A charm of goldfinches seems to have taken up residence near the main building, often twittering in the tree behind. They are drawn to the sunflower seeds next to the polytunnel and often spend some time on them after the flowers have gone over
A charm of goldfinches in the tree
The flock is a welcome sight in the autumn – we have always had a few but they do seem to be increasing with the years
We have a new attachment for the tractor, a potato lifter to get the potatoes to the surface where they can be bagged ready for storage.
Working out how the potato lifter works
Harvesting the potatoes was great teamwork -
bagging up the potatoes while the lifter gets them on the surface
Steve with a row of lifted potatoes
Frans found this fine toad which we moved from the path into the grass out of the way
Toad
Next Wildlife Watch activity day: Summer fun in Chantry Park! Saturday 13th August (10 am – 12 noon)
Games, art challenges and wildlife themed activities for children aged 5-10 (parents welcome to join in!)
Meet in the car park by the play area in Chantry Park (Hadleigh Road entrance)
For more details or to let us know you are planning to come along please contact Tom Wilmot on 01473 710384
or email wildlifewatchipswich@hotmail.com
They’re big and they look fearsome but they’re harmless eaters of decaying wood. The stag beetle is Britain’s largest insect, and we’re lucky enough to have quite a few it seems. Despite their striking jaws they don’t sting and aren’t aggressive, you could get a nip from the female if you really try but the ‘antlers’ of the male are largely for show and posturing.In general they freeze when they feel threatened, which isn’t entirely smart when they’re on the path from the gate to the shed by the vegetable beds.
female stag beetle, Lucanus cervus
There is a large enclave near Ipswich according to the NBN but we seem to be a outlying site from their map.
Male stag beetle with larger mandibles
We’re delighted to have these remarkable creatures, which feed on decaying wood. They seem to live in the hedgerow down the bottom next to the path. If you do spot one on the path and they seem to be at risk of getting trod on then it’s okay to move them off the path into the wood-chip or the hedgerow. It would be a shame to lose any of these charismatic creatures unnecessarily. They spend three to seven years as larvae, feeding on decaying wood, before coming out as adult beetles usually seen between May and July.
As well as the stag beetle Lucanus cervus we have sighted some lesser stag beetles Dorcus parallelopipedus, which are smaller and have a matt black wingcases (as opposed to the dark brown and shiny wingcases of the the Stag Beetle)
Lesser Stag Beetle Dorcus parallelopipedus
Our female stag beetle in the first photo was a decent size at about 4cm, though they can get bigger than this individual-
Stag beetle size
more about stag beetles from Suffolk Wildlife Trust, PTES, and the National Biodiversity Network
It’s that time of year when there’s a lot of wildlife at The Oak Tree – we have a whole string of nests along the hawthorn hedgerow at the bottom of the field judging from the chattering of nestlings rising as the adults return. Swallows are swooping low over the community supported agriculture beds, presumably hawking insects. The swallow traffic is almost incessant during the day. And today we had a sight of what is probably a female lesser stag beetle, though this photograph shows why you shouldn’t bother taking pictures of anything less than human-sized with mobile phone camera!
female lesser stag beetle, at a guess
a Hobby was sighted earlier in the year and Chris and Joanne heard a cuckoo on separate occasions in the area a couple of weeks ago
