Ann & Barbara’s Walks | Welcome to Killamarsh RAGE

Beautiful shots from Ann and Barbara, taken while walking the site ~

(click the image for the full size version)

: Cuckoo – Once more a RED LISTED bird, dove sized with blue/grey upper parts, head and chest. A dark barred chest , sleek body, long tail. A Sub Saharan summer visitor, females laying eggs in nests of other birds especially dunnock and reed warbler. They arrive March-April and leave July-August with the young leaving a month later

: Skylark – The largest decline in this species was from the 1970’s-1980’s and it continues today. Lots of reasons, increase in pesticide use, autumn sown cereals makes spring growth too thick for nesting, fewer stubble fields and this results in another RED LISTED bird. 18-19cm larger than a sparrow has a short crest on head. Song begins as bird rises to a great height, then plummets to the ground. Breeds in grassland, heaths, lays 3-5 eggs babies leave nest and fledge between 16-20 days.

: Hawthorn in flower

Hay meadow with meadow buttercup

Green woodpecker – Largest of British woodpeckers heavy looking body, short tail long bill. Green grey upper red crown, black around eye. Habitats are woods, heaths and farmland. It eats ants mostly and other insects. Lays 4-6 eggs between March to mid June.

Oxeye daisy – Large daisy with heads held on long stalks. Found on grassland and flowers June-August. Small tortoiseshell

Red Clover – Found in meadows and grassy banks the flowers are round and pink and usedin herbal medicine to treat skin and respiratory disorders.

Herb Robert – A pretty pink plant with five petals with rounded ends. Found in woods hedges and banks. It flowers May-Sept.

Small tortoiseshell – One of the earliest butterflies of the spring. Blue spotted margins. Flies May-Oct.

Song Thrush – Numbers of song thrush are seriously declining making this another RED LISTED BIRD. smaller than mitle thrush with smaller spots. Its song has repeated phrases and is seen in woods, hedgerows, gardens and eats worms snails and fruit.

Great Tit – The largest UK tit green/yellow with a glossy blavk head and white cheeks. Found in woodland parks and gardens and eats insects seeds and nuts.

Linnet – A small slim finch has a melodious song. Males have a crimson forehead but females much duller. The number of linnets have dropped drastically making this a RED LISTED species found on heathland, saltmarshes and farmland hedges. It eats seeds and insects.

Jay – A colourful member of the crow family. Shy woodland bird difficult to see. Feathers are brown, black, white, blue, grey,buff, pink/purple. Eats acorns nuts seeds and insects.

Starling – Its decline makes this a red listed bird smaller than a blackbird has glossy feathers which look black but have purple/green sheen. Very noisy and found in flocks. They eat insects and fruit.

Jackdaw – A small black crow with a silver sheen to the back of the head. Found in fields, woods, and roosts communally in woodlands. Eats young birds, eggs and fruit. Tends to hop along the ground.

A perennial of meadows, marshes and damp woodland. It bears bright pink flowers with ragged petals and flowers in early summer. The stalk is covered with tiny downward pointing hairs which prevent small insects climbing up and affecting the blooms. Also known as the Cuckoo or Thunder flower.

Each flower looks like it has a female bee resting on it. The petals also smell like female bees, emitting enticing chemical signals. It is a deception to lure a real male bee to come and mate. The excited male bee is then covered in pollen in turn pollenating the next orchid. However the species are still self pollinating and grow in meadows and woodland edges.

A small brown and grey bird, quiet and shy often creeping in bushes close to cover. Has a tendency to flick its wings nervously. Found in woodland, farmland edges and gardens. Eats spiders, worms and seeds. This little bird often finds itself raising the baby cuckoo.

Very busy and noisy little birds with tails longer than the body. Can be found in flocks of around 20 birds and are found on heaths, woodland and farmland. They eat insects and seeds.

A plant of cultivated ground. Stems exude a milky sap. Flowerheads are pale yellow 20-25mm across, flowers June-Aug.

Familiar red-breasted bird of woodland and gardens. Alarm call is a sharp tic. Male sings melancholy songs at most times of year. Highly terriitorial.

Colourful bird with bright yellow wingbars. Adult has red and white on face, black cap extending down sides of neck. Favours grassland and meadows where thepointed bill is used to feed on seeds of thistle and teasel.

This I believe to be the squirrels drey found high in trees on the land close to where the squirrel was seen. Far too big to be any birds nest, and made of twigs moss etc.

Sparrow sized bird but slimmer with a long deeply notched tail. Male has black head white collar and a drooping moustache. A farmland bird and eats seeds and insects.

This black and gold caterpillar becomes the Cinnabar moth found in open grassy places and feeds on Ragwort. The caterpillars have been used to control Ragwort a poisonous plant, in some places.

Grows in large patches. Leaves are long and narrow, flowers bright blue,bell shaped and about 2cm long. Plant grows up to 50cm and flowers between April-Sept

A fast flying butterfly of flower rich places. The foodplant is stinging nettle and it flies June-Sept and again in spring after hibernation.

Breeds in grassland, fields with hedges, and nest is usually on the ground amongst tall vegitation. The 3-5 eggs hatch after 12-14 days.

A little larger than a chaffinch at 16-16.5 cm. Male has a yellow head and breast and a reddish-brown band across the chest. Female is much duller. A RED LISTED bird probably because of the lack of seed rich stubble fields. Loss of weed seeds due to herbicides and loss of insects.

Farmland with woods copses hedges and old trees is the ideal habitat. It feeds on small mammals such as voles and shrews, insects and small birds.

Britains smallest owl plump with a flat head and a short tail. Wings are spotted with white and the breast is pale but heavily streaked.

These 3 Grey Squirrel pictures were taken 14th February, they live in high trees in a nest called a Drey

The Drey is made of twigs, leaves and moss,they do not hibernate but may be less active when weather conditions are bad.

The squirrel eats seeds buds shoots, nuts berries and fruit.from trees and shrubs They also eat funghi insects and occasionally birds eggs and fledgelings.

This lovely haymeadow is where I saw the Yellowhammer and the Longtailed tits who are very sociable birds often seen in families. They are little acrobats hanging upsidedown on the plants to reach the food. The habitat for these birds is grassland, hedges and thick shrubs. The Yellowhammer is a RED LISTED BIRD of conservation concern. Possible reasons are because of poor winter survival due to loss of seed rich stubble fields, loss of weed seeds owing to herbicides and the lack of invertebrates. This bird is here because this land gives him what he needs.

The Proposed Lane in Autumn

The Proposed Land in Autumn

Oak Tree

Autumn – Hollyberries

Autumn Blackthorne

Autumn – Acorns

The Land In Autumn

The Land in Autumn

5-Spot Burnett ~ Day flying moth with red hindwings and 5 spots on greenish blue forewings. Flies July-August

View of the proposed area

Hedgerow of Oak Holly & Hawthorn. Dozens of different birds live in hedgerosws and flowering plants can be found in the hedge bottoms. When a hedge is removed a sanctuary for wildlife is lost.

Attractive delicate flower of dry grassy places. Clusters of nodding blue flowers, 15mm long. Seen July-October

Hedgerow butterfly, orange markings with paired eyespots on forewing. Often feeds on bramble flowers

Widespread and common perennial of disturbed ground. white striped pink flowers are 15-30mm across and appear June-September

Biennial of grassland producing rosette of spine-coated leaves in first year. In second year conical heads of purple flowers. The seeds which develop in the flowerheads are foods to birds such as Goldfinches.

Attractive species, flies May-September. Has variable orange and dark brown markings on upperwings.

Biennial of disturbed ground. Wide spread and common. Purple florets topping a ball of spiny bracts. Flowers July-September.

Widespread Butterfly. Upperwings dark brown with pale cream markings. Often basks on leaves with wings wide open, but with wings closed looks like a dead leaf. Flies April-September in 1-3 broods.

Hairy perennial. Flowerheads 20-40mm across and purple florets appear June-September

This handsome chap definitely has the right name. Irredescent blue upperwings with black and white markings. Flies May-June and July-August in two broods

Command widespread Butterfly, likes grassy places. Upperwings are brown, small orange patch on forewing with eyespot. Food is various grasses.

Poisonous biennial or perennial of grazed grassland. Flat topped clusters of yellow flower heads 15-25mm appear June-November

Robust orchid often on calcarelous soils. Pinkish flowers with dark green glossy leaves with unmarked largest leaves at the base of plant.

Other examples of things seen by Ann and Barbara, but were unable to get a photograph of, are listed below.

Old hedgerows between Green Lane and Upperthorpe Road.

Field Maple Holly Hawthorn Ash Oak

Dog rose Hazel Crab apple Blackberry

Elder Buckthorn Pussy Willow

Flowers and grasses

Harebell English bluebell

Egg and Bacon Knapweed Bush vetch Centaury

Red clover Red Campion Bladder campion

Buttercup Timothy Ox-eye daisy Creeping bent

Marsh Orchid Bee orchid Ragged Robin Cinquefoil

Forget-me-not Sorrel Pimpernel Ribwort

Vetch Sweet vernal Common Spikerush

Ryegrass Willowherb Bluebell Bracken Toadflax

This is far from being a fully comprehensive list of flora,but our most important possibly are the bluebell (not contaminated by Spanish bluebell) and the orchids.

Deer,foraging badgers, foxes, rabbits, hares, hedgehogs, weasels, stoats, BATS

Barn owls Little Owls Swallows. Martins Woodpeckers Willow warblers Reed Buntings Yellowhammer Whitethroat Skylarks Pheasant Blackbirds Great tit Blue tit

Long Tailed Tit Bullfinches Goldfinches Greenfinches Fieldfares Redwings Buzzard Sparrowhawk Thrush Woodpidgeon Collared Doves Chaffinch

All this, plus an ancient dewpond on grassland that has never been ploughed with the exception of one small area.