December 2013
The autumn is slowly progressing, but it is 14th November today and there are still plenty of green leaves on the trees. Only 5 weeks to the winter solstice and there are green leaves on oak and ash trees. The Acers such as field maple and sycamore are turning. Birch leaves are yellow and falling like discoloured snow. We have had the first significant frost, and most insects will have either died or found a refuge for the winter. Wintering birds are flooding into the British Isles, and it is a while since I have seen a swallow or a warbler. However I did see a late wheatear on Saturday 9th November on the summit of Mount Caburn near Lewes, there were also a number of meadow pipits.
There are three types of pipit commonly seen in Sussex. Meadow pipits, as their name suggests, live in meadows, or indeed any type of peaceful grassland. We get them in West Park Local Nature Reserve in the winter. There are also rock pipits, which as their name suggests, like to live in rocky habitats, usually by the sea. You can always find them at Splash Point at the easterly end of the promenade at Seaford. Thirdly, there are the rather rare tree pipits, which as their name suggests, live mostly in trees, and can be seen in certain parts of Ashdown Forest. All 3 pipits look and sound fairly similar, but can be distinguished on close inspection with binoculars and a good identification guide. However, their identity is usually given away by their location. All 3 species may be seen all the year round, but most tree pipits fly south for the winter, most meadow pipits remain in Britain all year, and most rock pipits are winter visitors from further north.
I am currently reading a book on skylarks. There are many different species of larks around the world, and most of them live in arid habitats. Some of them never drink water, but get all their moisture from eating juicy insects. In Sussex, skylarks are fairly common, but are declining, and occupy the same type of habitat as meadow pipits. We also have a few woodlarks on Ashdown Forest, but these are quite rare. Rarer still are horned larks also known as shore larks, because they are winter visitors that are only seen on sea shores, and then only very rarely. Horned larks breed in the Arctic, and those visiting Britain are thought to breed in northern Eurasia.