November in the Valley

After a bright sunny start, October finished cold and frosty with even a slight powdering of snow on Wednesday 29th, but what has November got in store?  By the end of the month the trees will be bare and there will be little sign of insect life, although there are still plenty around.

Many insects, particularly wasps, will be feeding on late-flowering Ivy; watch them as they busy themselves feeding on the nectar. Others will be in their larvae or pupae forms sheltering from the weather - as well as hungry birds. Look in the nooks and crannies of walls, in hollow stems, under bark and stones and even underground. Dig carefully around the base of Lime, Poplar and Willow trees and you may find the pupae of many species of moth.

Watch out for Jays (our bird of the month) and Grey Squirrels ‘burying’ nuts in grass or leaf litter, all part of preparing their winter food stores.

During this month the numbers of wildfowl that migrate south to spend the winter on lakes in the Valley will be gradually increasing. Coots,
Mallards and others that bred here will be joined by birds of the same species from further north, as well as those that we only see in the winter, such as Widgeon, Goosander and Gadwall.
The Gadwall (pictured) is an inconspicuous greyish duck
but well worth looking out for.

     Another bird worth keeping an eye open for is the Sparrowhawk. This hunts its prey of small birds using the tactic of stealth, typically flying low behind hedgerows or fences to suddenly pop out to surprise flocks of feeding finches or sparrows. Sometimes it is the Sparrowhawk that gets the surprise if they pop over the hedge close to where you’re standing!

When you go out for a walk look for the Razor Strop fungus (Piptoporous betulinus), one of the most common large bracket fungus, found on the trunks of dying birch tree. It will often survive for two or three years providing food and shelter for many insects who overwinter as grubs deep within it. Keep a Razor Strop fungus in a container covered with a fine mesh and you will be surprised at the number of small flies that hatch out in spring.

As the leaves fall it becomes easier (if only slightly) to spot the Roe Deer that are resident in the Valley. Each patch of woodland, however small, seems to be visited by the deer. Evidence that they are around is not hard to spot on soft mud or sand, as they leave distinctive footprints. Look out for these along tracks and at the edge of water. Even with reduced cover in autumn and winter they are still elusive and you will be lucky to stumble upon a group (they are usually seen in twos or threes) before they bound away.

You may spot some of the Muntjac Deer that are also in
the Valley. They are about the size of a large dog, much smaller than the Roe Deer. They are usually seen alone and when disturbed tend to walk quietly away into the undergrowth rather than bounding away vigorously. Do let us know if you see either of them.

Sightings

Have you seen anything interesting, unusual or just something that has captured your imagination in the Valley this month? Whatever it is please send us details so we can put it on our Valley sightings page. We would love to receive your pictures as well.
This month’s sightings...

Things to do ...

For details of all events taking place this month visit the November events calendar.                        

  Bird of  Month
  Jay  >>>

 November sightings  >>>
 

 November events  >>>

  Fungi: Did you know?

* Wild fungi are collected and eaten in practically every part of the world. In fact the origin of this practice predates written records.
We know this through archaeological finds of puffball fragments
discovered in British
stone age sites.

* The words mushrooms and toadstools are interchangeable, used to mean any fleshy umbrella-shaped fungal fruit body, although some people tend to call any edible species mushrooms and refer to the poisonous ones as toadstools.

* A fungus grows as a system of branching tubes called hyphae. Each hypha is approximately 0.01 mm in diameter. As they grow the living matter inside the hypae tends to flow forwards into the newly formed tips, leaving the older parts with little content.

* Fungi continue to grow and feed as long as there is an adequate supply of food and while environmental conditions are favourable. When growth becomes limited by stressful conditions, such as food or water shortage or low temperature, most fungi respond by fruiting.