Corn bunting decline.

Over the past thirty years corn buntings have declined by an alarming 90%. They are a bird of arable land, and because of the way we manage our land they have declined dramatically. Yellowhammers and sky larks numbers have dropped over the past thirty years aswell. We use weed killers and pesticides on our non organic farms so arable fields turn into agricultural deserts. Vital plants that the birds rely on to survive are being killed by weed killers, these birds eat the seeds from various members of the dandelion family. Also pesticides are killing vital insects and their caterpillars and  larvae which are vital for the chicks of these three birds. So I would like you to tell me any sightings or records of these birds over the coming months. All these birds nest low down or on the ground so wild flowers and undergrowth are also vital for their survival.

Habitats

Part eleven how rabbits transform the landscape.

Without rabbits, much more of our downland and cliff tops would be a mass of bramble and hawthorn scrub- not the short, flowered-studded turf that is so characteristic. Rabbits suppress the growth of shrubs by nibbling the growing shoots, but they tend not to eat older shrubs, so established thickets remain. These provide the rabbits with shelter from hungry buzzards, but they give cover to hunting foxes. Nibbling rabbits are very damaging to crops, so farmers try to fence off their fields. Cliff tops are not suitable for crops because of exposure to wind and salt spray, so rabbits are usually tolerated along coastal strips. By their close and constant grazing, rabbits crop the grass as short as if it had been mown. Short turf favours the growth of low growing or creeping plants such as vetches and trefoils, which would otherwise be swamped by long grass and shrubs. These plants attract many butterflies, such as the common blue. The butterflies feed on nectar and lay their eggs on the plants, which serve as food for their caterpillars. The short turf is also highly suitable for other insects, especially ants. The insects in turn attract many species of birds- skylarks for example, common in open country.Rabbits will feed mainly at night, but in undisturbed places will graze by day. Turf near a burrow may be cropped very short, but thistles are avoided.

Things to look for for in July.

A marbled white butterfly.

Bees are in their element during July, Look into brambles in any hedge row and you can see them going about their business. The buff-tailed bumble bee (bombus terrestris) is our largest bumble bee. Bumble bees have much thicker bodies than honey bees, they are hairier than honey bees as well. They pollinate flowers as they are foraging for food, They do this to make honey for the larva as they grow. The queen make her colony along the hedgerow during spring. She then lays her eggs in wax cells and eventually feeds the honey to her young. A honey bee will have up to 50,000 eggs in her colony whereas a bumble bee will have up to one hundred and fifty in their colony. Their are up to twenty eight species of bumble bees in Britain of which six are really struggling. July is a good month to see young birds of prey including common buzzards,kestrels and sparrowhawks. When you are walking through a wood or along a footpath look out for them in trees or sat on fence posts. They normally draw attention to themselves by constantly wailing for food from their parent birds. Young tawny owls can be seen in groups during the day in woodlands.

Hoverflies on a newly opened sunflower.

Pipistrelle bats can be seen at dusk, They have a very random flight and they are Europe's smallest bat. The pipistrelle bat is Britain's most commonest bat. Marbled white butterflies can be seen darting around long grass in meadows during July. They are black and white but are actually part of the brown family. The marbled white is unusual because she lays her eggs while flying(Ringlet butterflies also do this). The grasses they are hoping the egg will land on is either cocks-foot or sheep's fescue, When the caterpillar emerges they eat around the grasses, They then hibernate from autumn onwards and reemerge during February and form a chrysalis in June or July, Then emerging as a butterfly during July or august. Stone chats can be seen in the heathland calling out chat,chat whoeet which is their alarm call. The stone chat calls its name when it calls out, It sounds like flint stones being jarred together. Wheatears, whinchats, yellowhammers and skylarks may be seen in heathland or meadows during July. Sky larks have an amazing sustained song flight, The skylark will sing on the wing while hovering, It will also sing while rising from the ground or while returning to the ground. Its my favourite bird song, I have been lucky enough to watch skylarks on many occasions during the summer. Sky larks nest on the ground in short grass, Their chicks(The sky lark will have up to five) have evolved to grow short light green grass looking feathers on their heads, They do this for camouflage so they are protected at the mouth of the nest. Common blue damsleflies can be seen along slow flowing river beds during July, They have a very nervous looking weak flight because of their size. I have also seen them in my garden as well so you don`t have to go miles to enjoy wildlife. Knapweed,Field poppies, Lady's bedstaw, Yellow rattle and ox eye daisies can be seen moving in the wind in meadows in Worcestershire. Finally take a magnifying glass from your pack and go and find some long grass and have a look at what you can find.

things to look out for in april.

Swallows nesting in spring.

The beautiful spring mornings are finally here for us all to see,Ive just got back from a weeks holiday in north wales and there was not a drop of rain in sight.Bluebells,ramsons and hawthorn blossom are sights that we should now be able to see during April as the climate starts to get warmer.Bluebells and ramsons will carpet the woodland floor,While the hawthorn blossom should lighten up many a hedgerow in Worcestershire.You should be able to see the first house martins and swallows as they return from their epic trip to south Africa.Badger cubs make their first appearance above ground during April,Dusk is a really good time to go and watch them.Its also a good time to look out for wood mice rustling in the leaf litter as you walk through the wood.The sound of the cuckoo is the day i say spring has arrived,The cuckoo is a migrant from Africa and will use meadow pipits,reed warblers and dunnocks nest for themselves to lay their eggs.When the cuckoo chick hatches it instinctively pushed the other chick or egg out of the nest,So the adoptive parents tend purely for the cuckoo chick.Blackbirds,starlings and song thrushes are also really busy this month.Also look out for the Ariel displays of skylarks and meadow pipits.Orange tip butterfly's start to emerge during April around plants from the crucifer family in particular the Lady's smock,Laying their eggs on the leaves of the plant,They then feed as caterpillars on the mustard oils of their food plants.Its a good time of year to see grass snakes,adders and slow warms basking in the spring sunshine. Newts start mating from now as well so look in the shallows of your pond or someone elses and you may see them.The male woos the female with his tail flicking performance,and his bold marking on his body. You probably wont see the female laying her eggs, She wraps a living leaf around each one of her eggs,The leaves will then be bent over with a single egg inside.Start to look out for vixens with her fox cubs as well