Leverton Nature Watch with Maureen Humberstone

August and September 2010

The first week of May saw at last the Hawthorn begin to blossom filling the hedgerows with its fragrant scent and Meadow Buttercup adorned the roadsides.  A real sign of old fashioned summers, remembering as a child meadows full of them.

In my pond in the garden, Marsh Marigold came into flower and the tiny white flowers of wild strawberry appearing around the sides.  The Moorhen that has been in the garden for over a year now came proudly presenting 8 tiny fluffy chicks, now down to 6, and nearly as big as mum.  I saw my first tiny baby Mallard ducklings on the 2nd May swimming with mum on the Dovecote drain.

May 1st saw the first arrival of the Swift all the way from Africa.  A bird that does everything on the wing; feeding and mating in the air, and only ever settling when on its nest, never on the ground like Swallow or House Martin.

Wheatear were seen on a field just past my house.  A bird that seems to be in short numbers this year for some reason.  May also saw the arrival of the Chiff Chaff, a small brown little bird with its familiar chiff chaff song, singing its heart out along the hedgerow of the Roman bank.

By mid May I could hear the song like two pebbles being rubbed together, that of the Reed Warbler, coming from the reed beds of the Dovecote Drain, a place where they return to every year.  The middle of May produced more wild flowers along the roadsides, i.e. both red and white Clover loved by bees, Cats Ear, Bush and Tufted Vetch whose seed pods crack open in hot sunny weather, and Birds Foot Trefoil, also known as Ladies Fingers and Eggs and Bacon.

Along the bottom of the Roman bank Orange Tip butterflies flitted amongst the Cow Parsley, a favourite foods of theirs, whilst the Jagged Winged Comma butterfly preferred to seek out the bramble.  The pretty brown and mottled cream Speckled Wood butterfly danced along the hedgerows, preferring dappled shade and not the full sunshine like most species.  A Hornet was sunbathing in a nettle leaf whilst a Wall Brown butterfly was doing the same thing on a dandelion flower head. Roe Deer were seen in the area along with reports of a Muntjac deer and a baby. 

June saw the hedgerows come alive with the cream lace like flowers of the Elder, good for making wine, the delicate pink and white flowers of Dog Rose of which there are more than 40 species, bramble, a good food source for many butterflies, and scrambling up amongst the hedgerow White Bryony with its tiny creamy flowers with a tint of green.  The dark reddish purple hedge Woundwort and the tiny yellow flowers of Wood Avens appeared along the hedge bottom along the Roman bank.  Field sides produced yellow Ragwort, home for the Cinnabar Moth Caterpillar, scented Mayweed, Pineapple weed, so called because when crushed it smells like pineapple, Field Mallow, and the beautiful red Field Poppy.
Several Common Blue butterflies flitted along the roadsides seeking out the various vetches and trefoils, whilst the first of the Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies flitted along the hedgerows.

The Cercopis Vulnarata, a red and black frog hopper bug, appeared amongst the tall grasses along with the first of the dark chocolate Meadow Brown butterfly.  As I brushed along my Leylandii hedge whilst cutting my lawn several Yellow Under Wing Moths would fly out, a dull brown looking moth when settled but as it flutters a beautiful golden yellow under wing appears, hence its name.
One day whilst walking along the Roman bank I watched a Great Spotted Woodpecker feeding its young in a hole in a tree.  A truly magical sight.  Another magical sight was the one night at around 8.30 pm when a beautiful Barn Owl was sitting on my Leylandii hedge top in the garden only a few feet from the house.

Sometimes whilst out walking down the Dovecote road a Short Tailed Vole, a favourite food of the Barn Owl, would scuttle across the road whilst deep in the long grass.  I could hear the squeaking of the Common Shrew, only a tiny creature but with a nasty bite if picked up, as I know too well from my childhood.

As I have walked along the Roman bank on the very warm mornings of June and accidentally brushed the leaves of the Walnut trees a beautiful varnish like smell has filled the air giving me a great sense of freedom to enjoy the nature and the beauty that the day has to bring.

As always, very interesting, Maureen. Thank you.