Wildlife News: January 2018

The latest update on Lulworth wildlife from our very own Lulworth Rangers, as seen in the Lulworth Parish News.

The long nights, short days and general cold makes it a tough world to survive for many bird species. Small birds such as the tit family must more or less constantly eat to stay warm and survive. Providing birds with food is a great way to help out your garden birds, and gives a fascinating insight into avian ecology.

In East Lulworth, their food preference is certainly sunflower hearts. Blue, Coal, Great and Marsh Tit will all readily empty your feeder on a daily basis. They are of course helped by a whole host of others including; House Sparrow, Chaffinch, Bullfinch, Siskin and Great-Spotted Woodpecker. A notable absentee is the Greenfinch. Trichomonsis is most likely to be the cause. This disease affects the birds’ throat, making breathing and eating difficult and is known to be wreaking havoc with Greenfinch populations in our area. The bird will weaken and eventually die. This is why it is so important to keep your tables, feeders and general area clean.

Peregrine Falcon have been seen on cliffs at Middle Bottom this month, with another individual over the Weld Arms heading north east one grey morning.

Right on cue, a few very vocal Song Thrush have begun their mid-winter song. A real lift in the depths of winter, the song will be coming from the strongest males in the area, already marking their territory for the spring.

Dunnock too has begun to sing, their thin song a month ahead of what books will tell you. Dunnock lead a fairly complicated private life, with females typically paring with two males. Territories are sometimes held by two males, the dominant and subordinate.

On the chalk hills, Primrose have appeared in a few isolated spots early whilst Carline Thistle is still hanging on in flower, some four months in!

Got a widlife question? Contact the Lulworth Rangers on 01929400155 or follow them on Facebookk and Instagram.