Village Pond Resurrected

 Manor Farm Close houses are reflected in the reborn village pond in the old cricket field. Once a permanent feature with an infeed from the South Winterborne, it now only arises when ground water levels are above normal. The western half of the original pond has been filled in and built on as part of the Close. The second village pond, originally on Mallards Green, has also been filled in recently .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Cuckoo.

 The latest BTO bulletin on my sponsored cuckoo, and one of his companions.

    Cuach Torc.

 

  Over the last week or so Cuach Torc flew 260km (160 miles) north-west from his last location, towards the border between the Republic of Congo and DRC. He has since flown a further 135km (84 miles) east, deeper into DRC and is close to the Busira River approximately 10 miles north-east of the town of Ingende. Cuckoo Joe is also close to the Busira River, some 30 miles upstream as the crow (or Cuckoo) flies of Torc

Red Admirals galore.

 The butterfly success of the year must be the Red Admiral, which has been numerous throughout the summer and lasting, unusually, well into November. This is true nationally as well as locallyt

 

  Red Admiral.  Photo: John Elliott

 

The Wherry has broken.

 

"The Wherry has broken", as old time Martinstown people used to say when the South Winterborne resumed its winter flow after the summer dry period. This year, though there were dry islands in the stream in the village, the flow did not cease completely as it did last year. The stream flow closely follows the ground water level: this year the lowest level recorded at the Ashton borehole was 2.3m higher than last year's, which probably explains why the stream didn't go completely dry this year. The borehole figures clearly show the sudden increase in stream flow on the 26th of this month.

23rd. 65.80m,  24th. 65.81m,  25th. 65.84m,  26th. 66.00m,  27th. 66.23m,  28th. 66.47m,  29th. 66.83m,  30th.  67.33m

Pesticide free for all.

 

The current issue of ‘British Wildlife’ reports that notwithstanding claims that it would make environmental protections stronger, one of the opportunities that Brexit provided was to diverge from EU rules on such things as pesticides, phasing out chemicals that pose threats to human health or the environment. But the opposite has happened. The Pesticide Action Network has found that the UK has decided to retain 30 pesticides which the EU has banned since the time of Brexit, and also allowed onto the market six more which the EU has yet to authorise. Thirteen of these are regarded as highly hazarded pesticides by the UN, including several that are highly toxic to bees and aquatic organisms.

I kept bees in the village for over forty years but finally had to give up due to the difficulties posed by disease and pests. There are still half a dozen hives on Mallards Green, lovingly tended by Liz, but I fear that the valuable pollination services that bees provide are in serious jeopardy due to Government inaction on pesticides And of course many other insects besides bees that are useful pollinators will be affected.

Garden Spiders.

 As I move round my wilderness of a garden I keep getting entangled with the webs of the Garden Spider, Araneus diadematus.  Easily recognised by the white abdominal cross, which gives it its alternative name of Cross Spider., several of them are now building enormous webs and catching their winter food supplies. One has obliginly spun its web in front of the lounge window which makes observation of its activities easy.

Garden Spider.   Photo. John Elliott

Usual prey items are small insects, but one individual has greater ambitions and is busy entombing a Large White butterfly.

 

  Garden Spider and Large White. Photo. John Elliott.

Click to enlarge photos.

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Tawny Owls.

 During my Neighbourhood Watch patrol yesterday evening it was great to hear a Tawny Owl calling from the trees at the back of the Manor House At this time of year this year's brood spread out looking for new territories and nesting sites. For many years the owls were resident in the rather delapidated old coach house, but had to move out on its renovation . Perhaps an owl box would enable them to live in the village once again. Those of us who wander round the village at night would welcome the hoooouh.......ho, ho 'ho' ho'hoooouh which is the usual call of the male owl, often followed by a sharp ' kewick' from its mate.

 

 The latest bulletin from my Cuckoo

 160 km north east of Sayaan and also in Sudan is Irish Cuckoo Cuach Torc. He has been on the western edge of the Marrah Mountains, approximately 73 km (45 miles) north-west of the town of Zalingei since early August

Latest frrom BTO.

 

  Cuach Torc is 330 km (205 miles) south-west of KP, in another of Sudan's volcanic fields. He is still on the western edge of the Marrah Mountains, approximately 73 km (45 miles) north-west of the town of Zalingei.

Cuckoo Torc making good progress south.

 The latest bulletin from the BTO.

 

 Since crossing the Sahara, Cuach Torc has flown 117 km (72 miles) south and is now in the Sahel of Central Darfur, Sudan. He is currently on the western edge of the Marrah Mountains, approximately 73 km (45 miles) north-west of the town of Zalingei and 390 km (242 miles) south-west of KP.

My Cuckoo crosses the Sahara

 

The latest bulletin from the BTO.

 

"Dear John,

In our last update we told you that Irish Cuckoo Cuach Torc had moved to Greece. Since then he has made quite a journey. By Saturday evening (29 July) he had departed Greece, crossed the Mediterranean and reached northern Libya. He carried on south and by late on Monday (31 July) he was over the Sahara in eastern Chad. By early yesterday morning (3 August) he had reached the Marrah Mountains in Darfur, Sudan. He is currently 40 km (25 miles) west of the town of Kutum. Interestingly, neither Greece nor Sudan have been common destinations for our previously tagged birds. It'll be interesting to see whether Torc remains in the area or continues further south into the Sahel."

Poisoned !

 

 Sadly we have another case of a village animal being poisoned by our abundant plantlife, this time a dog which was seen eating something low down  in the grass along the path at the back of the Manor House. Thankfully it survived, though the vet's bill was enormous. Of the seventeen or so plants identifiable along that path the one that stands out as particularly poisonous is the Lords and Ladies, Arum maculatum.  Its bright red berries, though not often consumed, are very posionous and must be avoided.

  Lords and Ladies' Berries. Photo. John Elliott

Also in full bloom along the stream is our other very poisonous plant, Hemlock Water Dropwort, which was responsible for the poisoning of a lamb in the village last year.

Readers of Saturday's Echo will have noted the vet's weekly column which includes a note on this plant-

The most tragic poisoning I have ever treated in my 26 years as a vet was a young Labrador that had eaten Water Hemlock root and developed almost immediate seizures - despite days of intense treatment we were not able to save that dog.

Hemlock Water Dropwort. Photo. John Elliott

 

 

 

 

My Cuckoo flies south.

 

  Cuach Torc.

 The latest bulletin from the BTO.

 After a bit of a hiatus, Irish Cuckoo Cuach Torc is on the move again. He has flown 773 km (480 miles) south from Bosnia & Herzegovina to southern Greece. He has spent the last couple of days in the countryside around the town of Gytheio, on the eastern shore of the Mani Peninsula. Will he be the next to attempt to cross the Sahara?

 

New Tagged Cuckoo.

 

    Cuach Torc.

 

 Following the untimely death of Cuach Carron, which never managed to leave the area where it was born, I have adopted a new Cuckoo,  Cuach Torc, which comes from southern Ireland, and is now well on its way to its African wintering grounds, Here is the latest bulletin from the BTO.

After about a week on the Adriatic coast close to Ravenna in northern Italy, Cuach Torc has flown 530 km (329 miles) south-east, across the Adriatic Sea.

Having initially made landfall on the border between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, he has since moved further inland into Bosnia and Herzegovina.

He is now nearby the town of Bileca in East Herzegovina, close to the border with Montenegro.

Orchid blooms again

  Pyramidal Orchid.  Photo. John Elliott   

 

 

 

 The very small Pyramidal Orchid which appeared in the valley last year has re-appeared recently. There was a much better specimen in 2021 but that was dug up and lost, so this unusually stunted specimen which is difficult to see, may survive.

Damselflies on the up

  

 

  Beatiful Demoiselle.   Photo. John Elliott

 During the last three or four days the eastern end of the village has been invaded by many Beautiful Demoiselle damselflies.The male is easily reconised by its bright blue body and blueish, almost black, wings. The female has a green body, and wings with an overall light brown colouration. These lovely insects I first noted in the stream down the Weymouth Road a few years ago. They now seem to be working their way up stream so we have a chance of seeing them without facing the traffic hazards of that road.

My New Cuckoo.

 Following the untimely death of my sponsored Cuckoo, JAC, I have sponsored another one - Cuach Cannon.

     Cuach Cannon

              

 Cuach is the Irish name for Cuckoo, and Carran is the name of a mountain in the Burren National Park where this bird was tagged.

On examining him, the tagging team were able to establish that Carran is a juvenile male, hatched last year. All the other tagged birds this year are full adults.

Since being tagged, Carran has remained at his tagging location.

I have happy memories of a visit to the Burren, with its abundant wildlife, some years ago while on a journey through Ireland. I like to remember also that some of my ancestors were among the many thousands who had to leave Ireland due to the failure of the potato crop in 1845.

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Sad news in the latest BTO bulletin

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JAC's movements

09 Jun 2023 - The end of the road for Cuckoo JAC

We are very sad to report that we have heard the last from Cuckoo JAC.

JAC, named in loving memory of Professor Jenny Clack, was tagged at World’s End near Llangollen on 1 June 2021. Since then we have had the privilege of tracking him over two full migration cycles from Wales to Africa and back.

His route south across the Sahara took him via Algeria and Mali to the Sahelian areas of Burkina Faso or Niger. He then spent some time in northern Nigeria before heading on to the Congo. On his return migration north, he visited West Africa where he stopped in Ivory Coast in 2022 and Guinea in 2023, arriving back in Llangollen around the end of April each year. 

The diagnostic data received from his tag shows the recorded temperature dropping and this, along with the fact that he appears to have been stationary for quite a while, suggests that he has perished (rather than there being a tag failure).

He has made a very valuable contribution to our growing knowledge of Cuckoo ecology and we will miss reporting on his movements. 

Hemlock Water Dropwrort, Britain's deadliest plant.

   Hemlock Water Dropwort.   Photo. John M Elliott

 Providing a fine show just in time for this year's Open Gardens are the white umbels of Hemlock Water Dropwort all along the South Winterborne. This, Britain;s deadliest plant, is flourishing in the village as a result of the riperian owner's; 'gardening' efforts in the name of flood prevention. Last year a lamb was poisoned in the village -thankfully it recovered - but a few years ago a Dorchester dog had to be put down after eating the roots. 

Writing in the Gaurdian's Country Diary recently Jim Perrin remembers a Welsh instance, this time of human poisonning.

Harlech, Gwynedd                                                                                                                                   The path climbs slate steps before slanting left through oakwoods alive with the song of warblers.A long climbing traverse with views of Yr Wyddfa lures you on, takes you to the wood's boundary. I lean against a wall, look around, and down to my right in a moist ditch see a plant of which all who venture into the Welsh countryside should be very wary.

Its an umbellifer, less tall than hogweed. I check out crucial detail. White flower-clustersare already present. Stems are hairless and hollow, lacking purple blotches low down that would identify this specimen as Conium maculafum (hemlock). It's Oenanthe crocata, hemlockwater dropwort, deadliest of all British plants, every part of it very poisonous. A memberof the carrot family, it has pale, tuberous roots - dead man’s finger. Foragers beware! I first encountered it when I lived in Cwm Pennant in the mid-1970s. Three friends who rented the small cottage of Tanygraig used to call for tea at my house up-the valley. They were pleasant idealists, committed to an alternative lifestyle, living as much as possible off the land. They gathered some of those-tubers from the riverbank, grated them into a salad, served it up with sorrel and dandelion and ate it with home-baked bread. Later that evening they fell violently ill. All three were taken to hospital in Bangor.

 

My Hedgehog.

Hedgehogs are usually nocturnal, and if seen in daylight it is either because they are not very well or are feeding young. The one that turned up to feed last night just after nine o'clock seemed as active as normal and quite fit, so hopefully it has young somewhere in my garden or the next door neighbour’s gardens. No trouble taking a picture.

Hedgehog feeding in daylight.  Photo. John M Elliott

 

 I am still trying to get the  hedgehog video mentoned in an earlier post to an acceptable length. Watch this space.

Garlic.

 

Our flora is constantly changing, with some losses and some gains. Hedge Mustard, which for many years flowered on the bridleway to Ewelease Dairy, disappeared last year, but I notice a single plant is now in bloom a bit further up the hill. Thale Cress which was present on the road to Rew seems to have been lost

The most spectacular arrivals in the last two years have been orchids, with Southern Marsh Orchid in the village itself and Pyramidal Orchid further down the valley. (The first Pyramidal which appeared in 2021 was unfortunately dug up and lost.) Orchid seed ,which is produced by the millions, is very small and wind borne, so perhaps we can hope for seed from the thousands of Bee Orchids on the Weymouth Relief Road to come our way.

Though it is present in the village, Wild Garlic or Ramsoms seems to be a new arrival in the Grove Hill Bottom wood where I noticed a couple of plants today. Its Dorset name is given as Brandy Bottles, goodness knows why.

 

                 Wild Garlic.   Photo. John Elliott

 Cow Parsely, though by no means a new arrival, is making a magnificent show this year along the verges, and increasingly in some of our more neglected fields. Also known as Queen Anne’s Lace, with Dorset variants being My Lady’s Lace and Queen Anne’s Lace Handkerchief, as well as Eldrot and Gypsy Lace.

Garden Hedgehog Video.

 Kind neighbours gave me a Hedgehog Feeding Kit for my 93rd birthday recently. It was instantly a success in that the pellets disappeared each night, but I wasn't at all sure what was eating them, apart from a Rook that gobbled them down just as the light started to fade. (Lesson No.1. Wait 'till it's dark before putting the pellets out)  The dishes supplied with the kit I have gradually moved nearer until they are lit by the house lights. These don't seem to alarm  them. I managed to get several still photos but the ultimate aim was video. which I managed to get a couple of days ago. The hedgehogs arrive regularly just after nine o'clock so it is not too time demanding  photographing them. The camera is hand held, which accounts for the movement, it would be better tripod mounted, must try that. The video is about 17 minutes long, with the animals appearing about 10 minutes in, so scroll along if you can't stand the suspense.

(video is being shortened to a length the software will accept)

My Cuckoo's a Winnner

The latest bulletin from BTO on my tagged Cucko0, JAC.

JAC wins the race home Llangollen Cuckoo JAC arrived back on Saturday.

Dear John,                  We are delighted to be able to bring you the good news this morning that two of our tagged Cuckoos have successfully completed their return journeys back to their UK breeding grounds. Llangollen Cuckoo JAC completed his migration back to his breeding grounds over the weekend. Over the last three months he has flown 8,270km (5,138 miles) on his migration north and has arrived at his breeding grounds approximately one week earlier than last year. We have now tracked him over two complete migrations to Africa and back. In 2021 he departed on 23 June and in 2022 he left on on 20 June so we expect him to stay in the World's End area for approximately two months before heading off on his return migration to the Congo.

 

My Cuckoo still moving north.

 The latest bulletin from the BTO.

 The Cuckoos have been very active since our last update and we have a new leader in the race back to the UK. When we last updated you Llangollen Cuckoo JAC had become the first of our tagged birds to cross the Sahara and he continued straight on to Spain. He has since flown a further 515km (320 miles) north east from his last location in Andalusia. He is now close to the village of Graja de Campalbo in the province of Cuenca, Castilla-La Mancha.

My Cuckoo crosses the Sahara.

   Llangollen Cuckoo JAC has not only crossed the Sahara but continued on into Spain. He has flown 3,047km (1,893 miles) north since our last update, taking him from south eastern Guinea over the Sahara and the Strait of Gibraltar into southern Spain. He is now close to the town of Gaucín in the mountains of Andalusia in Málaga. Last year he stayed in southern Spain until 26 April when he moved north again, arriving back in Llangollen on 29 April. It'll be interesting to see whether he takes a break in Spain this year before embarking on the next stage of his migration. 

What an amzing journey.

My garden Hedgehog.

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 Over the last fifty or so years night-time visitors to my garden have included Badgers, Foxes and Hedgehogs, with the latter the most easily seen, as they seem not terribly worried by either light or sound from me. I even managed to tread on one on one occasion, and once rescued a rolled up, squealing hedgehog which a badger was trying to unroll. 

 Kind neighbours gave me a Hedgehog Feeding Kit for my .recent 93rd birthday. I started this off at the far end of the garden and gradually moved it nearer the house until it became illuminated by the house lights and I could see what was happening. Here is last night’s picture -  now for some video.

   Hedgehog in Tregerrick garden.   Photo: John Elliott.

 

My Cuckoo on the move.

 

 Yesterday's BTO bulletin on my tagged Cuckoo, JAC

 Since arriving in Guinea on 28 Feb JAC has flown a short distance north and is now halfway between Diassadougou and Guieredougou in eastern Guinea. He has spent approximately 20 days in this area preparing for the next leg of his northward migration. Last year he began crossing the Sahara on 7th April, so be prepared for JAC to migrate within the next 3 weeks. 

Snake Violets.

 

 Dog Violets.  Photo: John Elliott

Species come and species go. During nearly fifty years in the village there have been quite a few changes, birds in particular have suffered losses, Greater Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Nuthatches and Tree creepers being notable examples. These are typically woodland birds likely to fall prey to Grey Squirrels. Among plants Brooklime with its attractive blue flowers, seems to have gone from the stream, but Hemlock Water Dropwort, Britain’s most poisonous plant, is flourishing, largely due to the riparian owners ‘gardening’ in the name of flood prevention.

It was a pleasure therefor to see a patch of about 35 Dog Violets (Snake Violets in Dorset dialect) beside the footpath behind the Manor House this morning. I don’t recall seeing these in the village before. Violets are the food plant for all the Fritillary species, the most likely of which is the Silver Washed Fritillary, since there is a sizable colony of these up on Black Down and they might well spread from there into the village.

A further delight today, the sulfurous yellow of a Brimstone butterfly in my front garden, with one reported further down the village

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Local nature artist.

 

Jindra Jehu is a visual artist and educator living in Martinstown. Her work is concerned with nature and science and is influenced by her local environment, including the Winterborne Valley.

 It was short listed in the Woman Science Photographer of the Year competition.

  Photo. Jindra Jehu

A paper and engine oil structure transformed by the growth of pink oyster mushrooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jindra Jehu

A paper and engine oil structure transformed by the growth of pink oyster mushrooms, by Jindra Jehu (above);

My Cuckoo is on the move back to Wales.

 An update on my sposore Cuckoo JAC, received today from the BTO.

 

JAC reaches Guinea Llangollen Cuckoo JAC

Dear John, Since our last update both JAC and Joe have made the first big moves of their spring migrations. Having spent the last few weeks in the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a new update received on 22 February showed that JAC had flown 1,915km (1,190 miles) west to Nigeria. A few days later he flew a further 1,390km (864 miles) west to his current location in south eastern Guinea. He is now approximately 200km south east of Cuckoo Ellis. In 2022 JAC stopped off in Ivory Coast from 27 Feb to 7 April when he embarked on his desert crossing, arriving back in the UK on 29 April.

Rooks starting their year.

 

                                                           Nesting Rooks.      Photo. John Elliott

 The Horse Chestnut tree outside my bedroom window is becoming a hive of activity as the seven pairs of Rooks make a start on the new nests for this year. Last year's nests, all except one, have been torn down and twigs from the Horse Chestnut, or from further afield, are carefully placed in position. Getting the first stick to stay in the crook of the branch can often take several days, with any dropped sticks not being recovered but left littering my drive or the pavement. 

Half a Wood Pigeon's egg shell on the drive among the sticks indicates an early hatching somewhere close, perhaps in the Pittosporum at the other side of the gate. I hope the chicks are surviving the recent frosty nights. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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First sign of Spring.

              Butterbur              Photo John Elliott

The first of our early spring flowers, Butterbur, is now showing a few blooms  on the bank of the Winterborne at the eastern end of the village. So called from the large leaves which follow the flowers and were used to wrap butter.  It has two Dorset dialect names, 'Early Mushroom' arising from the  flowering stems as they push through the soil in early spring looking like small button mushrooms, and also 'Snake's Rhubarb'.

It shares medicinal properties with the related Coltsfoot which also blooms before the leaves show, and which used to grow abundantly on the village verges (until the Council  adopted its present policy of twice yearly cuts and removal of the grass to encourage the growth of wild flowers!) The dried roots, "powdered and mixed into wine, were taken against fevers, especially the plague." I wouldn't try it for Covid though as the roots may be confused with those of the much commoner Hemlock Water Dropwort, our most poisonous plant.

Butterbur also occurs at the western end of the village, both sites being possible locations for mediaeval water mills. Could there be a connection?

                                                         Butterbur              Photo John Elliott