Early Butterbur.

 Butterbur. Photo. John Elliott. Click to enlarge.       

The Butterbur that grows on the bankside by the sewage pumping station is flowering very early again this year, a few days after Christmas instead of a few days before as it was last year.   Climate change or the nutritious overflow from the pumping station when it can't cope? Or perhaps both. The purplish flowers  appear well before the large leaves which were used in pre-plastic days to wrap butter, hence the name. All our plants are 'male', the 'female' occuring mainly in the north of England.

Local Dorset names include 'Early Mushroom' as they look like small button mushrooms as they push through the soil, and 'Snake's Rhubarb'. 

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My Cuckoo Arthur.

Here is the latest bulletin from BTO. Jim, Ashok and Arthur in Gabon Furthest north we find Sussex Cuckoo Jim and our two Suffolk Cuckoos Ashok and Arthur, all in Gabon. Jim and Ashok are in Ivindo National Park, a World Heritage Site for its outstanding biodviersity. Arthur is further east towards the border with Congo. It'll be interesting to see whether these three birds remain in Gabon or move further south and/or east over the coming weeks. The Cuckoos will likely remain in their wintering areas until February, when we will hope to see some movement as they commence their long flights back to Europe for the 2026 breeding season. For some of this Cuckoo cohort, it will be the first time that we get to follow their remarkable journeys north. We will, as always, keep an eye on the Cuckoos and as soon as we see signs that they’re starting to head back we will post updates and track their incredible progress once more! Visit our website for all the latest Cuckoo updates and to track their movements in real time with our live Cuckoo migration map!

Radon Raidioactve Gas Threat.

 

 While it is well known that levels of Radon radioactive gas are high in granite areas to the west of us in Devon and Cornwall, it is not so commonly known that the chalky area in which we live is also subject to high levels of Radon emission. 3% of houses are now considered to be at risk of exceeding safe levels. Older houses with basements are considered to be especially vulnerable. An annual  average level of 200 Becquerels/cubic metre (Bq/m³. one Becquerel is one radioactive decay per second ) is considered to be the level at which action should be taken, usually by a continuously running fan to extract the Radon.

The danger is that the Radon attaches itself to dust particles which are inhaled and remain in the lungs and may cause cancer.  

I have been monitoring the Radon level for a number of years, firstly by the official government test which gave my yearly average as 180 Bq/m³, comfortably below the action level.  I am now running my own monitor which has shown a long term average of about 170 Bq/m³. There is a considerable seasonal variation of the Radon level, but today's short term reading does give me cause for concern.

Radon Monitor.

                                                              

The long term average shown of 169 Bq/m³ is satisfactory, but the short term average (over 7 days) of 466 Bq/m³ which is unusually high, and could lead, in time, to a dangerous level. 

For the government test see  https://www.ukradon.org

 

 

 

The latest news of my sponsored Cuckoo, Arthur  from the British Trust for Ornithology.

 

Gabon beats Cameroon as it has three tagged birds currently in residence - Norfolk Cuckoo Ashok and Sussex Cuckoo Jim are just 30 miles apart in Ivindo National Park, central Gabon, while Norfolk Cuckoo Arthur is 75 miles east of them, in eastern Gabon. 

We are not expecting big movements from our birds now until the New Year when they will once again start to feel the urge to migrate. Visit our website for all the latest Cuckoo updates and to track their movements in real time with our live Cuckoo migration map!

For Arthur’s journey so far this year, go to

https://bto-enews.org/c/AQiX7QIQ49qiBxj8v86VBCClrtOpASjWvoFBIfZdF7Xv-yGuHiaL22mK5r4iPvj0W3UkrzxE3bbF5TU

The Wherry has Bro9ken.

 When I first came to what was then a very agricultural village half a century ago, one of the eagerly awaited events of the year was the breaking of the Wherry, when our chalk stream started to flow again after drying up in the summer months, and its waters became available for livestock. Our stream is one of very few in the world that are Winterbornes and is thus of international importance. "borne" means "stream", (The Scottish "burn" is more familiar). Its flow closely follows the ground water level which has been falling thoughout the summer. Yesterday the Ashton borehole, after a couple of weeks at its lowest seasonal level suddenly started to rise. and sure enough the stream in the village suddenly started to flow again after several weeks of more or less stagnant water around small muddy islands. Though the stream used to dry up completely in the summer it doesn't always do so now, perhaps due to the activities of Wessex Water and climate change might be having an effect.

 

Late butterflies.

 The quick sight of a Red Admiral in my front garden this morning encouraged me to take a walk down the path to Ashton in the afternoon. Though sunny there was a chilly west wind which might have kept any butterflies from flying, but happily didn't, for two Red Admirals appeared sunning themselves on the Nettles. Here's one.

Red Admiral. Photo.John Elliott. Click to enlarge.

 

The butterfly counting season is usually considered to be at the end of September as far as the Butterfly Transects are concerned, for very little is usually seen after that. This year we have seen Large and Small Whites, Speckled Woods and the Red Admirals well into October, perhaps a sign of global warming

Threat to our Blackbirds

 

A new threat to Blackbirds has their populations plummeting, and scientists from the British Trust for Ornithology are working to better understand the spread and potential impact of the disease responsible – the Usutu virus.

Usutu virus has been linked to mass blackbird mortality, with UK birders – especially in the Greater London area – reporting that blackbirds are noticeably less abundant in the last few years. The disease is spreading along southern England and has now been reported in Dorset.

For many years I have had a resident pair nesting in my wildlife garden and they were present in the Spring but then disappeared. A first year male bird, perhaps their offspring, has been seen occasionally throughout the summer, and my visiting son-in-law was fortunate to be able to photograph it last Sunday. It doesn't look all that well to me.

 

Juvenile Blackbird. Photo.Ryan Bundy. Click to enlarge

Scientists and ecologists are calling on the public for help in countering the Usutu virus.
 Details at https://www.rhs.org.uk/wildlife/blackbird-usutu-virus