The cattle arrived in the afternoon of the 2nd – 14 belted Galloways. Archie and Alfred, the goats, got into the orchard from North Park again. On the 3rd Mateo, Daniel and new staff Lowenna and James ringed in the Orchard and the main Field: 37 birds including 15 retraps of 9 species. There was a large flock of finches around New Crop. Mateo led a Winter Bird Walk on the 4th with 8 visitors, they saw 24 species and a flock of several hundred small birds. Heavy rain on the 5th had overflowed the abstraction point on the river and blocked it causing the stream between the Flo and Oakley ponds to dry up. The river was a brown racing torrent at dusk. With rain every day since 21st November the ground is saturated.
Max and Issy joined Harry for a weekend volunteer day on the 6th and burnt up the brash from the hedge laying in Kiln Close and continued laying the hedge.
We were surprised to discover three large trees were discovered to have come down on the Apprentice Path on the 9th between the two bridges. Harry, Daniel, Lowenna and James worked on clearing all the fallen brash and cutting up the fallen trees to clear the path.
On the 11th 44 birds (9 species) were ringed in the Orchard and the Main Field including 15 retraps. More ringing on 13th at the same sites of 56 birds (26 retraps) included a male Brambling (3rd LLP record). Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Redwing, Song Thrush and Nuthatch also seen/heard around Orchard. A large flock of Linnet, Goldfinch and Chaffinch were in the crop and a Red Admiral was seen feeding on rotting apples in orchard.
Harry and volunteer Max burnt up brash from the hedge laying on the 18th and the river was in spate after the heavy rain completely submerging the abstraction point. There were still large numbers of finches around the crop on the 19th, mainly in the Pennsland Lane hedge:40 Goldfinch, 50 Chaffinch and 40 Linnet. Approx 15 Redwing overhead and Pied Wagtail. A Kestrel was seen hunting from the telegraph poles.
The crop has mostly died back and there appeared to be very little seed apart from areas where Corn Marigold did not dominate. The Orchard was alive with birds! 30 Chaffinch, 10 Greenfinch, 6 Goldfinch and many tits around feeders. Harry and volunteers Steve, Ian & Tom burnt up all the remaining brash from the hedge laying and hedge clearance. Mateo watched a Fox hunting in the grassland to the right of the Wibbly Wobbly Path.
More ringing of 43 birds of 9 species in the Orchard on the 22nd. There were lots of finches still coming to feeders there and 20 Goldcrest were seen on the crop. On the 23rd Pip, Lisa and Lowenna helped Harry and a volunteer with planting young trees in the gaps in the hedge behind the Top Field Shelter.
A Goldcrest was seen feeding in rough grassland on the 24th. Hopping down from scrub and pushing into the base of tussocks. 6 Red Wing were in the remnant hedge, and 70 Chaffinch in and around the new/old crops and Pennsland Lane hedge. Three of the cows were deep in the scrub near Pennsland lane. Camera traps were put out to monitor the Swallow Pond and the crop over the Christmas break.
The rain which had been almost constant throughout the month stopped for Christmas Eve and the remainder of the month was dry. We recorded the wettest December in 20-years here with 337mm (20-year average 180.5mm). The 3 wettest Decembers have all been in the last four years. The mean temperature for the month 7.3°C, 5% higher than our 20-year average for the month. The annual mean temperature for the year was 11.2°C (average 10.3°C). Annual rainfall here was 1,592.4mm (average 1,274mm). The annual temperature and rainfall trends are increasing which is to be expected because of climate change.
