Skipwith Common has been the place to be recently, with
Woodlarks singing, Green Woodpeckers ‘yaffling’, Great Spotted Woodpeckers
‘drumming’ and Tawny Owls ‘too-wit too-woo’ing. Adders, Grass Snakes and Common
Lizards have also been seen basking in the sunshine on the warm sunny days. Below are a few photographs and information on some of the wildlife that we've been fortunate to come across.
Early on a morning one of the team has spent the odd hour on the Common to try and ascertain a count of reptiles - this is done early before they disappear off into the undergrowth once they've warmed up enough. We haven't seen any Adders during the last few weeks but we did come across this male sunning itself on the heath at the end of March, along with two others. At this time of
year, similar to Grass Snakes, Adders need to soak up the sun’s rays after a
winter spent in hibernation. Following the long winter and months without
feeding Adders need to warm up their bodies to build up their energy and
strength, and to allow their muscles to work properly. Once ready they will go
in search of a mate, however before mating male Adders shed their old skin,
then once in pristine condition they will do battle with other males for the
female’s attention, wrestling in what is known as the ‘dance of the Adders’.
Adder - 30/03
Adders are Britain’s only poisonous snake, and have a
sinister reputation due to their ability to subdue their prey using venom,
however they are not a threat to people unless disturbed – upon seeing one make
sure you observe from a distance - never approach or pick one up! Adders can
often be quite difficult to spot amongst the bracken, but if you are fortunate
enough to see one please note down any records, along with other wildlife seen
on the Common in the boxes provided.
Grass Snake - 02/04
Common Lizards have been seen more frequently, often on a daily basis. Despite the rather cold day’s last week, full of rain, sleet
and strong winds, on the warm days either side we still came across several lizards basking on the boardwalk adjacent to the Bomb Bay loop. We were fortunate to have prolonged
views of one individual as it flattened its body against the wood to maximise
the amount of heat it could soak up from the sun’s rays. At this time of year
lizards are emerging after a winter spent in hibernation, the walls around the
Bomb Bay loop and the boardwalk are the best place to look for them on a warm
sunny day. Along with several adults, we also came across one of last year’s
young (pictured here), we knew this by size, with it only being c7cm, compared
with adults which reach c15cm (nose to tail).
Common Lizard - Juvenile - 30/03
Common Lizard - Adult - 02/04
Along with looking for reptiles on the heath we've also been keeping a close eye on the ground too - whilst scouring the
heath we spotted this Minotaur Beetle – an impressive ‘beast’ despite
its size! Minotaur Beetles are a type of large dung beetle, favouring sandy
grassland and heaths. They feed on rabbit droppings and sheep, deer, cattle and
horse dung – plenty of which can be found on the Common! Their nests are made
up of a series of tunnels, after laying their eggs in the chambers they will
then drag dung back to their nest using their strong legs. This individual we
spotted will have over-wintered in one of the many burrows, more than likely
with its mate, where it will have remained throughout the winter, surfacing on
only the really mild days.
Minotaur Beetle - 17/03
There's plenty of Gorse on the Common which is really bringing colour to the site at the moment, and whilst watching the first few bees of the year looking for nectar on the flowers at the end of March we also came across a number of Gorse
Shield Bugs. At this time of year adults emerge during the warm days in spring and can often
be found sunning themselves in clusters on Gorse flowers. We came across
several ‘groups’, packed tightly amongst the Gorse spikes and piled high on top
of each other. Gorse Shield Bugs have two colour forms, at the end of the last
year we found and photographed the new generation which started appearing after
the summer during August, they were fairly distinctive with their purple/red
markings. The individuals which are emerging now are predominately green, at
first glance they could be confused with the Green Shield Bug – but the habitat
(usually Gorse and Broom), and the red antennae gives them away.
Gorse Shield Bug - 25/03
Lately we've posted about Roe Deer that are seen regularly on a daily basis around the valley, however recently we
were fortunate to see this group of Fallow Deer – with at least 26 individuals
present. This is the first time we’ve come across so many for quite some time.
Fallow Deer are known to be present in the area, largely between Crockey Hill
and Wheldrake, along with a number of individuals occasionally seen on the
Common. Fallow Deer tend to remain far more elusive than Roe Deer, and can be told apart quite easily due to their tan/fawn colour
and white spotting. They also have a white rump patch characterised with the
black horse-shoe and fairly long tail. During the winter they lose their summer
‘coat’ and become a lot darker, with the white spots fading. The young when
born (June/July) will resemble their parents, being a rich chestnut colour and
heavily spotted.
Fallow Deer - 30/03
No comments:
Post a Comment