June in Bicknor Wood

The weather has been teasing us again. Why is it called "flaming June"? Answers on a postcard please. We seem to have been waiting ages, but at last we have a full canopy of leaves and a cool, shady wood. Birds have been difficult to find amongst all those leaves and the summer months are often referred to as "the doldrums" by birders.

Only 20 bird species were observed during June, but the life list has grown to 49 with the inclusion of House Martin on 13th June. 2 Great Tit chicks were seen on the 9th.

The Great Spotted Woodpeckers fledged a single chick on June 3rd, but since then, the woods have been very quiet. Most of the small birds that only breed once are high in the canopy and no longer defending territories or feeding noisy chicks. Robins, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes may have multiple nests in a season, so they are still singing. 

Unlike the previous months when a single species of flower dominated, June has been the month of variety and subtlety. The Red Campion has been very common and stands out in the the shadows.

 The inflorescences on nettles and docks are less showy and can easily be missed.

Perforate St John's Wort

Our "perfect fern" still evades confident identification. Ferns can be seen through the year with foliage that persists through the winter.

Brambles retain functional leaves during the colder months, but burst with fresh greens in spring. Foxgloves also keep a presence above ground during the winter, but became really showy from early June.

If anyone has taken any photos of the flowers, please send them to me at redgannet@gmail.com. Thank you.

Bugs are cold-blooded and need the warmth of the sun to get them stirring in the morning. The daisies on the southern prairies (ie The Coppice) were very productive with a close up lens on June 2nd.

Most of the flower beetles might be expected, but an Azure Damselfly was a surprise.

Green Shield Bug Palomina prasina

The brambles have started flowering and attract insects galore. Very few hoverflies have common names, indicating perhaps the popularity of hoverfly-spotting as a past-time. This one does though, a migratory species from all across Europe, it is the Marmalade Hoverfly more frequently known as Episyrphus balteatus.

Another immigrant that looks to be here to stay is the Tree Bumblebee Bombus hypnorum. First acknowledged in the UK in only 2001, it has spread as far as Bicknor Wood and has extended its range far beyond.

The short-lived Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria, butterflies are increasingly common in sunny spots amongst the brambles.

Bird list for June;

Woodpigeon, Jay, Wren Mistle Thrush, Song Thrush, Blackbird, Robin, Herring Gull, Dunnock, Magpie, Collared Dove, Chiffchaff, Blackcap, Chaffinch, House Martin, Starling, Crow, Blue Tit, Woodpecker, Great Tit.

Plant species for June;

Bristly Oxtongue, Smooth Sow Thistle, Prickly Sow Thistle, Lady Fern, Wood Dock, Broad-leaved Willowherb, Rosebay Willowherb, Rough Hawk's Beard, Mugwort, Hedge Woundwort, Common Vetch, Foxglove, Common Figwort, Cinquefoil.