What To Look For In January
Ant nests, post-Christmas mistletoe hunting, swans and geese, ‘The Crosspool Waxwing’ and (very) early signs of spring
Here’s the January guide for Outdoor Citizens interested in the nature on their doorstep. Thanks again to Sorby Natural History Society and Sheffield Bird Study Group for their help.
Geese and Swans
Keep your eyes to the skies this month, as we’ll probably see skeins of geese, and maybe a few swans, crossing the city, high above us.
And wind and heavy rain can often cause pink-footed geese and swans to pause here for a day or so on their long January journeys back home to their northern breeding grounds - four whooper swans turned up recently at Thrybergh Country Park.
So maybe also watch out for more swans and geese resting on local reservoirs as they pass through on their way home to Siberia, Scandinavia or Iceland.
Mistletoe
Now most deciduous trees are leafless, it’s a good time to look out for mistletoe hanging from trees in parks, open woodland and even gardens. Mistletoe used to prefer the environment of south west England, but seems to be increasing in Sheffield, and is now growing from trees in Beauchief, Millhouses, Norton, Nether Edge, Broomhall, Burngreave and Tinsley, and probably elsewhere too if you have a look round.
Some have been planted on trees by gardeners, but often new growths of mistletoe have been sown by birds eating the sticky berries, then wiping their beaks leaving the seeds stuck to the tree. Once growing, the ‘hemiparasitic’ mistletoe sucks some water and food from the host tree, but it can also photosynthesise from sunlight itself.
Venerated by many ancient traditions, the old British druids saw mistletoe as a sacred plant and cure for many ailments, but it’s now generally seen as poisonous to humans.
The photo shows mistletoe growing from a poplar tree near Beauchief Abbey - the Sorby Natural History Society say they’d like to hear from anyone who spots mistletoe growing in the Sheffield area: plantrecords@sorby.org.uk
Waxwings
There was some excitement a week ago when a couple of waxwings from Scandinavia arrived in Crosspool. Could we be in for a ‘Waxwing Winter’, when thousands of these gaudy birds arrive from across the North Sea?
Well, probably not. Waxwing watchers have seen fairly small numbers of birds here and there around the UK, and Sheffield bird photographers quickly arrived to record a pair on Manchester Road.
Alas, only one remains this week - could its orange colleague have been swallowed by a nearby Sparrowhawk? Or did it prefer anonymity when the photographers arrived? Keep your eye on https://www.sbsg.org/sightings/recent-news or https://twitter.com/WaxwingsUK to check for any further sightings.
Wood Ants
If we do get any sun this month, look out for sunbathing wood ants. Now the trees are bare in the woods at Grenoside and Longshaw, for example, it’s worth looking for large mounds of twigs on the ground, often a metre or two wide.
These are vast ant cities, and while the wood ants who built them generally stay inside to keep warm over the winter, a little sunlight can encourage some to venture out to warm themselves up ready for the spring. And if you fancy counting the nests you find, let the Sorby experts know: antrecords@sorby.org.uk
Signs Of Spring
It’s been a warm January (so far) and we’re already seeing some creatures getting ready for the springtime, with boxing hares and early displays and pre-mating flights from birds like gulls and wood pigeons. It’s worth watching out for the city centre peregrine falcons too, starting to call to each other and dive for feral pigeons around their nest at St George’s church off Broad Lane.
And now we’ve passed the longest night, one or two trees, shrubs and flowers in our local parks and gardens are starting to notice. Look out for snowdrops coming soon, yellow gorse in flower and my favourite, the witch hazel, brought here from North America over 300 years ago.
Their spindly yellow flowers are appearing now: they wrap themselves up when it’s cold and emerge again in the sun, reminding us the days are getting longer.