Badgers at last – and a fox!

Posted on May 14, 2012 by mike i

Just back from a trip and Win collected the wild life camera yesterday. It is a small miracle : the badgers have not only condescended to make an appearance but have made it an entertaining show too :

The video is on the animals page [select Great Knelle Wood Home in the header above then fauna and flora on the left pane then select animals unless you are already on the right page]. You will also find a shorter video of a fox there. He clearly doesn’t like the camera. In another video he flees from view in less than one second :

Orange Tip Butterfly

Posted on April 2, 2012 by mike i

There was an Orange Tip flying around where the land has been cleared along Main Ride.

Springtime in Paradise

Posted on April 2, 2012 by mike i

The last of March and the first of April. It looks as if the woods might be more of an anemone wood than a bluebell wood. Since finding the first wood anemone in early March until now, the woods have come alive with a carpet of green and white :

This picture was taken at the junction of Main Ride and Central ride, looking north. There are even the occasional pink ones to be seen :

The bluebells are coming on and a few are in flower but the density at this stage doesn’t justify waxing lyrical. Perhaps this is because it is so long since the wood was coppiced?

Wood Anemone

Posted on March 8, 2012 by mike i

March 8 and the first wood anemone, Anemone nemorosa, in flower is spotted on the edge of the ride in Tania’s Bower.

The flowers are primitive, in that they have no petals, only the white sepals.

Green Stain Fungus

Posted on February 28, 2012 by mike i

Late February and conditions are dry so the green staining of the green stain fungus, Chlorociboria aeruginascens or C. aeruginosa, stands out rather than just looking like a dark stain. It is also a chance to try out the new close-up lens.

This piece of wood, about 200 mm long, was on Central Ride towards its southern end near Big Pond.

Brock the Builder

Posted on February 28, 2012 by mike i

Late February and the badgers have been expanding the sett in Tania’s Bower. A considerable amount of excavation has taken place but the badgers remain elusive – maybe we need to place wildcam lower down.

The Robin at Five Bar Gate

Posted on January 17, 2012 by mike i

Sunday was cold and crisp. The robin at Five Bar Gate was singing in the early morning sunshine and this time was much better lit, albeit further away :

The area around the gate is clearly his territory.

Early Signs of Spring

Posted on January 17, 2012 by mike i

January 15 and winter has finally arrived with clear skies and sub-zero nights but the warmth up until a few days ago has brought on a lot of plants. The first Bluebell plants are clearly visible :

as are the Early Purple Orchids :

Spring has sprung ….

Posted on January 17, 2012 by mike i

… the bulbs has riz, I wonder what that birdie is?

The sky was brilliantly clear on Sunday – for the second day running – and the temperature eventually climbed to about 5 °C although the ground remained frozen throughout the day. It was definitely a day to huddle up around the ‘hotpoint’ heating system :

The base is an old tractor half wheel that we found in the wood when we took it over.

It might have only been mid January but all the signs of spring were there to see : bluebells poking their heads through the leaf litter and rosettes of the early purple orchid too. In the skies above there was a buzzard wheeling low over the canopy with a second raptor which seemed to be harrying it – or is the male much smaller than the female or vice versa and we were watching a courtship?

While we were eating lunch [the ‘hotpoint’ is good for grilling sausages on shish] another raptor flew silently through the wood at about 20 foot : much smaller than the buzzard, more like a kestrel with a hint of red?

Knelle Wood South

Posted on January 15, 2012 by mike i

A new section has been added to the domain : Knelle Wood South. John has also kindly provided some video clips so there is now proof of wild boar living in the wood.

We are about to go down to Great Knelle so there may be more to report later.

Great Knelle Wood

– an Ancient Woodland in the High Weald

Author Archives: mike i

Badgers at last – and a fox!

Orange Tip Butterfly

Springtime in Paradise

Wood Anemone

Green Stain Fungus

Brock the Builder

The Robin at Five Bar Gate

Early Signs of Spring

Spring has sprung ….

Knelle Wood South