Autumn on the local patch - 2019

The Local Patch, an enigma, the nearest area of countryside, a place that is not necessarily a nature reserve, or anywhere managed for wildlife, yet is the birdwatcher's most watched of places. Mine is an area of farmland a short walk away from where I live, an area of large arable fields, horse grazed pasture, and the odd tree and hedgerow. Its not great for birds but is interesting to see how wildlife survives in a place that is the general "countryside".

 

  Pylons are a real feature of the Local Patch

  

Autumn started with a CUCKOO on 19 August. It was perched on a fence by Rise Hall farm buildings, but flew off as I tried to get closer. This is a good late record for this species and a first for the patch.
After that things quietened down for a bit. As the calendar moved from August to September the weather really lost its heat and things felt colder, more Autumnally. A CORMARANT remained for a while, this is a rare sighting for an area with very little water.

CORMARANT seen around the Reservoir during August

 

On the 2 September there was a good movement of birds. A finch flock 50-strong was present comprised mainly of GREENFINCHES, GOLDFINCHES and LINNETS, made up of mainly local birds, it shows that there seems to have been a good breeding season. Also present in the area were several CHIFFCHAFFS, some BLACKCAPS, one LESSER WHITETHROAT and one smart SPOTTED FLYCATCHER. There were also large numbers of SWALLOWS swooping to grab at bugs congregating over the fields. All these birds were found in the Suffolk Punch Field, which is the main migrant catch point in the area, a field of pasture with scattered bushes.

Tractor with attendant GULLS

 



I visited the area on 11 Sept, and things had quietened down, but I was able to see more of the patch. A flock of 16 YELLOWHAMMERS were feeding on stubble way out near Rede Wood. In the wood itself I saw two FALLOW DEER, which is a new patch records as there isn't really any other areas of woodland, I think they must have come down from the woodland around Shrublands. On that day as I cycled up to Shrublands I passed a sand quarry, where in some overgrown areas I encountered a flock of 30 LINNETS, which is always a nice find as they are probably locally born birds. There wasn't really much in Shrublands itself.

 

 

 Shot of the landscape of the Local Patch

Autumn always brings an influx of GEESE to the pond area, swelling the resident population. The geese can increase to over a hundred birds, but numbers were a bit lower this year.
On the 18 Sept a dead BADGER was seen on the road by Thurleston Lane. It was a complete surprise as I had no idea any of these animals were present on the patch. But it shows how roads can block in wildlife, act as an artificial boundary and stops their movement. The road was a quiet country lane, so its sad the animal was hit by a car.
As the days get shorter JAYS become more common, starting with a flock of six on the 27 August. After that large numbers were seen every time I went down to the patch, singles flying between trees, their distinctive white rumps obvious in flight.
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Burnt out scooter in the dried up stream

 

I don't normally see many people on the patch, despite it  being a boundary to north west Ipswich.

There are a few dog walkers, horse riders, and joggers amongst others. To be honest this is what I want as its an easy place to escape human life and access into nature and some relaxation of the soul. The countryside is a great resource for people, but we don't have any say about how the countryside is managed. I often feel so impotent when I find yet more habitat has been damaged, in a way that is out of my control.
There are occasional signs that remind you there is an urban environment less than half a mile away. A torched scooter was found in the stream. The fire seems to have burnt out a large chunk of River Meadow, although there are now grown shoots showing in the blackened earth.

 PARASOL FUNGI - apparently quite edible if you dare 

 

On the 1 October there was a flock of 10 MEADOW PIPITS in Lark Field, along with five LINNETS and a couple of LARKS. This place is a large arable field which lies on the downslope of the area and has the largest number of breeding and wintering larks on the Patch. In the same area on 9 October there was a flock of 30 LINNETS, I'm not sure if its different flocks, or just one flock roving the countryside, and a flock of 15 LARKS, which is about usual, local birds gathering together for the winter.

 

I have no idea what this bit of equipment is, found on a farm near Shrublands

 

Being an area of countryside that's not managed with wildlife in mind, it is harder to find any birds out here. There are days, where the areas of featureless farmland have no birds in them at all. That can be quite disheartening as its the same story in a lot of our countryside. We always associate the countryside with wildness, but its not really the case any more. The countryside can be as lifeless as an area of urban blight. Its shocking to think that we have lost half our wildlife since the 1970s, and yet what can we do? We can't turn the entire country into a giant nature reserve, so its up to the farmers to change things, and that means pressure coming down from government. Sadly that will never happen so things will never change and wildlife will continue to dwindle until there is precious little left.

My blog on the Local Patch ends slightly earlier for an Autumn report because on 12 October I shall be heading to the Sates to attend my brother's wedding. I know what you are thinking - how can an environmentalist, knowing what I do about climate change, really advocate travelling half way across the world. I don't know, and it shall weigh heavily on me.