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Petersfield Heath Nature Notes
Autumn/Winter 2009-2010

Petersfield Heath Nature Notes
Autumn/Winter 2009-2010

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JANUARY
In the first few days there was enough open water for a single Great crested Grebe to feed at the pond. Three pairs of Tufted Duck were also present but no Cormorants. An early walk round the pond on a freezing morning, which deters all but the hardiest dog walkers and joggers, enabled me to see a Water Rail at the Sussex Road reed bed. A very timid bird but in cold weather has to come out into the open to feed when the pond is frozen. I was allowed about 10 seconds of viewing time before it dashed for cover. A couple of days later the heavy snow collapsed the reed bed and I suspect that it moved on as I never saw it again. The snow made life difficult for everybody but did give the youngsters a chance to sledge down the slopes on the Heath which they haven't done for some years. The weather remained very cold and the wildfowl soon became very hungry. The normally shy Moorhens would run up to anyone if food was on offer. The three Mute Swan cygnets were removed from the pond during the last week when their parents became aggressive towards them.

FEBRUARY
It remained cold but at least the pond was ice free. The Cormorants did not return apart from a single bird on one day, otherwise it was a very quiet month with only a single Great crested Grebe, and a few Pochard and Tufted to be seen. Away from the pond I saw a flock of 54 Goldfinches gathering in the trees before going to roost. Their numbers seem to be increasing year on year now. Many trees in the town have a Goldfinch singing from the branches during the summer.

MARCH
Winter dragged on, it was still cold with frosts at night but in this month we usually see the first harbingers of spring. It was not until the end of the third week that the first migrant appeared, a Chiffchaff, and a few days later 2 Swallows and 15 Sand Martin were skimming over the pond. On a sunny but not too warm morning I saw 2 Brimstone butterflies which had hibernated over the winter and were now taking their first flights of the spring. On the pond things remained quiet with fluctuating numbers of Tufted Duck and 2 pairs of Great crested Grebe one of which was holding a territory so may breed here again. Two pairs of Greylag Goose flew in but were harassed almost immediately by the Mute Swan cob so their stay was short-lived. After the long cold winter I'm sure everybody is hoping for a warm dry summer and preferably as soon as possible.

Alf Smallbone

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