November On the 1st November flowering plants in the wild bird food crop included Chicory, Corn Marigold, Cornflower and Poppy with lots of Yarrow and even some Germander Speedwell in the rough grassland, so plenty of flowers for the remaining pollinators. Sloes, Hawthorn berries, Holly and Rosehips were abundant in the hedgerows. Pip and Harry […]
December The month started damp and cold with 11.4mm of rain on the 1st and a mean temperature of 4.8°C on the 2nd. There was an amazing sunset then, and a small murmuration of Starlings was seen again at dusk from the top of the field flying further up the valley. Previously seen at dusk […]
The 26 acre Lennon Legacy Project was purchased in 2001 with a generous legacy from the late Vivien Lennon. This unique nature reserve includes part of the River Ashburn which runs through a woodland valley, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, where the Barn Owl Trust offices are based. Creating rough grassland, re-creating hedge banks, planting an […]
December A very wet month, 29 days with 229.1mm of rain. The mean for the month here over 14 years is 152mm. We had a mean temperature of 6.8°C – colder than the average (7.5° C). On the 8th Matt and Rick brushmowed, then brushcut and raked the orchid patch in Kiln Close. They then […]
Last night the Barn Owl Trust held its first evening Bat Walk event. It was attended by 5 lucky people plus Devon Consultant Ecologist and bat expert Louise Woolley. The weather couldn’t have been much better with a warm day followed by a clear still night and an almost full moon. The evening started with tea and […]
December 2014 A damp start to the month, the temperature dropping below freezing on some nights and predominately northerly winds. Despite this the grass is continuing to grow slowly, good news for the voles living in the litter layer and everything that eats them! By the wreath making workshop on the 11th all of the […]
![Painted Lady Butterfly [David Ramsden] 210906 (A)](https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Painted-Lady-butterfly-100x100.jpg "Wildlife Diary 2013")
December 2013 A group of ten Plymouth University student volunteers visited on 4th, and tackled scrub along Corner Wood and North Park hedgerows. As always, good progress was made. Some white splashes and a small Barn Owl pellet were found around the wildlife tower on the 6th. Field Voles holes have started appearing in the […]
December 2012 On the 12th, 6 Plymouth University students spent the morning searching for Brown Hairstreak eggs on the new Blackthorn growth along our roadside perimeter. This is apparently by far the best way of surveying for this rather retiring species, as adults either spend most of their time at rest, or high up in […]
![LLP Vole Hole [David Ramsden] 230308 (A)](https://www.barnowltrust.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/LLP-vole-hole-100x100.jpg "Wildlife Diary 2011")
December 2011 On the 12th the regular Plymouth University group finally finished cutting back bramble from North Park. A couple of days later a Conservation Team Work Party spent some much-needed time in the orchard. The plastic tree guards that had become brittle in the two years they’ve been in service were taken off and […]
December 2010 A further 30+ Fieldfares were noted in the remnant hedge feeding on Holly berries on the 4th. By the middle of the month all the berries, holly, rosehips, sloes and haws had been eaten. The two ponds have both been covered in ice all month with just a small patch of clear water […]
