January Nature Notes

Aren’t the days getting longer! Well, technically, yes, but only by 12 minutes since the winter solstice (shortest day) on 21/12/22! But over New Year we were up on Saddleworth Moor for a few days (don’t ask!) and believe me the days “up north” are even shorter! Today for instance (4th Jan) the day (sunrise to sun set) there is 30 minutes shorter than it was here! But even there, especially with the warmer weather, there are signs of spring just around the corner (it’s a long, slow bend!).

Already there are bulbs peeping through in gardens, and the winter heliotrope is starting to open in East Wood. But my number one sign of spring is catkins. Lots of plants set pollen into the breeze from catkins. The first catkins are usually hazels and they gladden my heart in the dull days of deep winter, especially as hazel are most often found in hedges and are quite accessible. There is a succession of catkins to be seen across the reserve from now until early summer. If it has been dry, reach down wind to the opened catkins and gently tap the branch they hang from. In a gentle breeze a cloud of golden motes will drift away in their thousands, some to be fertilised and to set seed on other nearby bushes.

Have a look at the link below to help you identify different types of catkins:- https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/blog/2018/12/which-trees-have-catkins-and-how-to-tell-them-apart

Written by Ian Bennett.

We were out early this morning – even before the sun was over the horizon, but the SW breeze had cleared most of the clouds and the waning moon was slowly sinking over East Woods as we headed out along the sea wall and through the reserve. I think we had the sea wall to ourselves but as we headed inland from the Tower Hide more dog walkers started to appear. It’s always lovely to realise that so many people from so many different strands of our community take so much joy and comfort from a walk out onto the reserve.

As we walked along we could hear curlews piping at the water’s edge along with the Tschew, Tschew of redshank as they started to congregate on the high tide line. As the tide falls they will edge down the mudflats looking for food and will be joined by Canada geese, wigeon and teal, along with shelduck, one of the smartest of our wildfowl. Lower down the tide they hopefully will be joined by a huge flock of dunlin and will spread along the beach into Portishead Hole, the creek that has formed at the estuary of the rhyne that flows through town from Sainsbury’s and out under the coastal path by the large windlass. This is a great place to watch the bird numbers ebb and flow with the tides, with the time of day and with the seasons. We are doing bird counts along here as often as we can, so if you see people out there with binoculars and notepads, do stop and say hello!

Written by Ian Bennett.