Wild Winkworth, early June 2015

June already? It seems like the Bluebells and first Chiffchaffs were just yesterday but Spring is already now a distant memory and we have reached the halfway point of the year and Winkworth is bursting with life - so much so it's hard to know where to start with this blog post...

The arboretum is now teeming with fledgling birds, with young Wrens, Robins, Tits and Blackbirds all over the place. There are many birds still busy feeding young in the nest though, like the pair of Treecreepers I discovered on the 8th carrying food into the wall of the boathouse where I could hear the nestlings squeaking away.

The waterbirds too are at varying stages in the breeding process. As I have mentioned before there are now many ducklings of both Mallard and Mandarin to be seen on Rowe’s Flashe Lake and the four Canada goslings are growing bigger by the day. We now have three Little Grebe nests - two towards the southern end of the lake and this one in the channel in the north-east corner.

Meanwhile, as of the 14th, the Moorhens were still incubating eggs in front of the boathouse but there was sadly no sign of the eggs or any young the following morning. 

Rowe’s Flashe also remains the best place to see a Grey Wagtail in the arboretum, as there are usually at least two around, although I still haven’t confirmed breeding of this species here this year. I did manage to film this male having a bit of a preen in an Alder by the boathouse though on the 10^th.

Always one of the latest summer migrant birds to return to our shores, and now sadly an increasingly uncommon sight in Surrey, it’s always a welcome occasion when one stumbles across a Spotted Flycatcher. I had caught a glimpse of one down in Furze Field on the 4th but thought perhaps that was just a bird passing through on its way further north. Then last week I’d thought I heard one calling in the vicinity of the tearoom but discounted it, but on the morning of the 11^th I decided to investigate further and sure enough found this one high up in the Oaks on the front lawn, singing intermittently and living up to its name by sallying back and forth from various perching points and catching flying insects. It was still there as of this morning (15th) although so far no sign of a mate.

On the 15th while carrying out the morning site check I flushed a Cuckoo from long grass along the top path out to Sorbus Hill; only about the third time I've actually seen one here this year. It's good to know they're still around as I haven't been hearing much of the singing male recently. It's likely the pair we saw in Phillimore last month will have bred by now and there could well be a young Cuckoo in a nest already being fed by an unsuspecting host bird somewhere in the arboretum.

Ravens have been seen a couple of times this month - three flew north first thing on the 4th, while on the 9th I managed to get a 'blink and you'll miss it' bit of footage of the one which circled low over the Magnolia Wood area for a short while.

On the 5th I noted two Crossbills flying north over the Badger’s Bowl – the first time I’ve recorded this species here. After a brief intermission since the dispersal of the large flock that wintered at Winkworth the calls of Siskins have become a commonly heard sound again recently and I suspect there may be some breeding somewhere in the vicinity of the Foliage Glade.

Talking of the Foliage Glade, I grabbed this bit of film of one of our wild Honey-bee colonies in a Scot’s Pine in this area of the arboretum the other day. The bees are becoming very active now, particularly the one in the boathouse.

In terms of butterflies we are now into the ‘June Gap’ so there hasn’t been all that many of late, this not helped by the often strong and chilly breeze. Nonetheless it's been good to see a few Small Heaths around in Rowe's Flashe Meadow as well as the first Meadow Browns of the year on the 15th.  

There have been a few nice moths around though, with Small Magpie, Pale Oak Beauty, Straw Dot, Burnet Companion and the migratory Silver Y all seen in the past few days, amongst others.

Small Magpie (Anania hortulata)

Pale Oak Beauty (Hypomecis punctinalis)

Straw Dot (Rivula sericealis)

Silver Y (Autographa gamma)

Dragonflies and damselflies are becoming a more regular sight now, with Beautiful Demoiselle, Broad-bodied Chaser and others seen recently - it was nice to stumble across this pair of Blue-tailed Damselflies in a copulation wheel by Rowe’s Flashe Lake on the 4th.

On the 15th I saw my first Slow-worm of the year, along the Spring Walk - thanks to fellow gardener Giles for spotting this one!

Meanwhile, a Common Toad was seen loitering near the public toilets on the 8th...

On the wild flower front there really is so much to see now so I may do a separate post on that at some point, but very worthy of note here are the Common Spotted Orchids which are really starting to put on a great show all around the arboretum. 

There have been several Stoat sightings in the arboretum recently, generally in the vicinity of Rowe's Flashe Lake. I've not seen one here yet but hope to soon - keep your eyes peeled if you're visiting!

Anyway, that's about it for now, otherwise you'll all be falling asleep. Here's a couple of shots of Buff-tailed Bumblebee on Comfrey to finish. 

                            

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Wild Winkworth, late May 2015

A slightly longer gap between blog posts than usual as I’ve been away for a week on the Outer Hebrides. It was rather chilly up there, as you might imagine, but I gather it’s not exactly been tropical down here in Surrey either! Nonetheless, the arboretum is looking wonderful at the moment, the many vibrant and fresh greens providing the perfect backdrop for the multitude of flowers on the trees and shrubs. The wild flowers too are starting to put on a great show, from the delicate pinks and blues of Vetches and Speedwells to the bright yellows of Irises and Meadow Buttercups and the striking white of Ox-eye Daisies. The Bluebells may be all but over but in the more wooded areas of the arboretum the first Foxgloves are beginning to flower.

There is much new life to be found in the bird population in the arboretum too, Rowe’s Flashe Lake is now teeming with young Mallards, as well as several Canada goslings and a few Mandarin ducklings. This female Mandarin was vigilantly guarding her young on the edge of the meadow on the 30^th. 

Meanwhile Coots and Little Grebes are still on nests towards the southern end of the lake, while Moorhens are nesting right in front of the boathouse balcony, the eggs clearly visible when the adult bird vacates its position.

There are currently at least three active Great Spotted Woodpecker nests around the arboretum – in Bluebell Wood, at the top of the Spring Walk near the Viewing Platform, and by the path that runs between Holly Wood and Magnolia Wood. The latter is the easiest one to find because of its proximity to the path, and on the 26^th I captured this brief bit of footage of the female bird bringing food to the noisy nestlings...

Jackdaws, too, are nesting all over the place, with clearly well-grown nestlings calling from various trees holes in Bluebell Wood. Meanwhile, on the slopes below the Owl Bench there are various Blackcap and Chiffchaff nests in the bracken and brambles.

In addition to the ducklings and goslings on the lake, I have started seeing juvenile Robins and Blackbirds around recently, as well as several family groups of Long-tailed Tits. On the morning of the 31^st, I stumbled across a female Mallard on the gabions at Rowe’s Flashe Lake with all her ducklings taking shelter from the rain underneath her.

Other highlights from the past couple of weeks have included the first Hobby of the year, over Rowe's Flashe Lake briefly on the 26th and the first dragonfly I've seen here this year, an Emperor, hawking about over the slopes of Sorbus Hill on the 30th.

Another striking insect to look out for is the Scorpion Fly (Panorpa sp.) - there are plenty of them around at the moment, like this one I photographed out on Sorbus Hill on the 30th.

While out strimming and blowing paths with volunteers on the 26^th I filmed this Tiger Cranefly (Nephrotoma sp.) ovipositing (egg-laying). I thought it looked a bit like it was on a pogo stick!     

Finally on the 'cool bugs' list for this blog post is the Violet Ground Beetle (Carabus violaceus) I spotted in the Badger's Bowl on the 30th. A common enough species but always nice to see.

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Baby boom, beetles and butterflies - early May at Winkworth

Lots to talk about again from the past couple of weeks. It's been a mixed bag on the weather front, with some good spells of sunshine mixed in with showers and more prolonged spells of rain, frost and some high winds which led to the arboretum closing early on 5th May. Nonetheless, the place is looking incredible - so much colour, scent and new life. The shift to south/south-westerly winds during the first week of the month brought with it more new migrants and by the 6th there were at least four singing Garden Warblers around the arboretum - this one showing (and singing) very well by Rowe's Flashe Lake.

We now have at least one pair of Cuckoos on site, both seen well together by the garden team on the edge of the Phillimore Wetland on the 13th, although I am certain there have been two singing males around. The senior gardener captured this video clip of one singing right by the main gate early on the 10th.

On the subject of singing, the dawn chorus walk on the 3rd produced a total of thirty-eight species - not bad given the rather miserable conditions, although Jonnie's engaging leadership and Tina's fried breakfast made for a very enjoyable morning despite the weather!

Up above the arboretum, meanwhile, the first Swift of the year was noted flying east on the 5th, while Sorbus Hill is proving to be the best spot to see House Martins with at least eight hawking around low over the trees on the 11th. Swallows remain a common sight flitting low over Rowe's Flashe Lake.

Talking of Rowe's Flashe, that brings me on to the babies mentioned in the blog title...

The second week of the month saw a burst of new life, with at least twenty-three Mallard ducklings present on the 11th, including this family group on the meadow side of the lake.

The female Little Grebe is still on the nest towards the southern end of the lake, although she vacated her position just long enough on the 11th for me to catch a glimpse of at least one chick.

 Meanwhile, on the 12th there were five Mandarin ducklings to add to the list (sadly I wasn't able to get a photo), along with our first Canada goslings of the season. In the trees along the dam there was also a family party of Long-tailed Tits. Other birds I've noted clearly gathering food for nestlings include Robin, Coal Tit and Blackbird, while there are at least three active Jackdaw nests around the arboretum now - listen carefully down in Bluebell Wood and you may hear the muted squawking of the young emanating from one of the Oaks. 

Roe Deer remain a common sight around the arboretum, most frequently seen along the Spring Walk or in Bluebell Wood, while on the 11th a regular visitor told me she had seen a Stoat with young in Rowe's Flashe Meadow. 

   While erecting a fence in the upper arboretum this past week the garden team encountered two very striking beetles. Firstly, this Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)...

followed by the Black-headed Cardinal Beetle (Pyrochroa coccinea)

Some warmer spells towards the middle of the month have seen more butterflies taking to the wing in the arboretum. Species seen so far in May have been Holly Blue, Orange-tip, Large White, Small White, Green-veined White, Peacock and Speckled Wood (pictured below).

As a final point, if you're interested in reading a short piece about the arboretum I penned for local magazine, The Bridge, you can find it here.

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Wild Winkworth, late April

After what must rank as one of the driest Aprils in recent years, the combination of sunshine and some much-needed rain has led to plenty of scenes like this around the arboretum in the past few days - the richness of colour combined with the scents of the various emergent flowers making for an absolute feast for the senses.

Indeed, the change to south-westerly winds and damper conditions last weekend clearly brought with them a few migrant birds as was evident when I got down to Rowe's Flashe Lake on Saturday morning (25th) only to be greeted by the familiar sight of a Common Sandpiper flying about over the water with the Swallows before coming to rest on a buoy towards the southern end. Doubtless there have been several records of this species at Winkworth over the years but, as far as I can tell, this was the first documented record since 1987...

 Imagine my even greater surprise then when I walked past the lake again on the morning of the 30th and flushed FOUR Common Sandpipers from the north-west corner - surely a record count for the site? They then posed quite happily for several photos in the spring sunshine. A lovely sight.

Other new arrivals this past week have been the first Garden Warbler of the year, singing in the brambles towards the south-east corner of the lake on the 25th, and on the 26th a Sedge Warbler was singing in the small patch of reeds on the eastern side of the lake,  replaced on the 28th by a singing Reed Bunting which has remained all week. 

Also nice to discover down at Rowe's Flashe this past weekend was a Little Grebe constructing a nest on one of the buoys - the buoys, incidentally, are marking the areas where barley straw bales have been put in the lake to combat algae. 

Swallow numbers continue to increase, with at least ten zipping around over the water on the 26th although, aside from one House Martin on the 15th, I've yet to see any other hirundine species or Swifts here yet - I discovered the other day that Sand Martins used to nest in the banks of Rowe's Flashe. 

Amongst all this excitement there have also been increasingly regular visits from a couple of Greylag Geese, not all that common a sight here....

and the first Mallard ducklings of the year have emerged and are growing fast. There were twelve around as of the 28th. 

Thankfully they appear to have so far escaped the jaws of the local Grey Herons...

During sunnier spells the birdsong in the arboretum has been incredible. It was good to see and hear this handsome male Greenfinch singing away near Rowe's Flashe Lake on the morning of the 27th, especially as numbers of this species have fluctuated in recent years due to disease.

Talking of birdsong, this Sunday (3rd May) I'll be helping out at a dawn chorus walk at Winkworth. This walk is now fully booked but I will be leading another one at Uppark on the 11th, should any of you be interested in attending.

Back to Winkworth now, and another exciting development this past week was my discovery of a male Sparrowhawk adding material to a nest in the lower arboretum. He's been working on it for several days now and it's great to see him meticulously adding each twig one by one - fingers crossed he finds a mate and they go on to rear some chicks in a few weeks. 

Who's watching who?

The weather has been rather hit and miss for butterflies in the past few days, but during the warmer spells I have noted plenty of Orange-tips and Peacocks around, plus smaller numbers of Speckled Woods, Large Whites, Brimstones and this Comma, basking on a path in the meadow on the 22nd.

Less easy to spot was this well camouflaged Brindled Beauty moth...

And this hoverfly, Helophilus pendulus - 'The Footballer' (due to its stripy thorax) or 'Sun Fly' - was equally well hidden on the sandy soil. 

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