The Backyard Jungle

Saturday, 18 April 2020

Sunday 3rd May - Dawn Chorus Day

As some of you may already know, International Dawn Chorus Day is coming up soon, every year taking place on the first Sunday of May - this year that's the 3rd. Normally, this day and the week either side is the time when local nature reserves organise early morning walks; waking up and getting out early to experience the incredible sound of nature waking up, with the summer migrants back and in full song and the chance of a winter lingerer or something rare turning up too.

The last 2 years, I've got up at 4:30am and headed out to my local patch for an organised walk. These have been unforgettable experiences, hearing my first (and only) Nightingale and seeing things like Common Sandpiper and Cuckoo for the first time too. It's truly incredible to stand there in the darkness, the human world not yet polluting the air with noise, as hundreds of birds serenade you with song from every side!

Obviously that's not going to happen this year. There'll be no organised events with groups getting together to share in the magic of the Dawn Chorus. But I'm going to get up at 5am anyway, and I'm trying to get as many people as possible to join me. Set up the deckchair in the garden, and relax as you absorb the sounds of nature. Coronavirus may have ruined the social aspect of these walks, but it can't take away the magic!

Please share this far and wide; you're more than welcome to copy and share this but otherwise write up your own experiences, tell all your friends! Lets see how many people we can get outside in the garden at 5am on the 3rd May, discovering a beautiful side of the natural world not usually witnessed.

The International Dawn Chorus Day is usually shared using #IDCD but this year I'll be using #MyGardenIDCD, please use this to spread the word and share your experience on the day. We may not be able to visit the same places as last year, or see the same people as last year, but we won't let Covid-19 bring us down!

Friday, 27 March 2020

Wildlife in Quarantine

It’s hard to think of positives about the situation we all suddenly find ourselves in. However, if there’s one good thing about Coronavirus, lockdown and self-isolation, it’s that we’ve all got time to spend in our gardens to really appreciate the wealth of wildlife quite literally on our doorsteps, that so often goes unnoticed as we go about our normal work and school lives. Since I’ve been in self-isolation for a week now so can’t even have a quick walk round the patch, I’ve been making a big effort to really get to know the nature out in my garden – both the common and rarer species.

The first way I’ve done this is simply going outside and looking. Already I’ve had 2 garden lifers – a RAVEN which flew over today and a PEREGRINE that has visited a few times in the last week, today seen mobbing a Red Kite! I’ve also seen my first ever HAIRY-FOOTED FLOWER BEES, as well as plenty of DARK-EDGED BEE-FLIES. It’s really feeling like spring is upon us, with the BLUE TITS darting in and out of the nest box, NURSERY WEB SPIDERS sunbathing on the geraniums and butterflies fluttering around – PEACOCK, COMMA and BRIMSTONE have all visited in the last few days. Migration is really kicking off, with a lots of CHAFFINCHES on the move – I had a flock of 11 go through the other day – and raptors dispersing to their breeding grounds – I’ve seen RED KITES, BUZZARDS and SPARROWHAWKS regularly, as well as the Peregrine. I’m yet to see any of the rarer migrants, such as Little Gull and Osprey, but with them turning up randomly across the UK at the moment anyone has a chance!

The second activity I’ve recently started is moth-trapping. I got a moth trap for my birthday but it was too cold in January, but since school ended I’ve started putting it out regularly, and so far I’ve caught a grand total of 3 moths – BRINDLED BEAUTY, HEBREW CHARACTER and COMMON QUAKER. These 3 are all relatively common, but still all lifers for me! Hopefully as the nights start to warm up I’ll catch bigger numbers, and maybe get some rarities too.

Finally, I decided that, to keep me busy, I’d give ‘nocmig’ a go. Nocmig, short for Nocturnal Migration, is done by leaving a microphone in the garden all night, then looking through the track the next day to see what flew overhead. I was very surprised to discover the huge range of species that fly over urban areas in the middle of the night, some of which you’d never see during the day. In just 3 nights, I’ve had plenty of REDWINGS heading off to their breeding grounds in Scandinavia, giving their high-pitched “seep” call so typical of winter nights. As well as this I’ve also heard the local pair of LITTLE OWLS, a DUNNOCK, a MALLARD, a flock of WIGEON and (most unexpected of all) a REDSHANK! Both these were new species for the garden, and definitely not ones I’d predicted would come soon!

It’s really incredible just how much wildlife there is to be found metres from your home, and I really recommend everyone goes out there (if you haven’t already) and sees what they can find. Professional recording equipment and moth traps can cost £100s but both can be home-made for relatively little, and they are great ways to pass this time and discover so much about areas of the natural world you may never have even noticed before!