeders in the garden. These have been in place two weeks now and I have not seen anything come to them yet, though my husband tells me a robin has found the fat ball. But I’m told it takes at least a month for birds to get used to them, so we will see. There is a nut and seed feeder in the back that is empty so will see if refilling that helps – the current nut and seed feeder is in the front garden in a rather busy area, near the road – but there are no trees to hang it on further away from the road.

Upland birds and water birds

We spent the weekend in Conwy, which is a great place for seeing waders, (and buying Welsh books – from Llandudno and Caernarfon – see my forthcoming Welsh blog) as the estuary has quite extensive mudflats when the tide is out. I now know that oystercatchers do not stop feeding at night as we could see and hear them after dark, and I also watched one feeding this morning – and realised I had not done that before. This particular bird was finding mussels (which are plentiful in the harbour) and seemed to be dunking them in the water before prising out the mussel and eating it (it seemed to be almost slurping it up in its beak- think of a person eating spaghetti and you will be close). Other estuary inhabitants included many curlews, shelduck (see photo) and redshanks.

We later went to Caernarfon and walked along the Abershore towards the Foryd – which is now a nature reserve, although we didn't walk very far into what is now the reserve – hence we did not go to the hides. But there is quite good birdwatching just from the small road that runs along the shore: Caernarfon is opposite Anglesey so this is the far end of the Menai Straits with a number of sandbanks off the shore. There were large flocks of curlew, oyster catchers (nervous as usual), a couple of shelduck, brent geese, a small number of wigeon and redshank. I didn't notice any turnstones although there are often small flocks along this shore. It was a fairly grey and pretty windy and cold day. On bright days there is a good view of Snowdonia and Snowdon itself can be seen from this small road, but not on Saturday.

We later visited the RSPB reserve at Conwy although had rather little time as by then it was nearly 4 pm. It looked like a very good place to go back to – but annoyingly can only easily be accessed from the A55 – even though it is within walking distance of Conwy. We saw a couple of goldeneye ducks – other than that there were coots, lapwings and wigeon.

Walk round Conwy mountain
There is a lovely walk out of Conwy (around 6 miles) which goes up Conwy mountain and then returns by crossing the Sychnant pass and coming through a nature reserve and past a small upland lake then farmland and back through the town gate into Conwy. It was a beautiful day (St David's Day) and as usual around Conwy we saw a number of buzzards and ravens. We heard stonechats but did not see them – but did spend a long time watching a kestrel perched not very far away on a rock. The walk goes up to the ironage fort on Conwy montain (though we did not go that far today) and has wonderful views of both the estuary and the castle.

Toads and frogspawn-now on time

We met the chap in the photo at the top (can't see to get blogger to put the photo where I want it...) on our way back over the fields coming into Conwy. And I wondered whether there would be frogspawn in the garden pond on our return - but stupidly forgot to look until this morning when I was walking to the greenhouse to open the windows (yes it is early March but the lettuce and salad seedlings are coming up and so the greenhouse needs some air). And indeed we now have frogspawn. I have kept an eye on when the frogs spawn each year, and after the very cold weather in February they seem to have gone back to the beginning of March, although it doesn't vary enormously. Last year, however they spawned early after a mild period in Februar which was then followed by very cold icy weather and the pond froze and the spawn died. Apparently frogs only lay spawn once - so if this happens it is a BAD thing for frogs who are already in quite a lot of trouble :-(

Snow still hanging on

Although we have not had a significant fall of snow for nearly a week, there are still patches of snow (or rather ice) on our footpaths and redways - in places still extensive enough to make it pretty slippery. I decided to drive to Willen Lake this morning to walk the dog there and check out the paths - to see whether it looks cyclable for going to work tomorrow. It wasn't and isn't - and I was surprised to find that much of the lake was still frozen. I spent a bit of time in the hide - but not a lot to see apart from a largish flock of lapwings, standing on the frozen lake - and coots. I do think lapwings are very striking as they wheel around in the sky when they are disturbed. I still think of them as birds that I am used to seeing in fields by the see and on moorland though. But given that they are declining I hope the Willen/Milton Keynes flocks are doing well. And there are certainly a lot of coots around.

And herons. There were between 6 and 8 - difficult to say - in the trees on the island in the lake, presumably they nest there? I haven't really noticed them before as unless you are specifically looking at the island and in the right place, they would be hard to see, especially as some of the trees they are in are conifers.

Musings on what to record and a sitting fox

Cycled to work again today. This is a kind of phased return to cycling after an enforced gap of over 4 months after breaking my wrist. Given that a) it is hard work getting back into it and b) it is often icy at the moment and I don't want another fall, I am easing in gradually and not cycling in the dark any more.

So this morning was pretty cold but bright, with some icy patches (but they were small, luckily and easily avoidable) and as I cycled up Tongwell Lane I noticed a kestrel perched and mused about whether to write a blog entry about it. It strikes me that if 'diary' type postings like this are to be helpful in tracking changes over time, we should also record more common events. We tend not to notice that, say, we haven't seen sparrows, for quite a while. For example, I'm pretty sure I have heard fewer and fewer cuckoos each year recently - but as I haven't documented it I can't be sure. But there is some balance to be struck. Can't be recording every pigeon and magpie (though the world does seem to be more full of both, now I think of it). And a subjective element. As I really like kestrels (and other birds of prey) and enjoy watching them, I will tend to make a note when I see them.

Cycling this route takes me past Willen Lake, and this morning as I turned on to the redway along the lake I saw what at first might have been a dog sitting in the middle of the redway just about 15 yards ahead of me. Quite quickly I realised it was a fox (this was about 8.25, I guess), but it was very laid back; assessed that I probably posed no immediate danger (yes I know that's a bit anthromorphic) and slowly walked into the hedge. But what really fascinated me was that 10 yards the other side of the hedge a woman was walking a dog off the lead which imagine had not got any notion that a fox was there or would have given chase, and just before I saw the fox, I passed a dalmation nosing around - again seemingly oblivious. I have had foxes do this 'casual' walk away from me before, though I have to say if you have a dog with you they are usually not quite so casual. But it was a good thing to see on a cold morning when my feet were freezing.

The lake also gives the opportunity to see lapwings. Not that these are unusual either, but, they are a declining species, and one I particularly love as I associate them with the fields not far from home in North Wales where they were very common at that time (quite a long time ago, I guess). The species I most associate with the rather marshy land close to the sea near where I lived is the curlew, and sadly that is also in decline, and I rarely see them in MK. (In fact I don't think I ever have). But I'm pleased to see I saw and heard loads when I was back in Caernarfon the October before last, along the Foryd Bay (now a nature reserve) and also whimbrel.

Owls and foxes

The idea of this blog is to record some of my (mainly) local wildlife sightings - which are usually when I am walking the dog - or occasionally cycling. But I may also comment on anything interesting seen elsewhere, away from home - or even mundane..........

2009 has got off to a good start. On a circular walk on New Year's Day which takes in the Linford Gravel pits not too far away from my house http://www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/hanson_centre/home.asp Jim and I decided to stop and see if we could see one of the barn owls that are often sighted there. This was around 11am but Barn owls are often seen in the daytime, sometimes when the days are short as in winter and also when they need a lot of food to feed their young. No sooner had we said this than we spotted a barn owl flying low over the grass, hunting, and stopping to perch, every so often. See barn owl photos (not mine - next time perhaps! on http://www.birdguides.com/pictures/default.asp?f=189138 Just as we were watching the owl perched on a post, Jim asked me what the movement was below - was it a cat jumping? It turned out it was a fox, and both posed beautifully: the owl on the post and the fox below - not that we had a camera with us. On the next leg of the walk we also saw the little egrets that nest nearby. I looked up barn owl habitat when we got back and it turns out they need grass that contains litter - i.e. dead grass that builds up above the soil, thus creating ideal conditions for voles, which are their favourite prey. Grazed land and arable land is not good for voles - though farmers may strips near the edges. And owls need a considerable acerage of such land to hunt. But the land around the old gravel pits has been managed with nature in mind - and this seems to be working well.

I returned to the site yesterday afternoon around 3 - and again the owl was hunting. But I was in for another treat - flying just behind it was another owl, and talking to someone who was there taking photographs and also birdwatching, revealed that it was a short eared owl and that there are around 3 of them that are sighted there. Indeed we had seen a number of people with binocuolars and telescopes a few weeks back and wondered whhe at they were watching. I have seen short eared owls (I think!) years ago, in the peak district on the moors, but never round here. The guides suggest that they look very similar to long eared owls but the latter never hunt during the day. It was certainly a very attractive bird.

And to crown the day there was a third owl event, but this time not a sighting but a hearing. We have not had tawny owls around here for many years, but I heard some in the distance on Christmas night, and last night, heard them again much nearer.

It turns out that the tawny owls I heard are probably those nesting in a garden of a house on Wolverton Road, just round the corner from our house - I was talking to a fellow dog walker today on the common who has a house there with many mature trees and he told me that owls used the nesting boxes he put up for the first time last year.

I saw another fox today - walking through the stubble field beyond the common. I stopped to watch and even saw it hunting - jumping up and pouncing, though too far away to see if it caught anything. It was a very handsome russet colour with some yellowish patches on it. Also saw a flock of lapwings (flying overhead), herons and a kestrel.