About Dry Drayton

Village news

Is the A14 running?

Parish Council

Village Hall

The Black Horse

Village Contacts

School and Village Association

Little Owl Pre-school

Other Organisations

Local Politics

Facilities

Dry Drayton Newsletter

Footpaths

Weather

Local and Family History

Natural History

Community Recommendations

Business Ads

Free Ads - find or get rid of stuff

Food and Drink, including recipes

Dry Drayton Nature Notes - February

 

Here we will build a collection of monthly nature notes for Dry Drayton. You can find here information about regular and more unusual sightings of Parish flora and fauna. At the moment the page contains only some basic information - we will build on this during 2010. Please send us your sightings to add to these pages or send your local wildlife queries to us.

 

Dry Drayton Nature Notes for: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

 

John Clare, The Shepherd's Calendar 1827

The flocks as from a prison broke
Shake their wet fleeces in the sun
While following fast a misty smoke
Reeks from the moist grass as they run

Flora

Snowdrops and Aconites are in full flower

Insects and Spiders

If the weather is particularly good there may be early sightings of the odd early emerging individual Peacock or Painted Lady butterfly

Amphibians and Reptiles

It is not unknown for frogs to spawn towards the end of the month, although March is the more normal time.

Birds

January and February are the months to feed the birds with nuts or other food. The RSPB run their garden birds survey this month - you can pre-register here: www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/

 

Birds in the village this month might include: Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Red-legged Partridge, Pheasant, Lapwing, Snipe, Black-headed Gull, Stock Dove, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove, Barn Owl, Tawny Owl, Little Owl, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotter Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Skylark, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Wren, Dunnock, Robin, Stonechat, Blackbird, Fieldfare, Song Thrush, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Goldcrest, Long Tailed Tit, Marsh Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Treecreeper, Jay, Magpie, Jackdaw, Rook, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Brambling, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Siskin, Linnet, Redpoll, Bullfinch, Yellow Hammer. Some of these may be attracted into gardens by nuts and other food.

 

Ponds and wet places may give sightings of: Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Mandarin Duck, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Moorhen, Coot, Kingfisher, ReedBunting

 

A rare sighting of a Mealy Redpoll was recorded in Dry Drayton on 27 Feb 2011 and 5 March 2011 (Cambridge bird Club Annual Report 2011)

Mammals

Muntjac Deer can often be seen on the road verge between Madingley and Dry Drayton. Foxes are more often smelt than seen. Badgers are here, but a rarer sight. Squirrels and Rabbits are much in evidence. A small number of black mutations of the grey squirrel can be seen in the village.

 

Dry Drayton Nature Notes for: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

 

Species Lists for Dry Drayton: Flowering plants and ferns | Fungi | Insects and spiders | Amphibians and reptiles | Birds | Mammals

 

Nature Notes on: The Dry Drayton Environment and Change | Flora | Insects and spiders | Amphibians and reptiles | Birds | Mammals