On this day 4 March 2019

4 March 2019

Its looking like Monday is Park day,  using this day to update and focus on the nature happenings at the park.

First to add to my record is the fact the Hawthorn hedge is in leaf leading into Kirk Lane Park. You could call it the end of February. 

So had a quick look at some older photos and I had recorded it with green leaves at the end of February in 2016. I was thinking it was further on due to the warm weather we have just had.

For some reason I seem to have lost my tree list from the two parks (might have deleted it !) so now is a good time to start again, as I can get blossom going into leaves then fruit all in the same year. 

It will all come down to time.

The Cherry blossom above is on the tree next to the netball court, the branches are a deep reddish colour  

This Cherry Laurel is just about to flower, took forever to find the name of this tree, I forget the names so quickly (frustrating)

I was interested to see if it was a native plant, as it it often found in parks and gardens, most parks were someones garden at some point in history , especially Victorian . They loved their plants and would often boast  what plant they had acquired.

The bay (Laurus nobilis) is the only 'true' laurel grown widely in this country, although in other parts of the world there are more than 2,500 other species of tree and shrub laurel. ... The most common is Prunus laurocerasus (which means cherry laurel), a variety that is mostly grown as a largeleafed evergreen hedge.

The  Nuthatches were being very vocal , over the  two parks I recon there is two or three pairs.

Stock Dove

Another thing I am trying to remember to do is record the every day birds especially , crows, 

magpies , woodpigeons and collar doves. I find them quite skittish at the park and often don't photograph them.

I was so pleased I spotted this bird, as soon as I saw it I new it was slightly different, one it did not fly off ! Stock Dove is often over looked , people thinking it is a Collard Dove or even a young woody.

Checking my records it was a first for the park.

When I go again I am hoping they might be nesting in the tree, as it has the perfect hole for a nest.

Stock doves are similar in plumage and size to rock doves/feral pigeons. They are largely blue-grey with an attractive iridescent bottle green band on the back of the neck and a pink chest. In flight, they show black edges to the wing and two partial black bands near their back. Unlike rock doves/feral pigeons they do not have pale rumps.

They are widely distributed in the UK, except for parts of northern Scotland and Ireland, with particularly high densities in the English Midlands and South West. Over half their European population is found in the UK.

(LINK)

Moss

These catkins from (I think) White  Poplar tree (Populus alba) , it is a poplar catkin not sure if the tree is a "White". They are beautiful , very long and have a red tint. 

This green one is a fresh one, blown of the tree in the strong winds we have had over night.

It's becoming a standard practice to look under logs and stones, especially when it's so windy and the birds are hunkered down.

A mix of Shiny and Rough woodlice.

 A Yellow slug Limax flavus

Limax flavus, known commonly as the cellar slug, the yellow slug, or the tawny garden slug, is a medium to large species of air-breathing land slug, a terrestrial pulmonate gastropod mollusk in the family Limacidae.

and  a Common Striped Woodlouse - Philoscia muscorum

Maximum length 11 mm. This species is usually yellowish or brownish in colour and mottled with pale patches and a black head. As the name suggests it has a dark stripe along the back. It has a characteristic 'stepped' outline where the pereon changes to the pleon. It tends to run fast when disturbed. Antennae have three flagellal segments at the tip. (LINK)

Lob worm Lumbricus terrestris (aka common earthworm)

Another first for me, to see worms mating. 

When mating, another worm and I join together with heads pointing in opposite directions. Sperm is passed from one worm to the other and stored in sacs. Then a cocoon forms on each of us on our clitellum. As we back out of the narrowing cocoons, eggs and sperm are deposited in the cocoon.

Lumbricus terrestris is a large, reddish worm species widely distributed around the world (along with several other lumbricids). In some areas where it is an introduced species, some people consider it a serious pest for outcompeting native worms.

Through much of Europe, it is the largest naturally occurring species of earthworm, typically reaching 20–25 cm in length when extended (though in parts of southern Europe, the native species are much larger). In September 2012, a specimen was found in SW China measuring roughly 50 cm in length. In May 2016 a worm was found that was about 61 cm long. It has an unusual habit of copulating on the surface at night, which makes it more visible than most other earthworms.(LINK)

There seemed quite few worms mating, but came across this worm with a large swelling in it's body. 

On twitter i have reached out to two groups that deal with worms , they have just got back to me and as I had thought.

It might be just bunched up.??

I often find these small snails under the stones, it might be a Glass snail.

White-legged Snake Millipede - Tachypodoiulus niger

MOSS

Have photographed some of the mosses growing on this tree, you can see there are a few different types.... to hard and complicated to ID (FOR ME)

Last years dried up Blackberries. 

One of my favourite tree blossom has to be the Larch,

 its just starting to flower.

European larch (Larix decidua)

European larch is the only deciduous conifer native to central Europe. It was introduced to Britain in the 17th century

Looking forward to next Monday, you never know what I might find.....