March 2020

I noticed something curious the other day.  There was a flock of gulls on the field at the back and they were all facing the same way.  There were a couple of magpies there also facing the same way as the gulls.  I then realized that whenever I see a small flock of birds on the field, they invariably face the same way – up the field towards Pett Road.  Is there a reason for this behaviour?  It could be that they are facing the prevailing wind, though they are facing South rather than South-west in the main.  It is possible that it has something to do with feeding, though I can’t think why they would be more successful in one direction rather than another.  If they were facing the sun then the direction would change from morning to evening.  Perhaps the slope on the field means their head is nearer the ground making feeding less energetic.  My theory, for what it’s worth, is that it is part of their escape plan.  If disturbed, they would be flying towards open sky, whereas if they were facing the other way, there are large trees and a hill facing them.  Whatever the reason, I will keep an eye out to see if it applies to all species or just gulls and magpies.  Maybe if I got closer to the ground to take a bird’s-eye view it would be informative.  So, don’t worry if you see me lying face down on the field, occasionally changing direction, I’ll just be working out an escape route.

As I write this storm Dennis is approaching and the wet weather continues.  At least it’s not as cold as 2018 when we had the Beast from the East to contend with, though last year scientists predicted that this year could be even colder.  So far that hasn’t happened and there are signs out there that spring isn’t that far away.  We have snowdrops and daffodils in flower and that ever reliable harbinger of spring, the lesser celandine is just in flower.  Of course, spring will happen whether there are harbingers or not, though exactly when seems less predictable these days.  If I was a real scientist, I would note when the first snowdrop appeared, and when the first daffodil opened and when I saw the first bumblebee, etc.  If I did that I would be called a phenologist – someone who studies the timing of natural events.  As it is, I know that snowdrops are traditionally due to flower on or about the first of February, and this year I think that they flowered round about that time.

Phenology is an important science as it shows how things change on a longer timescale.  It has become an important indicator of the effect of global heating, for example, and is closely linked with monitoring extinctions and new colonizers like the ivy bee I have mentioned before in this column that have only been seen here this century. 

Nowadays citizen science is growing in popularity and more people than ever before are recording sightings from the natural world, so that there are now huge databases showing what was seen, where, when, and how many.  The Sussex Wildlife Trust uses iRecord.  This is an online facility that anybody can use to enter their sightings as well as to search and explore what other people have found.  I use it a lot and each sighting is verified by experts which all helps to improve your identification skills.