Winter in the Three Brooks Nature Reserve

With the recent cold weather we are now well into winter, with the deciduous trees now having lost almost all of their leaves.


Bare tree


The sun interacting with the clouds produces interesting light effects in the bare trees.


Mistletoe, ivy and other parasitic plants show up clearly when there is no leaf cover.


This plough has been left from the original farmers fields to gently rust in peace.


Rosehips provide food for blackbirds and other birds.


A solitary oak leaf still holding on.


It may be winter, but the hazel trees are producing catkins already.

Goldfinches

The goldfinches are still around the Parkway Business Park, although perhaps not quite in the absolute numbers that were seen and mentioned before (the flock sizes are a little smaller). However, here are some pictures of them in the trees around the car parks.




I particularly like the one picking his beak with his feet....

Three Brooks Reserve (before the gales)

On the 1st November, before the gales arrived and dumped most of the leaves on the ground, Disgruntled took a walk around Savages Wood and the Three Brooks Nature reserve. There was lots to see, as the more open canopy made it far easier to see what is going on up above. First though, three photos showing parts of the wood.









This is an ash tree with a particularly knobbly section for some reason. It is probably caused by some kind of infection in the past.




This tree has formed an interesting base and a small cavity inside it.



The death of one thing is an opportunity for something else. Here, a fern is taking root in the hollow created by a felled tree.



There were five different squirrels at least in the woods. There are a family of three which seem to stay around the entrance to the reserve by the leisure centre, just over the foot bridge from the path which runs alongside the wood and the playing field. This squirrel is down nearer the swing gate into the wood at the bottom of the hill and path.



Many of the trees are fruiting, and the loss of chlorophyl is allowing the natural colours of the leaves to show through, in this case a particularly nice shade of red.



The man-made ponds are well established now, and this one is full of reeds and bullrushes. This one is seeding.




This lesser-spotted woodpecker was observered in the "newly" planted woodland behind the school and south of Savages Wood. It stayed high in the canopy, which made getting a clear photo rather awkward.... (see below).





Also making life more difficult was the low sun and the amount of cloud, which made for very low ambient light levels.




This dead tree is an interesting shape, and also provides perching points for larger birds to observe the area.



Down at the lake there are still plenty of birds waiting to be fed. Here we have a young black-headed gull and a mallard.



A young black-headed gull (left), and an adult in winter plumage. Note that once the bird matures, the beak and leg colour turn red, and that the wing markings also change.

Execution

Disgruntled received today an e-mail which had the following subject: "Learn to take your company's execution to the next level".

It might have been doing badly in the past, but there's no need to take it that far, especially if Disgruntled wants to keep his job. Disgruntled opened the e-mail.

"Return on Execution. Execution is the difference," it read. Between those countries with the death penalty and those without perhaps. Then Disgruntled read on and realised it was an ad for business software. It was much more interesting when taken out of context......

Goldfinches

Goldfinches were in decline in this country, although the population has now stabilised, but you wouldn't be aware of this if you live in the Bradley Stoke and Stoke Gifford areas, as they are a common site flitting around the gardens - they often use the TV aerial on my roof as a singing post. However, in the winter time they often flock together, and this morning a flock (collectively called a charm) of around 50 Goldfinches could be seen flitting around the trees in the Parkway Business Park, twittering madly away and bouncing from tree to tree, the lack of leaves making them easy to spot. Flocks of Goldfinches can be seen most mornings in the area, although not usually of that size.

Odds and Ends

Autumn is definitely now upon us, with the trees changing colour and losing their leaves. It is also having a definite affect on the wildlife in the area. Much more common in our gardens at the moment are robins, and they can be heard singing very loudly in the dawn chorus, and visiting the garden to feed. During the summer they were almost completely absent. Also becoming more visible are the local foxes, and one could be seen on the grass embankment alongside the short dual carriageway section to Parkway Business Park (off the Winterbourne Road/Rabbit roundabout) last week, around 4pm in broad daylight.

Bristol Bird Watch

The Bristol Bird Watch has just started - an annual survey of the wintering birds seen in Bristol gardens. Open to all, surveyers are asked to record the different bird types seen in the garden. Details can be found at the Avon wildlife trust website.