Our common frogs (Rana temporaria) have spent their winter sheltering from the cold in the mud at the bottom of the reserve’s ponds, or among composting vegetation and detritus in our hedges and edges.
Continue reading “Common frogs”Common frogs
Preparing for spring
At this time of year, the reserve’s blue tits are pairing up and scouting for nest sites.
Continue reading “Preparing for spring”
After the warmest February on record, March begins with snow!
Weather report
The weather was so wet and the water level so high on Wednesday that the work party was cancelled. Nobody can remember the last time we had to do that. Go carefully out there.
Header image by Peter White, other images as attributed
Wading down the Lambrok
Ian and Clive took stock (and pictures) of the weekend’s floods.
Go carefully and stay safe.
Gallery of grey squirrels
The grey squirrel breeding season begins in February and the males will already be chasing the females through our woodland. We know they are an invasive alien species that does untold damage to our trees and competes for resources with our native wildlife – but they are just so cute.
All these images were taken in the reserve. If you have pictures of our squirrels, please send them to us; we would love to see them. Email full size to: friendsofscp@outlook.com
We have fixed the path over the new bridge at Studley Close.
Well done everybody!
A frosty night
The forecast is for a frosty night. The reserve is stunning in an early morning frost so if you are one of our early morning walkers, please don’t forget your camera – and send us your pictures.
Please send full sized pictures to friendsofscp@outlook.com. Sadly, it is no longer possible to send high res pictures via Facebook messenger.
Header Image: drone shot of a frosty reserve by Simon Knight
Wingnut
There is a Chinese wingnut tree (Pterocarya stenoptera) in the Arboretum.
Continue reading “Wingnut”
A look back to 2019: a long tailed tit photographed in the reserve by DKG.
Continue readingDedicated to DKG
There is a new interpretation board next to Village Green pond, dedicated to the memory of Dave Galliers, known to his many followers as DKG, our in-house photographer until his death in 2020.
Continue reading “Dedicated to DKG”
The Wildlife Wheel is getting old. The weathered and cracked wood is supporting a whole landscape of lichens that are colouring in the carvings.
Blackthorn
Prunus spinosa
Header image by C.J.Seymour
Native daffodils
Battered by the winter, the one thousand native daffodils we planted around Village Green in 2017 are bravely flying the flag.
Click here for a gallery of pictures
Hoar frost
Wednesday’s work party was treated an unusual exhibition of needle-like hoar frost.
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What a difference a day makes!
After sending yesterday’s pictures of the wetland scrapes in Lambrok Meadow, our in-house photographer Simon Knight went back to the reserve to find all its water features, scrapes, ponds, ditches and streams, full to overflowing. Go carefully out there.
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Pictures from Simon Knight of the new wetland pond in Lambrok Meadow and the two new backwater scrapes. They are slowly filling in this rain. As the weather warms, keep an eye out for the pioneer plants that will move in and provide cover for the our wetland creatures.
The fifth day
The 29th is the fifth day of Christmas – when we are supposed to receive five gold rings from our true loves. But few of the Friends have any use for gold rings so here, instead, is a fivefold gallery of the reserve’s goldfinches.
All pictures taken in the reserve.
Christmas robins
A Christmas Eve gallery of the reserve’s robins, photographed by DKG.
Camouflage
Some of our residents are really quite hard to see. Here are some of the late DKG’s pictures of the well-camouflaged.
Header picture: public domain.
Some of our resident mammals
[1] Wood mouse [2] Water vole [3] Pigmy shrew [4] Grey squirrel [5] Rabbit [6] Stoat [7] Common mouse [8] Brown hare [9] Badger.
Header image: hedgehog (CC0)
Bluebell gallery
Wednesday’s work party task for the Friends was to cut back the tussocks in the set-aside at the top of Kestrel Field and to slow down the advance of the brambles from the hedge between the set-aside and The Arboretum.
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A gallery of squirrels
We know they are an invasive alien species that inflicts terrible damage on our trees every year – but they are also much loved, long term park residents.
Header picture by Simon Knight
Wildlife photographer Simon Knight has turned his lens on our snake’s head fritillaries and sent us a gallery of beautiful images.
Conservation Status
Classified as Vulnerable on the Vascular Plant Red Data List for Great Britain. Nationally rare with only a few UK sites considered to hold wild populations.
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 