Mud, murk & mystery solved

Sparkling oak leaf at the Brickworks

Bovingdon (BMT): The weekend doesn’t seem to have incorporated a great deal of daylight. Darkness, yes. Drizzle, yes. Rain, yes. And, at the Brickworks, mud. Lots and lots of mud. I also have a sore throat, which of course adds to the general sense of gloom. However, in spite of all that, I thoroughly enjoyed my muddy wander this morning.

Views in the murk and mud at Bovingdon Brickworks this morning

As I walked through the mudow (that’s mud/meadow) (top left "view"), a Song Thrush was singing in the trees to my right. A crystal clear, full-bodied melody of flutes and whistles, projected far and wide. It was better than sunshine. Up ahead of me, I spotted another 5 Song Thrushes together in a bush and, behind me, 2 more. There were at least 10 around the site. A flock of 40+ Goldfinches were feeding on thistle seeds, along with Chaffinches and a mix of Tits. Last week, I’d counted at least 20 Blackbirds within the scrub and, easily, 5 Green Woodpeckers. 3 Jays gave me glimpses of white rumps and a couple of Fieldfare swapped one tree for another. Towards the end of my squelching, I chanced upon a Robin quietly singing his pretty sub-song. It was as though he was testing the air to see if anyone was listening. Delicate yet sure and another ray of sunshine.

The main reason for my visit today was to retrieve the trail camera, which had been out overnight. I modified the set up slightly by a) moving the camera much closer to the burrow entrance and b) reducing the glare of the red LEDs with some sheer red fabric taped over the top. As before, I aimed the lens into the distance, again to reduce glare, and I put out a few peanuts and sunflower hearts to entice little creatures to do more than dash, dart and streak across screen. The results weren’t bad.

I’ve put together 60 seconds worth from the 120+, 14 second clips that were captured. All occurred between 21:00 and 00:00 yesterday.



So, the mystery homemaker is definitely a mouse and we have at least 2 living in this burrow. They’re likely Wood Mice (Apodemus sylvaticus) but I think only daytime footage would clinch it (fur colour). I confess, I had hoped for Bank Voles but, even so, it’s been useful to get some experience with the trail camera and learn more about the habits of Wood Mice.

Snapshots from the cycle of life

Hemel & Bovingdon (BMT): I thought you’d all be pleased to hear that a) no-one has nicked the chicken wire off the Kidney Vetch and b) the Kidney Vetch has not yet been eaten by slugs or rabbits. So far, so good.

Out on Blackbirds Moor this week, a Mistle Thrush has started singing. According to garden-birds, they’re the first of the Thrushes to begin singing in the lead up to spring, getting started in December. The Blackbird follows and then the Song Thrush. I really do love how nature seems to approach winter with outright optimism: buds are already formed, birds are starting to sing and the year’s end is still 3 weeks away. It’s as if nature shouts “spring is coming!” from the moment it ends until the moment it arrives.

Wednesday bucked the trend and was actually sunny. Blue sky, heart-lifting sunny. Earlier in the week, the Siskin flock by the canal had increased to more than 30 birds and I hoped that I might be able to get some photographs or better video footage. I achieved neither. Either the birds were obscured by cones, catkins or other inconsiderate portions of tree. Or, the light was so harsh and awkward that only bits of bird were visible whilst the rest was lost in pitch black shadow. This photographic farce was mercifully curtailed by the flock only staying about 10 minutes out of the hour or more I was there. By mid-morning, it was time to do something else.

At the Brickworks, two curious burrows have appeared. Each is located on the side of a bank of earth, with a circular entrance 40-45mm diameter (see above). Something has obviously dug extensively, piling up soil like larva in front of the holes. Yesterday, I set up a camera trap to run overnight, hoping to solve the mystery.

Early this morning, I was greeted by the resident Kestrel (top photo) and the trap had been triggered. Only 2 clips were of any use. A couple of more knowledgable friends suggest the small mammal might be a Wood Mouse. Having encountered youngsters on site back in July, we know they're present. Better footage would certainly help, so, if I can achieve that ahead of Christmas, I will. With a bit of luck, the beady-eyed Kestrel won't have eaten them all before I can identify them!