Autumn is well and truly here. Deciduous trees are almost bare, revealing nests and homes of those creatures which had been skilfully hidden during the breeding season.
Can you see signs of habitation and hibernation? Tease out the differences between a squirrel’s drey and a magpie nest, the isolation of a Carrion Crow’s nest and the colonial nests of the Rooks, or the feather-lined Blackbird’s nest compared to the mud-lined nest of the Song Thrush? Look for shelter holes of congregating insects, particularly ladybirds which appear to have been scarce this year. In fields it is easier now to spot foxes, deer, and sometimes hares.
Alongside footpaths and trails, the footprints of small mammals can be seen; holes in walls and hedges show up the entrances for bank voles.
On warm days watch out for late butterflies: Red admiral, Comma and Peacock; and significantly, Small Tortoiseshell, whose numbers plummeted nationally this year, judging by the recent UK wide Butterfly Conservation Survey.
The Marine Conservation Zone surrounding the whole of the Roseland peninsula can also be very productive for sea life this month. Scan for signs of dolphins feeding offshore, for seabirds homing in, from all directions, to a concentrated spot on the waves. The chances are they have found the dolphins before you, following shoals of bait fish.
Upcoming Wild Roseland Walks and Talks – dates for your diary
Note that all events are free but a small donation of £3 would be welcomed.
All at Sea! Seals, cetaceans and seabirds of our coastline
Thursday 15th November, 7.00pm, St.Mawes Memorial Hall.
Presented by Sue Sayer, founder of the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust and author of “Seal Secrets”.
This presentation is preceded by a short Wild Roseland AGM.
Thank you for all the support you have given to Wild Roseland by attending our programme of talks, or in any other way.
Three Things you can do for Roseland Nature:
- Listen out for Tawny Owls!
There is a new national Tawny owl survey which we would encourage you to do, and it can be done from the comfort of your own home. The BTO would like the public to help assess the status of our Tawny owls, and this can be done simply by listening to their calls after sunset.
Details are available from the BTO’s Tawny Owl Calling Survey page. If you do not wish to register to record observations directly through the BTO, you can email your records to Carol Hughes at ruanlanihorne@live.co.uk who will enter them for you using our Wild Roseland account.
- Join our Committee!
We always want to make use of new skills, knowledge and experience, to further our aims of Discovering, Conserving and Enhancing the very special and unique natural world of the Roseland peninsula. If anyone is interested in becoming an active member of our small strategic committee running Wild Roseland, please contact David Hall at hallruan@aol.com 01872 501429. You would be most welcome and could be formally nominated at the AGM coming up on November 15th.
- Record your wildlife sightings!
The Roseland area is under-recorded for its wildlife flora and fauna and we need more records. You can easily record single wildlife sightings in the Wildlife Trusts ORKS database online here. You can also complete an ORCS data form for multiple records here.
The ORKS recording app makes collecting and submitting wildlife sightings while you’re out exploring quick and easy, even without a mobile signal. The ORKS App is available for free download on iPhone and Android.
All data gets added to the National Biodiversity Network database, making it retrievable by anyone interested in doing research, locally, nationally or internationally.
Contributors:
Article by David Hall. Images by Sarah Vandome.
Edited by Sarah Vandome.
Wild Roseland is a group of volunteers who care passionately about looking after the nature and landscape of the Roseland peninsula in south Cornwall. Through a number of initiatives and projects, the aim is to inspire and enhance the conservation of this special place for all.
References and links
Wild Roseland – www.wildroseland.org/
Enjoy more Roseland wildlife and landscapes – visit Sarah Vandome’s Heart of Roseland Facebook feature:
www.facebook.com/HeartOfRoseland
Wild Roseland is on Facebook