First day of spring?

On Sunday, it seemed spring had finally arrived, the sun was shining and the temperature (in the morning at least) reached 16 degrees. As a result there was more activity along the river:
Such as a peacock butterfly - possibly just risen from hibernation and basking in the sun, maybe a male defining a territory.
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The lesser celandine is now in flower, providing food for a tortoiseshell butterfly, also risen from hibernation.
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Another insect rising from hibernation is this queen bumblebee.  Bumblebees often make their nests in defunct small mammal burrows, so perhaps she is checking out the suitability of the water vole burrows along the river banks.

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Not all animals have chosen to spend the winter in hibernation, some choose to spend in a different country, including the warblers and have now started to return - such as this chiffchaff -  to make the most of the abundance of insects which spring and summer along the river should provide.
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Where are the water voles?

Normally, along the river there would be lots of signs of water vole activity and they would be fairly easy to see as they define breeding territories.
But the cold spring seems to have delayed the start of the water vole season, but there a few signs of increased activity, including the distinctive evidence of feeding:
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And the first water vole latrines are starting to appear:
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Although the most obvious sign is the ever increasing number of new burrows:
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But it's not all good news, opposite these burrows is a fairly fresh mink scat.
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Yet further downstrain, there is evidence of a different mammal activity - a dry spraint, indicating there is still otter activity of the river.

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Meanwhile over at the 'About a Brook; blog, Kate is seeing a lot more water vole activity and close encounters with a different mustelid: http://staggsbrook.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Where has spring gone?

It is hard to believe that this time last year there were bumblebees and ladybirds in the garden and along the river there was almost an abundance of water voles 
Instead this year it seems to be a never ending winter, with snow on successive weekends,  temperatures in single digits and the river looking bleak and desolate, with few signs of life.
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Once again the meadow is flooded and an opportunist heron looking for any displaced amphibians, fish or water voles
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Although water vole sightings are infrequent - maybe because it's too cold to spend a long time looking for them - they are starting to become more active as this latrine shows:

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And other signs that this isn't winter, just a very cold spring, is a solitary flowering daffodil.
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The Judas Ear

The seemingly never ending rain (and sometimes snow) has reduced the opportunities for a favourite of this blog - watching water voles.

But the dampness has produced other things of interest, such as this fungal fruiting body growing on a dead tree near Radley Lakes in North-East Abingdon.

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Before scientific classification it was known the Judas Ear - because it looks like an ear and because one it's preferred habitats is the elder - the tree from which it was believed Judas Iscariot hanged himself:
The common name was subsequently changed to the politically incorrect Jews Ear, which is reflected in it's scientific name: - Auricularia auricla-judae
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More recent field guides now refer to it by a more politically acceptable and probably more accurate name of Jelly Ear 
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Whatever the chosen name, it is an impressive sight, even if it is one of the most common fungi found in Britain.

Siskins

Among the usual visitors to the bird feeders in our garden - blue tits, chaffinches, goldfinches and the occasional greenfinch - there is a bird that we have not seen for over five years - siskins:
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Siskins are migratory birds and so these will have chosen to spend the winter in south, usually eating tree seeds,  before returning to their breeding areas of Northern Britain or Europe.

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However, this year seed availability has been lower the average and they have been attracted to garden feeders (in our case, sunflower hearts) in record numbers, with the BTO recording the highest influx of siskins into gardens since 1998.

Winter weekend wildlife

Without the snow, winter can be a drab time along the river - it's dark, cold and usually wet,  so it is not inspiring to get out and explore and with the short days finding the time is also rather difficult.
But now the days are slowly getting longer, there are slightly more opportunities to get out in-between the ever frequent rain showers
What makes the river so drab is the lack of foliage:
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But in-between the drabness, there are few flashes of colour, down by the river the distinct markings of the UK's smallest bird - a goldcrest:
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It's hard to believe such a small bird migrates, but some of the UK's winter population are migrants and this small creature (only weighing 5 grams) may have travelled all the way from Poland to seek out insects along the Ock.
Also lurking in the undergrowth (and somewhat difficult to photograph in the fading light) is the unmistakable plumage of a bullfinch (actually a pair):
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These splendid looking birds have had a difficult time recently, their preferred choice of food, - tree buds has bought them into conflict with fruit growers and the destruction and heavy cutting of many hedgerows has resulted in a 50% drop in their population since the early 1980's.
Maybe the unmanaged trees and hedges along the river and the nearby old canal can help provide suitable habitat and is an area where this charming bird can thrive.

The first snow of 2013

Anyone who attended one of my talks last year (or attending one of those scheduled for this year) will know that probably the best thing about winter is when it snows:
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Not only does the river look picturesque, but there is chance to get out and to see what animals have been active at night and to try and try and deduce what these seldom seem creatures have been up to.
The most obvious are the moorhens, who have been venturing out of the river - either to avoid a predator or to try and find some food.

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Another easily identified footprint is that of the rabbits, they are  active during the day and night, so these could have been left whilst the snow was falling on the Friday. 

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Most other footprints were left by domestic dogs, but on the river bank, not a footprint, but perhaps more intriguing, what seems to a gouge in the snow - perhaps made by a long thin body...

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There are several reasons why an animal might leave the river - to hunt, to escape a predator or in this case to mark it's territory:

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Before returning to the river.

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The best way to identify an animal by it's poo is to smell it and this, despite not looking like it, had the distinctive 'jasmine smell' of an otter.

So by looking at the tracks and other signs it's possible to conclude that in the early hours of Saturday morning, an otter came out of the river, had a poo and went straight back in the river