Gatley Carrs Conservation Group
NEWSLETTER 12 - June 2008

Dear Members,
At last summer is upon us. The Carrs are looking great. The meadow has turned out well and as always there are a few surprise species cropping up here and there if you look closely. The woods are full of bird song now but the winds at the end of May gave them something of a battering, with more than one tree felled and boughs lost. Many of the shrubby whips we planted four years ago are now maturing. Elder, Viburnum and Dogwood are all flowering this summer.

So far this year, we have seen some changes on the footpath along Gatley Brook. Access has been widened and gravel laid right through to Lorna Grove Bridge. Our thanks to all involved and to the Area Committee for providing funding for more gravel.

The Boardwalk between Lorna Grove bridge and the 39 steps has still not been repaired and this is currently out of our hands. Hopefully this will be resolved before the autumn.

We held Task Days in February, April and May. We have been working on the paths and car park, planting phragmites reeds around the pond, seed sowing and plug planting on the meadow. Many thanks to those who have been growing plants at home this Spring. Bit by bit we are adding to the meadow, seeing what works and what doesn’t.

Many thanks to those who purchased trees early in the year. Despite hard frosts during the week they arrived, all seem to have taken well. We planted them together on a plot between the ponds and the field. Thanks to those who have donated money to the Conservation Group this year. We have had some generous donations which go along way towards supporting our projects.

We are currently working on designing leaflets to promote Gatley Carrs and hope to have these in circulation in the next few weeks. We have a few ideas for new projects over the next couple of years. We would also appreciate everyone’s thoughts and ideas for maintenance, changes or projects you might like to see at the Carrs. Contact us at admin@gatleycarrs.org.uk

See details of our next meeting and task days at www.gatleycarrs.org.uk , as well as notices pinned up on site.

Peter Wolstenholme (RSPB) will hold a guided tour of parts of the Carrs on Monday 23rd June from the car park, 6.30pm. This trip should take just over an hour and will give you the chance to become better acquainted with the natural history of the reserve. See Peter’s nature notes below.

Nature Notes

The first of January brought the Song Thrush into the dawn chorus, which was very welcome.
Mistle Thrushes were still in song in the poplar plantation. Up to 20 Siskin’s called from the Alder trees whilst feeding from the Alder cones.

Later in the month, the stream overtopped the banks and flooded the low lying Carrs. Three Common Snipe, long billed waders with zigzagging flight, landed on the floods. Two Grey Herons flew over the water, perhaps they may eventually nest.
Up to a dozen Mallards settled on the water with two pairs of Moorhen, plus odd pairs of Canada Geese were prospecting for nesting sites.
In the last week of the month, Blackbird joined the songsters with its slow dreamy song. Chaffinches were also beginning to utter their first tentative notes by month end.

February saw Pussy Willows flowering as did Blackthorn. Hazel Catkins have appeared and Ransoms, or Wild Garlic was beginning to sprout. At the month end Hawthorn was in leaf.
Most resident song birds were in song including Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Dunnock, Wren and Robin. Early in the month there were flocks of up to 12 Long tailed Tits, and by month end pairs were frantically looking for nest sites. Also, Great Spotted Woodpeckers were drumming on tree branches.
There were now up to 5 Canada Geese on the water and two Kingflshers had spent time feeding among the branches of trees overlooking the pool. A single KestreI spent much time perched on fence posts around the Wildflower meadow hunting for small rodents.
Up to 70 Blackheaded Gulls gathered on the meadow to feed.

March was a cold wet and windy month with rather few hours of bright sunlight.
Small birds were still busily feeding at the peanuts, sunflower seeds and fat balls until the 31st with Bullfinch, Goldfinch and Greenfinch, Long tailed Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits eating voraciously.

Many of the flowers which had first appeared in February in small numbers had been much more abundant in March. Blackthorn and Lesser Celandine brightened the days. Pussy Willows were attracting masses of bumble bees. Dandelions flowered among the grass and Golden King Cups were in full bloom along the streams and around the pools. One or two Small White Butterflies were on the wing towards month end.

Throughout the winter single Robins have been singing in competition with each other but in mid March two appeared together on a bird table, showing that the birds were pairing and preparing to nest as their winter rivalry is forgotten. Nuthatches call loudly from the trees around the Lorna Grove Bridge. The first Chiffchaff of the spring was at long last in full song.

In some ways the 27th March marked the end of winter, as what was probably the last wintering bird from Scandinavia was still on the Carrs. A single Redwing, with red underwing and white stripe above the eye fed on the ground and flew into the trees. On the 28th up to 10 Common Snipe were feeding on the wet marshy land of the eastern Carrs. By April they had left heading north.

A pair of Kingfishers remained on the pool and there were two pairs of Grey Wagtail along the stream. A single Coot, a scarce visitor to the Carrs these days, dived for food and has a white beak and forehead. A pair of Canada Geese had been settling somewhere by the water’s edge.

Two other species of bird of prey were observed in March. A pair of Common Buzzard sailed high overhead one day during the last week and a pair of Kestrel could be seen sat on fence posts on most days and searching for voles and shrews on the edge of the wildflower meadow.
The rarest bird of the month was a small relative of the Curlew - the Whimbrel or ‘seven whistler’ which flew northwards calling. This bird is moving from its wintering grounds in West Africa.

During April, the songbirds had been very much in evidence despite the rain. Nuthatches and Treecreepers had both been proclaiming territory with song. Near the bridge Great Spotted Woodpeckers have been drumming loudly. They have also caused some damage to nest boxes by unwanted excavation of nesting holes. The eastern entrance to the reserve is favoured by Gold crest which sings in the pine trees near the gate. Wren, Robins and Dunnock also provided more elements of dawn and dusk chorus.

Summer migrants also joined the songsters throughout the month. Chiffchaffs sung and it’s close relative the Willow Warbler with it’s sweet descending trill, which used to be the commonest spring migrant, sang for two or three days and then moved on north. Since the 2nd of the month the Blackcap has sung daily. The song of the Whitethroat, another member of the warbler tribe, sang its scratchy song “a witchet. a watchet. a witchet” as it took up summer quarters on the more open ground near the wild flower meadow.

Wildflowers have flowered profusely during the month. Kingcups and wood anemones in damper areas. Three species of garlic flowered, Ransomes In profusion by the stream, and Field Garlic above the pool three cornered leek near the footpath.
Up to ten Fritillary or Snakeshead Lily were on the flower meadow.
By the dipping pool was the tall white flower of Summer Snow flake. Three plants of wild arum, Lords and Ladies were flowering on the east side of the reserve

A welcome addition of frogspawn from a nearby garden pond helped to augment the number of tadpoles in the large pool. We were thrilled to hear of a newt nearby although there was no information about which species was involved.

Around the pool, a pair of Tufted Duck were visitors for two days - as last year, but at least two Coots were present all month. During the last ten days one or two Dabchicks or Little Grebe were on the pool. It would be a delight if this species could also be proved to nest. Reed Bunting sang from the willows above the pond.

Late in the month several pairs of Peacock Butterflies displayed on the warmer days. A single Small White Butterfly was over the meadow and an early Speckled Wood appeared briefly at month end. The brilliant blue Alder Leaf Beetle has returned to the Alder trees.

As May arrived temperatures rose and remained high throughout most of the month.
Of the summer bird species there were many sightings of Chiffchaff, Blackcap and Whitethroat, with a pair of Garden Warblers on the 5th. Large numbers of Swifts fed over the Poplar plantation, with occasionally Swallow and House Martin.

Two Herons collected sticks early in the month but there was no more evidence of potential nesting, although one remained on the pool until month end. On the 3rd of the month a pair of Canada Geese were feeding seven downy yellow young but by the 30th there were only three well grown young about.

Further evidence of breeding was provided by Moorhen and Mallard and we also had a positive nesting record for the first time of Coot, which was collecting nesting material on the 5th and feeding two tiny young by the 28th. Dabchick continue with their characteristic whinnying call until at least the 23rd but as yet we have no sightings of young.
Two Kingfishers have persisted throughout the month on the pond, along the stream and in the marshes among the willows on the north side of the pond. There is, however, still no positive proof of attempted breeding this year.

Butterflies this month included several Orange Tips, Small White, Peacocks and a couple of Holly Blue. Several Speckled Woods were displaying on the woodland edge.

Mammals remained unseen or unobtrusive with a Weasel reported by the pool and several sightings early morning and late evening of Fox.

As usual May was a riot of colour among the plants. Ransoms flowered in vast numbers by the bridge and even by the end of the month the familiar pungent scent of garlic pervaded the stream edge. On the field we had Red Campion, Red Clover, Herb Robert, Cow Parsley, Tufted Vetch, Green Alkanet, Solomon’s seal and Dead Nettle, whilst near the pond were Red Poppy and Yellow Ir.

On the wildflower meadow as the Fritillary died down at the start of the month other plants came into view including White Campion, Buttercup, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Bluebell, and Ragged Robin. Great Burnet. Bugle, Sweet Alyssum, Winter cress, Forget- me-not, Hop Trefoil, Charlock, Common Vetch, and Cut-leaved Cranes Bill.
At the end of the month the first Oxeye Daisies were unfolding and we could see that the Cornflower would soon follow.
Near the dog memorial flowered Yellow Archangel and near Mr Pickup’s bench the silver weed began to flower.
PW