Engaging with snails

I was shifting a wood pile and I came across three snails which I assumed were two different species. However a bit of investigation reveals that they all three are the same species and that this snail is highly variable in colouration and markings. Cepaea nemoralis is one of our commonest snails and all of the pictures above are of them. Only another 89 UK species to go.....

First ducklings of 2010

Nine ducklings hatched today. The mother led them from the moat and into the stream. The only reason I can think of is that there are four drakes that are hanging around and she may fear that they could harm the brood. I left her alone after taking the photo so I am not sure whether they will be coming back or not.

Early Season Butterflies

The two sunny periods over the last couple of weeks have brought out the early butterflies (Brimstone, Orange Tip, Tortoiseshell, Peacock and Comma). This weekend I saw my first blue - a Holly Blue (shown above). Their food plants are the Holly and the Ivy and we have lots of both so I am surprised I don't see more of this species.

Best Sighting of Grass Snake

I see grass snakes every few months outside winter but it is usually a fleeting glimpse. There was one swimming in the moat a couple of days ago as an example. Today I came up very close to one. I was in my boat clearing some vegetation from the moat when I saw one a few yards away swimming across the moat in their 'I'm in a rush' stylee head out of the water and pushing themselves in a straight line. I moved gently to where it would have made landfall and there it was coiled around a pieces of wood by the bank, head out of the water and regarding me with some suspicion. We looked at each other for a few seconds from about three feet distance then it uncoiled itself sliding under the surface and away. I would estimate it at about two feet long.

Jackdaws' Breakfast

I uncovered a duck egg in the grass right next to the house. I was puzzling how it got there and indeed when it was laid and I left it in full view. Next morning as I looked out of the bedroom window there was a pair of jackdaws who had also spotted it and were tucking in. I assume that it must be this year's if they ate it without any problem but the mystery of how it got there remains.

Pheasants on site

There has often been a pheasant on site over the years but I have never seen one staying around. This year however a pair seem to be living on site and I am surprised how unafraid they are. I am used to pheasants panicking and running when you get near in a car or on foot. Yesterday the pair remained more or less where they were browsing when I wheeled a wheelbarrow within a few feet and then even more surprisingly when the tractor was harrowing the field within a few feet. I guess it must be their territory and maybe they will breed on site.

New Species - Goldcrest

No picture unfortunately and not seen by me - I missed it by two minutes. I went back to the hosue to collect some tools and a goldcrest stopped by and perched on the cherry tree. I have seen them locally but that is the first record of one on the site.

Sticklebacks confirmed in moat

I have assumed that the numerous small fish that appeared probably in 2008 in the moat were sticklebacks rather than minnows. This was confirmed today when I found a dead one in the frogspawn. There is still no obvious fish life in the stream and the pollution problems continue to some small degree but we seem to have a thriving stickleback population in the moat. Presumably that is why the kingfisher comes round - although I haven't seen him for a couple of months.

Ladybirds

There are a lot of seven-spot ladybirds around but the only other ladybird I have seen is the damn harlequin. These were seen in the house - they seem to come out of hibernation in one of our upstairs rooms. However outside there are a surprising number of seven-spots.

It's spring

Spring has definitely arrived and the frogs are spawning. They have eschewed one place they normally spawn and I assume this is because the water in the moat is higher than it usually is at this time of year. This has led to higher concentrations in the other spawning location - see the pile of frogs in the picture above.

The pied wagtails have also been back - a pair was displaying what I assume is breeding season behaviour. Each was fluttering up from the ground in an extravagant flight display, just for a few seconds. I only seem to see the pied wagtails on the ground in late winter or early spring. Whether they nest on site I don't know, but I will keep an eye out.

The mallarsd are also around with between three and six drakes on site on a number of ocassions recently. I saw a female mallard yesterday but once they have a nesting site you don't see much of them until the ducklings have hatched so I hope there is a brood on the way somewhere.