Tipton's Croft

A field in Shropshire, England

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    The storm last night brought down the dead oak in the corner of the field. A great shame as it was quite majestic. It also housed the owl box but fortunately it was unoccupied (the owls are currently residing somewhere else) and miraculously undamaged.

    On closer inspection the tree had almost no roots left and so it was just a matter of time before it came down. We’ll cut back some of the branches to make it safer and easier to get around. It’s quite rotten so of no use so we might leave the main part where it is to gently decompose into the ground: good for the wildlife and much less effort. Vale quercu!

    The dead oak in better times

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    Our version of dead hedging: a line of cut branches, twig, leaves that we would previously have burnt on the bonfire. Far better for the air and for wildlife. The pile will slowly decompose into the ground over the next couple of years or so.

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    A ten minute walk around the field with Merlin Bird ID and we were surprised by how many birds were around us.

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    The aurora borialis came to Shropshire tonight with the northern sky turning red and green against a backdrop of stars. A lovely sight.

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    It took a while but at last we managed to get a close-up photo of the kingfisher waiting to catch a fish on the pond, just as the sun came out.

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    We also do know that fungi are not plants!

    We have lots of wild mushrooms, toadstools and other fungi in and around the field. With one or two exceptions, they are rather hard to identify and we generally leave them well alone. We certainly don’t know enough to even consider eating any of them.

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    We have now identified a total of 123 different wildflowers at Tipton’s Croft. Some have become very common and can be seen every summer all over the meadow: such as common knapweed and bird’s-foot trefoil. Others we are unlikely to see that much: common poppies and cornflowers like ploughed fields rather than meadows. All are welcome though.

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    A new sighting of a stonechat: caught on the camera set up to catch the kingfisher (who is proving rather camera-shy).

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    The kingfisher is proving an expert at fishing and the roach less expert at hiding.

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    A brief visit from a female barn owl last night. She is ringed so has come from a managed nest but we don’t know where, yet.

    Update. On closer inspection we can just make out some of the digits on its ring, which match the adult male from this year. So he’s roosting somewhere else and keeping an eye on the empty nest box.

    (the oak leaves are from a squirrel who has tried to make a nest in the nest box)

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    A kingfisher has appeared on the pond for the first time. A brief glimpse earlier in the week but today confirmed as we watched it wait patiently on a branch over the water before diving down to catch a fish (a small roach).

    These are the best photos we could manage but we have set up a camera next to its perch so hopefully a better view soon.

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    Hemp-agrimony
    Marsh woundwort
    Hedge woundwort
    Betony
    Great burnet
    Meadowsweet
    Gypsywort
    Hedge bedstraw
    Ground elder
    Greater celandine
    Cut-leaved crane’s-bill

    Now we’re heading into autumn there won’t be any more wildflowers this year so here are all the new ones we’ve spotted. This takes the total number of different wildflowers at Tipton’s Croft to 123.