Nature Notes - March 2024
Sickleholme Nature Notes
“Will it ever stop raining” was a commonly expressed question as March restricted our golf as well as limiting the opportunities for wildlife watching.
There were, however, some early morning reports from Matt, who again saw the Barn Owl and regularly heard Tawny Owls calling. The latter are the commonest of our five breeding owl species, but are rarely seen in daytime unless discovered at their roost site. Soon after we started these monthly wildlife notes, Tanya (then one of the Greens staff) saw a Short-eared Owl patrolling the second fairway and after that a Little Owl next box was introduced between the 7th and 12th holes. There has been no sign of the latter species yet, but there have been regular sightings in Thornhill so we may yet be lucky in attracting a pair.
I did receive a second-hand report of about a dozen swans flying over the course. That would have been very rare for Mute Swans, so I immediately thought that these were Whooper Swans which are winter visitors from Iceland and north-west Europe (a very small number do breed in Scotland). This was all but confirmed, when thirty were observed spending several days on pools near Bradwell. At close range, they are easily told from the Mute Swans having smart yellow and black bills, rather than the orange of the resident species (see this month’s photo image). Whilst Mute Swans can, at best, make a hissing noise the Whooper Swans make a loud bugling sound.
Despite the cold and wet conditions, a number of shrubs came into bud and leaves started to appear on the hedges and a few of our trees. Few wildflowers made much progress, but Coltsfoot was noted, being another of our yellow Spring flowers.
Let’s hope for much improved weather during April.
Bryan Barnacle
Whooper Swans