Hi all,
Things have been wild over the last few weeks what with gale force winds, driving rain and snow. With all the damaged and windblown trees making the headlines we faired not too bad. We are taking some comfort in its a better more mild winter than the previous two which is better for our wildlife. We have had some snowdrops out for the last fortnight and plenty of activity from woodland birds making good of the insects that around just now. If this mildness continues and we have a decent summer the resident woodland birds may double brood - I hasten to add its always weather dependant.
As always in winter the reserve quietens down considerably with all the summer migrants in warmer climes. However there have been very frequent sightings of red squirrel on reserve. When I’m out and about I can see up to three in different locations. Along with otter I have seen much more signs of badger activity in areas where it wasn’t before suggesting they are doing well. As always there are the regular noisy jays breaking the silence of the wood joined by nuthatches, treecreeper, blackbird with tawny owl in the evenings. On Barclye there are larger flocks of redwings and fieldfares this year sometimes startled by hunting merlin. Hen harrier have also been seen foraging towards the end of the day. The first week of the year I also spotted one of our barn owls out hunting later followed by a very close view of a woodcock probing the mud for worms on the Mill Hill Trail.
Our work through last autumn saw us finally complete the last trail on our Barclye section of the reserve. Aptly named the Woodland Pasture Trail it is placed right through our woodland pasture habitat taking in fabulous views of the cree valley and Galloway Hills. As well as getting lucky views of our birdlife you can get close to the archaeology of the site as the trail takes right past Drumwhirn Bronze Age Cairn.
Also on Barclye in our Phase 1 area of native planted trees (originally planted in spring 2009) we are now replanting damaged or dead saplings and hope that a mild winter and decent summer can give them all a boost in growth. Our Phase 2 area is looking really superb with the vast majority of trees planted in winter 2010 being more than two feet in height. With a bit more attention this winter and spring Phase 1 won’t be far behind.
Special thanks has to given to individuals who have come out to help us replant trees this winter but there is still a long way to go. If anyone is interested in coming along for a day in the week or even a weekend to help plant and weed some trees please contact Will Cranstoun on 01988 402 130.
Unitl next time bye for now
Will
Apologies once more for the delay between blog posts, the Wood of Cree is a place where a warden can get lost - in his/her work. Autumn is here; with the shortening of daylight hours, changes in colour through the landscape and even more windy/wet weather. I love it. It's my favourite season where plants produce their seed and fruit ready for hungry animals to feed on, once they've done that they shut down for the winter.
Just now there red squirrels scurrying around storing hazelnuts and acorns in abundance for the winter ahead. The seeds they don't recover will undoubetly become a sapling, then a tree and so the woodland goes on. Some squirrels just now I 've seen have taken on a 'grey' sheen as thier winter coats come through - they are definitely red not grey squirrel - and one can get quite close to them; some of them being young from earlier this year.
As well as squirrels cacheing their food so too are jays. The woodland is a noisey place when they squabble over one acorn in a wood full of over 100,000 oak trees. Occasoinaly you can spot a jay quickly burying an acorn on the woodland floor before going back to the canopy for more. Sometimes another jay will watch one burying an acorn wait until it's left and then rob the buried acorn for itself burying it again elsewhere. Some jays get caught in the act doing this which in turn creates even more noise before one of them takes the acorn and flies off. Jays have also learnt to wait until there are no other birds (jays) around to bury acorns so the store is safe; demonstrating learned behaviour from being robbed or being a theif.
Having a walk around our one mile Woodland Trail you will see plenty of fungi from birch polypore, fleecy milkcap, chanterelle, amethyst deceiver and beef steak fungus to name a few. The waterfalls are also looking and sounding impressive at this time of year, well worth taking picture especially with the changing leaf colours.
Cheers for now
Firstly apologies for not blogging recently. Things have quitened down a little now the breeding season for woodland birds draws to a close. We had a relatively good year for piedflycatcher, redstart and nuthatch nesting throughout the wood as well as for many ohter woodland birds. Our nest box scheme we have and monitor showed an increase in pied flycatcher uptake from last year with many successful nesting pairs; this goes to show how nestboxes can help make a difference to declining woodland bird species. Many of the birds will by now have (if not soon) finished feeding young away from the nest and busy gettting themselves ready for migration through moulting and growing new feathers as well as feeding on the plethora of insects that are around just now.
The woodland floor has seen the bluebells come and go, now is it's the time for the cow wheat; a parasitic yellow flowering plant that forms a carpet when in abundance and in the case for Wood of Cree a parisite of bilberry. There is also certain fungi to be seen this time of year from various hedgehog fungi, amythest decievers, bolettes to stinkhorns. There is still plenty to see and hear on our Scrubland Trail and also down at the Otter Platform; coincidently I saw an otter the other day walking along the road and ran off as soon as it saw me!
I also recommend a walk on our Barclye part of the reserve where ringlet. common blue and large heath butterflies are busy dashing through the tall grasses. Damselflies and dragonflies are also patrolling stretches of ditches and ponds that are spread over the site. You may also see adult and young barn owls hunting at dusk through the woodland pasture that have again successfully nested this year on Barclye. I'm hoping for a better second half of summer to help our recently planted 171,000 trees grow and put on plenty of growth before we probably another hard winter. Although it's a bit too soon to start thinking about that in July.
Take care for now,
Hi everyone,
Now is the time to visit Wood of Cree to see our spectacular bluebells. Accompanied with wood anenome and greater stichwort the woodland floor has really come into it's own. Our latest sighting of Ospreys on the River Cree at the Otter Platform is also very exciting, we are not sure where they came from however I think they are local birds. They were seen hovering and going into the water after fish however didn't catch anything. Sand martins and common sandpiper can also be seen from the Otter Platform to the backdrop singing of sedge and grasshopper warbler.
On our Barclye extension there are more cuckoos around and to be heard. Walking around the site at dusk you may also be lucky enough to see our resident barn owls making the most of the fine dry weather we have been getting.
Bye for now.
The Wood of Cree has come back to life with spring finally here. The bluebells are almost out in bloom with birds singing throughout the entire wood. Yesterday morning I heard and saw redstarts, pied flycatcher, cuckoo, tree pipit, blackcap, willow warbler all with an accompliment of our resident woodland birds; wren, robin, great tit, blue tit and nuthatch. Most interestingly I had a great tit mimick the nuthatch call 'tuit tuit' metres from me. We are nearly at full house with just wood warbler and garden warbler to be spotted.
Otters have also been seen on the reserve playing and hunting in the River Cree making the most of the fine weather - not that they would mind getting wet! Other mammals around include fox, red squirrel, badger, roe deer, stoat and pine martin - all of which are reserve residents. There is also a multitude of insect life buzzing, flapping and crawling around from queen bees (white tailed and common carder), orange tip and peacock butterflies with common dor beetles slowly pacing about.
Having a walk around the wood on our trails is really worth it especially at this time of year since there are less leaves on the trees to obscure bird watching. If anyone is interested I am running two dawn chorus walks (Cree Valley Chorus 05:30-07:30am 1st and 7th May) where you will hopefully see the range of birds in our ancient woodland. Contact 01988 402 130 for booking (essential) and further information.
Bye for now,
Will Cranstoun
Warden Galloway Reserves