Snow on the Downs

The good thing about this month is although it can be very dark and wet, the shortest day comes on the 21st and from then on the days will gradually become lighter. This last month certainly was wet and caused a fair bit of localised flooding especially on the river plains. With this weather it has been hard for the farmers to stop animals poaching around their feeding areas unless they have kept moving the sites. Also the wet weather has highlighted where ditches have not been recently maintained and as a knock on effect has caused water to be bottlenecked and flood areas upstream. Manure heaps can be a problem if they are positioned on flood plains or beside tracks or roads. With the heavy rain a lot of toxins are washed out of the heaps and straight into the river systems causing nutrient

Kestrel Falco tinnunculus

enrichment and if severe then the fish die. This is a good time of the year to fill in any gaps in hedgerows to help ensure livestock can not escape and it also ensures that wildlife can travel more safely under cover.

Now that a lot of the greenery has gone from our woods and hedgerows the smaller birds and mammals have to be even more alert of predators like foxes, stoats, weasels, domestic cats, owls and birds of prey. One of this country's commonest birds of prey are Kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) and they can be seen hunting for small mammals and small birds in open countryside or along roadside verges.

The Kestrel stands out from all the other British birds of prey because of the very effective way it hovers over its prey before swooping down and catching its victim. Whilst hovering the Kestrel can keep its head still so that it does not miss the slightest movement of a mouse or a vole below. Generally Kestrels nearly always hover before catching their prey however I have seen them hunt very effectively using a different method.

Norway Spruce Picea abies

In gardens I have seen them settle close to a bird table, sending all the small birds in to panic such that they take cover in a nearby bush. The kestrel will then fly in circles around the bush sending the small birds into a frenzied panic. Finally one of them will make a run for it, but it can escape the kestrel has it in its talons. The mature male kestrel can easily be distinguished from the female, being a warm red-brown colour with a grey head and tail, whereas the female is slightly larger than the male and brown with darker speckles and bars for her plumage.

With the onset of December most of us are starting to plan for Christmas. In Britain we associate the Christmas Tree or the Norway Spruce (Picea abies) with this time of year. Most of us will buy a Norway Spruce or another similar looking evergreen tree. The Norway Spruce has been taken into our lives as if it has always been part of our Christmas. However, it has only relatively recently become a part of our Christmas decorations. Prince Albert brought the first one to this country,as a gift for his wife Queen Victoria.

Butcher's Broom Ruscus aculeatus

In Austria and Switzerland every Christmas, a Norway Spruce is weighted down at its base, and then rowed out into the middle of all the lakes, and thrown over board. This is in remembrance to those that drowned there and so that the deceased spirits of departed family members or friends can celebrate Christmas too.

Another plant associated with this time of year is Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus). It is a very unusual plant because its sharp dark-green 'leaves' are in fact flattened stems and not true leaves at all. These imitation leaves are known as Cladodes. These cladodes do not drop off in the autumn so this plant appears evergreen during the winter. They produce large red berries, which contrast against the rest of this dark-green plant.

Firethorn Pyracantha coccina

They have traditionally been cut and dried and used in flower arrangements and as colourful Christmas decorations. The name Butcher's Broom derives from the plant branches once being cut and tied into bundles and then being used like a broom to sweep off butcher's wooden blocks. This plant is a relative of the lily family and often found growing at the base of trees in old woods.

Another shrub that produces red berries and provides a wonderful source of food for many thrushes and other birds during the autumn and winter is the Firethorn (Pyracantha coccina). It can be found in garden hedges, standing alone or against walls. It derives its name from the red-orange blaze of colour from the berries. It was introduced in the 17th century as an ornamental shrub for its colourful berries, the colour attracts birds, which eat the berries and spread seeds to other gardens and into the wild.

Holly berries

A lot of trees have produced a bumper crop of berries this year, the holly is looking especially spectacular. According to old folklore, a heavy crop of berries foretells a hard winter. So who knows, we might have some snow this month or maybe the next.

Speak with you again in January but in the mean time I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.