tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78160551380644201742024-02-06T22:09:57.196-08:00Life at Holly FarmStephen Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00122633569179897513noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816055138064420174.post-66714636277612406532013-09-12T05:02:00.001-07:002013-09-13T03:18:37.102-07:00<h4 align="left">
Autumn 2013</h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">It has been several months since the last report from Holly
Farm but now Spring has come and gone and Summer is turning to Autumn -
already!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>winter was very
trying weather-wise! The ground here was completely waterlogged for months,
made worse by the Sussex clay.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes
it is difficult to get excited by wildlife when the countryside is so drab and damp
with little obvious signs of wildflowers or bugs.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the winter months 'our' pair of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">ravens</b> were regularly heard or seen, often flying directly
over the house and performing the odd barrel-role. A <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">barn owl</b> frequently appeared during late afternoons, flying 'softly'
on silent wings as it hunted for voles in the rough grass, then returning to its
roost in the cattle barn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If only it
chose to nest there as we have provided a perfectly good owl box and I would have
thought that few hundred acres was more than enough to provide food to find
food for their young.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When finally a Spring of sorts did arrive, many of us
imagined that we were going to have to put up with yet another miserable summer
but little did we suspect what was behind the corner. Vague signs of what was in
store began with the magnificent display of <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">bluebells</b> at the top end of Rookerywood. Then gradually the
rollercoaster of life got moving once again.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">After a long cold winter the bluebell display in Rookerywood </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">refreshed the spirit</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This was followed by a few warm days in late
June that continued into July then August and early September when we
experienced one of the hottest and most humid days I can remember.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then overnight all change - the temperature
dropped 15 degrees and the cold and damp returned and the wonderful hum and chirpings
of insect life subsided.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My special
interest in insects is not without sound reason. Apart from being fascinating in their own right, these often maligned creatures
are close to the bottom of the food chain -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>if there is a healthy population of insects then all 'higher' animals
will prosper too, birds, reptiles mammals small and large. After plants they
are at the root of biodiversity.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;">This summer several species of bumblebees were spotted in</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;">the wood including the tree bumblebee which only arrived</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;"> in this country in 2001</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">A carder beetle flies between the leaves of an oak sapling</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The warm Summer brought farmers a bumper hay crop and
insects which seemed to have become nearly extinct earlier in the season have
returned. In fact I haven't seen so many bees and butterflies for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Around our house and wood we have counted 18
species of butterflies, 7 or so species of bumblebee and by mid August many
species of hoverfly, twenty of which were identified and recorded 'on film'.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For a few weeks in
mid Summer Rookery wood was almost seething with <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">silver-washed fritillaries</b>, punctuated by one or two pairs of<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> white admirals</b>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">moorhens</b>
managed to produce three fluffy chicks and a pair of greylag nested on the
island but once again<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>something took the
eggs, possibly a crow or fox.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">buzzards</b> that nest in the wood each
year reared a pair of young and one afternoon six buzzards were spotted enjoying
a thermal over the house.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #38761d;">Six buzzards head towards the wood circling in a thermal</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My bête noir,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">fallow</b> deer have expanded yet again as they
do with each passing season.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As alluded
to in previous blogs, perhaps boringly so now, these vermin do unimaginable damage
to the local fauna and flora by destroying wild flowers and any fresh saplings
that dare to raise their head above ground. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">However a distinguished naturalist friend has persuaded me to spend a fortune, (with kind help from the Forestry Commission) on 800 metres of deer fencing to protect Rookerywood, although some have described the place as resembling a prisoner of war camp - <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think the enterprise is one of my more useful contributions to the health of our countryside!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The entire wood will now have a chance to be transformed into a haven for life: the last ten years of the now deteriorating plastic fencing which partially protects a third of the area is dramatic proof of its effectiveness. <span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Observing the new plant and animal life that find refuge
here will be fascinating to watch over the coming years.<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">
</span>I would rather spend money on conservation projects at home
where I can direct and observe progress rather than donating cash to foreign
lands where there is a risk of dubious or ignorant characters controlling
operations!</span></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">A section of deer fencing. Within weeks its effectiveness was proved by the</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">wild flowers that appeared. Here you can just make out the bird's foot trefoil</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">(yellow) and white clover. On the other side of the fence these plants have </span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d;">been all but destroyed.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">Once the fence was erected and the gates closed, a lone roe was found </span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">trapped inside the wood. Unlike fallow, these pretty animals are not aliens</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">and in small numbers do not devastate all the plant life within their reach.</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">We left a gate open over night enabling the animal to escape. This picture</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d; font-size: x-small;">was a chance snap while stalking a white admiral. </span></div>
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Stephen Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00122633569179897513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816055138064420174.post-29538005311071052272013-05-01T03:07:00.000-07:002013-05-05T08:47:19.382-07:00<div style="text-align: center;">
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April 2013<o:p></o:p></h4>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Owing to the dreadful winter the land has been waterlogged
preventing us from doing any heavy work in fields or woodland.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instead much of my time was spent supervising
the conversion of an old stable into a small gallery (see NEWS). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> N</span>ow at long last it seems we have finished
with the weeks of cold weather and rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During this time I hardly touched a camera all I managed was to photograph
long-tailed tits on a bird feeder outside the kitchen window! They took very
little notice of me even when I was standing a couple of metres away. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMhx5PzQPvA0z4ECjcK-iCB9bYwMF8D5f9BJCveMDuPrg13Amzu7QRFnD-FPpsF08sgQw6IAkR9tIlLDSOGOQuDgUmKBELE2joirRI_hyphenhyphenoNegMmtLzUNBsQtkzGvGMMAVT0bxTpch0fQ/s1600/LT_tits+_feeder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="221" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVMhx5PzQPvA0z4ECjcK-iCB9bYwMF8D5f9BJCveMDuPrg13Amzu7QRFnD-FPpsF08sgQw6IAkR9tIlLDSOGOQuDgUmKBELE2joirRI_hyphenhyphenoNegMmtLzUNBsQtkzGvGMMAVT0bxTpch0fQ/s320/LT_tits+_feeder.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-tailed Tits<br />
<div align="left">
Compensation for the hard winter was the profusion of long-</div>
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tailed tits outside the kitchen window</div>
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</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif";">Our best news is that the
barn owl is back. This most beautiful of birds can be seen floating
around the rough fields most mornings and evenings in its hunt for voles and
mice. Even during the very cold spells when the ground was covered with snow
the owl could be seen in broad daylight looking for food, an indication that it
was short of food. Apparently many barn owls died during this hard winter
so it would be wonderful 'our' bird found a mate and produced some chicks -
wishful thinking perhaps. The bird roosts in a barn owl box erected in one of
the old cattle barns. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAWFxf0vpS1C6AAsuN1SfGYw4Pldp-tAGUlUqSKoB4LeABCmOmmNmIU_G6EA1Pa7_o_s2t2MPG5shy_jNqW82Z7qRIHv_4GTvamvgRC4KWpoHtviUWgiVWNt0RZJ5oc7Z2xyAqkr_cDs/s1600/B_owl+458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPAWFxf0vpS1C6AAsuN1SfGYw4Pldp-tAGUlUqSKoB4LeABCmOmmNmIU_G6EA1Pa7_o_s2t2MPG5shy_jNqW82Z7qRIHv_4GTvamvgRC4KWpoHtviUWgiVWNt0RZJ5oc7Z2xyAqkr_cDs/s320/B_owl+458.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Barn Owl<br />
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The picture will hardly win any awards but it is a record of our</div>
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barn owl having a short rest after a brief hunt for voles in the long</div>
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grass. It roosts in a cattle shed just twenty-five meters away</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our first real Spring day was on the 20th, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>its appearance was heralded not only by sunshine but also a few drone-flies, bumblebees, a brimstone and the song of the first blackcap of the season. The first cuckoo was perfectly on cue, being heard at the bottom of the Rookerywood on the 16th,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>whereas the chiffchaff has been around for a week or two now. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A bonus is a pair of Greylag that have decided to nest on the little island pond - it is almost invisible even when viewed through binoculars but can be just seen in a photograph taken with a long telephoto lens. The island has more cover this year so with any luck the eggs will survive the carrion crows. Over the next few days the fresh green haze of Spring will be spreading through the trees.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">
It is said that in many parts of the country deer damage is more serious than global warming. This is the increasing opinion among many naturalists and ecologists, and certainly applies around here. The heartbeat of England's natural history is woodland, but in many areas deer destroy almost all greenery below about a meter resulting in no wild flowers, no new saplings, no diverse shrubbery and thin hedges. Around here all that survives is pendulous sedge and dog's mercury which deer hardly touch, the former out competing all else. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnzazvT60wzMSSoZKbjNWCYsIpJK9mEJCjopcULbZrQpaPEuuLRc7hlw9yuLukDXAdY4rE8j1stzrLanFbd3Z51soB0b8GapoG84qnx5CpXMxWQf0_B0xxdlXpjoe4TkWSUHgQNSY_Y4/s1600/woodland_damage_440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnzazvT60wzMSSoZKbjNWCYsIpJK9mEJCjopcULbZrQpaPEuuLRc7hlw9yuLukDXAdY4rE8j1stzrLanFbd3Z51soB0b8GapoG84qnx5CpXMxWQf0_B0xxdlXpjoe4TkWSUHgQNSY_Y4/s320/woodland_damage_440.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A Ruined Habitat<br />
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Some twenty years ago the growth of bramble, blackthorn and other </div>
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plants was so dense that it took ten minutes to battle ones way</div>
<div align="left">
through this 50 meter stretch! It will be fascinating to see a photo of <br />
this exact spot in a couple of years time.</div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As fallow breed like flies, the pressure on Rookerywood increases each year, although up to now our temporary plastic fencing has helped to protect half of it. Recently though there have been more frequent break-ins, so now to save the life within, I am being forced to surround the entire wood with nearly 1000 meters of proper deer fencing - at vast cost. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I can't think of a better way to help wildlife. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It all boils down to habitats. Besides which, charity begins at home!<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzotc4cT2A886EwgUUZrZUIVJcEqTJKw5XOWo5FGbdqQ46GxKDJTy9t4CvO4IizFYF7WWni1B1DB7I3E8Vi6Mr1QjZNe6KY5fRB2QYhXt5Unu02EL2E19suHAIyi0QzAGcZwkGDwDgQ1M/s1600/Alligator_944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzotc4cT2A886EwgUUZrZUIVJcEqTJKw5XOWo5FGbdqQ46GxKDJTy9t4CvO4IizFYF7WWni1B1DB7I3E8Vi6Mr1QjZNe6KY5fRB2QYhXt5Unu02EL2E19suHAIyi0QzAGcZwkGDwDgQ1M/s320/Alligator_944.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dawn in Rookery Pond</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Most of the deer population explosion has occurred within the last twenty years or so. If there was an open season for these vermin with far more drastic culling methods instead of all this pussy-footing about, the biodiversity of plants and wildlife would increase by leaps and bounds and the countryside, woods especially, would be so much more beautiful. The RSPCA and Bambi brigade don't help of course as they don't believe in controlling anything. Sadly there are a lot of ignorant folk around who argue on an emotional level and can't see the larger picture. The heartbeat of England's natural history is woodland, but in many areas deer destroy almost all greenery below about a meter resulting in no wild flowers, no new saplings, no diverse shrubbery and thin hedges. Around here all that survives is pendulous sedge and dog's mercury which deer hardly touch, the former out competing all else. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #00b050;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span><u><o:p></o:p></u></span></i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br />
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<br />Stephen Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00122633569179897513noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816055138064420174.post-69227568708310635182012-08-14T11:21:00.000-07:002012-08-21T04:22:05.738-07:00<h2>
August
2012</h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">This
year the weather all round the world has been particularly bizarre, which according to scientists is the result of global warming melting the Arctic ice shifting the jet stream.<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> There is virtually no doubt now that </span>the root all this mayhem is our hell-bent
obsession with everlasting growth to satisfy our ever rising population.</span></span><br />
<br /><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Unfortunately Holly
Farm is not immune to the effects of weird weather! This year has seen fewer
house martins and swallows than ever and a dramatic reductions of insects, yet
life in Rookerywood seems to have held its own. While sitting at the water'
edge on one of those warm early August days, my spirits were lifted after
counting 8 species of dragonflies, while earlier in Spring a further 4 species
could have been added to the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Twelve
types of dragonfly living in and around a relatively small woodland pond is
pretty impressive. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">(southern hawker,
brown hawker, emperor, banded demoiselle, common darter, large red damselfly,
azure damselfly, blue-tailed damselfly</span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">, <span style="color: grey; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">and earlier
species</span> <span style="color: grey; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">- beautiful demoiselle, downy emerald, broad-bodied chaser, 4-spotted
chaser)</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtgbfcMD1u5yVjIQ-H4MbHkMISQ306z06rH9vIwqWFQfALFD_Q_3qNKI38l8JLLwgvmvlDlWvlPhGdpzhPiihogIdNS6YUNeR_Rszd47DwrQrX-LWBp_jstMfPRH-nyjh6tDZ092fv3Q/s1600/sda06896+Brown+Hawker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbtgbfcMD1u5yVjIQ-H4MbHkMISQ306z06rH9vIwqWFQfALFD_Q_3qNKI38l8JLLwgvmvlDlWvlPhGdpzhPiihogIdNS6YUNeR_Rszd47DwrQrX-LWBp_jstMfPRH-nyjh6tDZ092fv3Q/s200/sda06896+Brown+Hawker.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Brown Hawker</em></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">On
the same day my wife Liz and I made our butterfly count for 'British Butterfly
Conservation', spotting 7 species </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">(large white, green-veined white, speckled wood,
meadow brown, gatekeeper </span></b><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>most <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">exciting silver-washed fritillary </b>and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> white admiral).</b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Three further species were seen earlier in the
year </span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">(large skipper </span></b><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">and<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> red
admiral) but sadly no </b></span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">commas, peacock </span></b><span style="color: grey; font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 8pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-themecolor: background1; mso-themeshade: 128;">or<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> small
tortoishells, the latter two becoming scarcer here as each year passes)</b></span><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;">
</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-GB; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Such a
diverse range of butterflies and dragonflies seen in a small patch of deer
protected wood is testament of what can be achieved through, enthusiasm, gentle management and empathy with living things - perhaps small
compensation for our total impotence in 'rescuing' the rest of world's wild
places. Mankind will not succeed in saving habitats and the life therein by
pussyfooting around the margins. As each generation follows another, the
insidious decline passes unnoticed: it is just accepted. We have no real
concept of what the countryside was like say 50, 100 or 200 years back, but we
do know that it was indescribably richer and more diverse than it is now. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Our
anthropocentricism and warped attitude to economic progress, is at the
root of the problem. I am convinced that the best way to prevent futher decline is to capture the imagination of the young at an early age through nature study lessons, as at this
time most children are fascinated by animals and of course are particularly impressionable. Of course this may take a generation or two to work, but it should change our whole attitude to the natural world. Humans have an instinctive love of nature, albeit usually suppressed by modern life, which according to the eminent American naturalist Edward Wilson is a part of our DNA - <em>biophilia</em> he calls it.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt;">Nature study should be a central
part of the primary school curriculum. Kids need to be taken outside by enthusiastic
and knowledgeable teachers to experience and learn about the countryside and the wondrous life it sustains. The subject is just as, or arguably more important than any other school subject, and if taught on a large scale cauld go a long way to save life on earth. </span><br />
</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4aAn6Q__71kxmkMwxU5rcJ3WCIbzylK07wgVbx-QgrN_uXtbA-FhgDXNxtTtGSkMJoDt10dV43F9i_ItxRqZnJVNFAvH65Mvj-Z9jo2IawKponn1KGgrYHYLQq1-A7YNz0BvhTyohef4/s1600/sda05112+Grass+Snake+in+water.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4aAn6Q__71kxmkMwxU5rcJ3WCIbzylK07wgVbx-QgrN_uXtbA-FhgDXNxtTtGSkMJoDt10dV43F9i_ItxRqZnJVNFAvH65Mvj-Z9jo2IawKponn1KGgrYHYLQq1-A7YNz0BvhTyohef4/s320/sda05112+Grass+Snake+in+water.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>In spite of the huge number of frogs and toads breeding in</em><br />
<em> Rookerypond, surprisingly I have not seen many grass-snakes</em><br />
<em> here. Yesterday though one swam majestically from one bank</em><br />
<em> to the other.</em></td></tr>
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Stephen Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00122633569179897513noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7816055138064420174.post-52801441462868606852012-07-13T06:08:00.002-07:002012-07-14T03:09:39.091-07:00<h2>
July </h2>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Finally, the <strong>silver-washed fritillaries</strong> and <strong>white admirals</strong> are flying around the glades of Rookerywood, having emerged a month or so late! Frankly with this shocking weather I'm surprised they bothered! My wife and I get a real buzz seeing these spectacular
fast-flying butterflies gliding from one patch of <strong>bramble</strong> flower to the next,
and all the result of 15 years of habitat improvement largely by fencing to
eliminate fallow deer and creating glades by the judicious felling of trees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now it is perfect for these butterflies, with
<strong>violets</strong> carpeting the open places and <strong>honeysuckle</strong> climbing up and around the
stumps and rotting trees - both these plants being the food-plants for the larvae. By contrast the
remainder of the wood is virtually lifeless due to the ravages caused by plagues
of fallow, the bane of my life!</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0bmgUSUyy1d2Qsg-ib63sHuhi8dyp4_uzhvlGAULMrRa4Txiv74eK86v-EH8bTGoDfw8TP_dQmzpAqtRWNkmBMx6XlTkOE7cwUEYUhzaDXXe7EdXqt2JaQashFB-QpVcdK_WLrw0wyI/s1600/sda08901+SW+Frit-flight+%25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI0bmgUSUyy1d2Qsg-ib63sHuhi8dyp4_uzhvlGAULMrRa4Txiv74eK86v-EH8bTGoDfw8TP_dQmzpAqtRWNkmBMx6XlTkOE7cwUEYUhzaDXXe7EdXqt2JaQashFB-QpVcdK_WLrw0wyI/s320/sda08901+SW+Frit-flight+%25.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></td></tr>
<em>
</em>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Silver-washed Fritillary</em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Apart from being one of the few sunny days of the summer, what
a memorable day yesterday was. While these butterflies were flying all around
us, the first <strong>kingfisher</strong> of the year was spotted. We heard its spine tingling high pitched
call first, then moment later it was fishing from a dead oak branch set into
the bed of the pool. Again and again we watched it splashing into the water to return to
its perch with stickleback - the action backlit by the early morning sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was one of those rare and sublime moments of
life when we both felt detached from the material world and a part of what real
life is about, the natural world. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHwlizl451PVbjjNKgthkeCmRHkqgFvgeO4U1zoamIpXF8-GN50MGDTxREOU-5dSyujiwYRFmfgSwGcL6TgW9tp_Q-u57vtZK4iBSwoN99cLuLDtokA9lRu2zGt0LVzA4y47-oFAVp9g/s1600/sda00075+Kingfisher%25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaHwlizl451PVbjjNKgthkeCmRHkqgFvgeO4U1zoamIpXF8-GN50MGDTxREOU-5dSyujiwYRFmfgSwGcL6TgW9tp_Q-u57vtZK4iBSwoN99cLuLDtokA9lRu2zGt0LVzA4y47-oFAVp9g/s320/sda00075+Kingfisher%25.jpg" width="255" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Kingfisher with stickleback</em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now may be a good time to describe a small project that I started during
April. In front of the house I decided to experiment with a 30 square metre
'undesignated' dull and comparatively lifeless patch of grass. I began by
removing the turf and 3 inches of topsoil, replacing it with two tons of sharp
sand, thereby substantially reducing its fertility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was then seeded with a mixture of annual
and perennial wild flowers and meadow grasses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETYvJglw4eASZiiK2whpxmSuoRdsFeSBsLLzwb8whFh1y6Jdp0OVqX9L5-O9smEDhzBunuA6tcCOO7LGdra8PltodJSpx6LPxpa-h6NlAjJO2ZKPp2-x-gx67XM4Oo6BGMCm0Vr-KJJ0/s1600/Wild+flower+trial+568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETYvJglw4eASZiiK2whpxmSuoRdsFeSBsLLzwb8whFh1y6Jdp0OVqX9L5-O9smEDhzBunuA6tcCOO7LGdra8PltodJSpx6LPxpa-h6NlAjJO2ZKPp2-x-gx67XM4Oo6BGMCm0Vr-KJJ0/s320/Wild+flower+trial+568.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Mini-meadow a month after sowing with wild-flower seed mix</em></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In spite of initial doubts the experiment can be judged a success
- as can be seen from these two pictures. Now in mid July this mini-meadow is
full of colourful wild flowers buzzing with insects from solitary bees and
small beetles to many species of hoverfly - so much more beautiful and
biologically vibrant than a bed of 'dead' and gaudy displays of bedding plants
so popular with councils and many gardeners countrywide.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> If similar projects were undertaken on a countrywide basis, the honeybee population would take on a new lease of life, as would insects generally, together with the host of birds and other vertebrates that depend on them. I really can't see much point in garden flowers unless they attract wildlife.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> The management of this, once the flowering period is
over, will be crucial for its future success.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtCSxBboXPKezwNNm9pMt-t5Bb8xiKMeDkIN39PHmPYA3bVsG2W-TjMQfP5T2H87wIAF-CbHbrhbi0oQXQ8-bKSjAv8S33LSSghih6Xl4Stdehan3MQ-Cx1RijSdZDpMI3pNuKG3P1fI/s1600/Mini-meadow+808+%25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEtCSxBboXPKezwNNm9pMt-t5Bb8xiKMeDkIN39PHmPYA3bVsG2W-TjMQfP5T2H87wIAF-CbHbrhbi0oQXQ8-bKSjAv8S33LSSghih6Xl4Stdehan3MQ-Cx1RijSdZDpMI3pNuKG3P1fI/s320/Mini-meadow+808+%25.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Mini-meadow 3 months later in July, with poppies, corn, marigolds</em><br />
<em>chamomile, cornflower, corn cockle, corn marigold etc</em></td></tr>
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</div>Stephen Daltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00122633569179897513noreply@blogger.com0