DryDrayton.net Natural History

Dry Drayton Nature Notes - December

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. Please send us your sightings to add to these pages or send your local wildlife queries to us.

John Clare, The Shepherd's Calendar 1827	Christmass is come and every hearth Makes room to give him welcome now Een want will dry its tears in mirth And crown him wi a holly bough
Flora	Still plenty of berries in evidence around the village. There are still a few fungi to be found, including the Bird's Nest Fungus, King Alfred's Cakes and Jew's Ear.
Insects and Spiders	Amazingly some winter moths are emerging at this point.
Amphibians and Reptiles	The shortest day for hibernating species is the Winter Solstice - the length of the day gradually pulls out from this point.
Birds	Blackbird, Robin, Songthrush, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Starling, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, House Sparrow, Wood Pigeon, Crow, Rook, Magpie, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Pheasant, Red legged partridge, are all to be seen, some attracted into gardens by nuts and other food. Winter visitors include Fieldfare, Redwing, Lapwing, Black Headed Gull. Waxwings and Blackcaps may possibly be seen passing through the village this month.
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 are more easily spotted with few leaves on the trees. A small number of black mutations of the grey squirrel can be seen in the village.