Forestry
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Taken locally on our walks!
Chiffchaff - Phylloscopus collybita
The common chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita), or simply the chiffchaff, is a common and widespread leaf warbler which breeds in open woodlands throughout northern and temperate Europe and Asia.
It is a migratory passerine which winters in southern and western Europe, southern Asia and north Africa. Greenish-brown above and off-white below, it is named onomatopoeically for its simple chiff-chaff song. It has a number of subspecies, some of which are now treated as full species.
This warbler gets its name from its simple distinctive song, a repetitive cheerful chiff-chaff. This song is one of the first avian signs that spring has returned. Its call is a hweet, less disyllabic than the hooeet of the willow warbler or hu-it of the western Bonelli's warbler.
The common chiffchaff breeds across Europe and Asia east to eastern Siberia and north to about 70°N, with isolated populations in northwest Africa, northern and western Turkey and northwestern Iran. It is migratory, but it is one of the first passerine birds to return to its breeding areas in the spring and among the last to leave in late autumn. When breeding, it is a bird of open woodlands with some taller trees and ground cover for nesting purposes. These trees are typically at least 5 metres (16 ft) high, with undergrowth that is an open, poor to medium mix of grasses, bracken, nettles or similar plants. Its breeding habitat is quite specific, and even near relatives do not share it; for example, the willow warbler (P. trochilus) prefers younger trees, while the wood warbler (P. sibilatrix) prefers less undergrowth. In winter, the common chiffchaff uses a wider range of habitats including scrub, and is not so dependent on trees. It is often found near water, unlike the willow warbler which tolerates drier habitats. There is an increasing tendency to winter in western Europe well north of the traditional areas, especially in coastal southern England and the mild urban microclimate of London. These overwintering common chiffchaffs include some visitors of the eastern subspecies abietinus and tristis, so they are certainly not all birds which have bred locally, although some undoubtedly are.
Population:
UK breeding:
1,200,000 territories
UK wintering:
500-1,000 birds
Pine Marten - Martes martes
Pine martens are found in the Scottish Highlands and Grampians, with isolated populations in southern Scotland. In England and North Wales pine martens seem to be on the verge of extinction. They are widespread and relatively common in Ireland. Although they occur in a wide range of habitats, pine martens prefer well-wooded areas with plenty of cover.
Diet: Pine martens are generalist predators, feeding on small rodents, birds, beetles, carrion, eggs and fungi. In autumn, berries are a staple.
General Ecology: Marten dens are commonly found in hollow trees or the fallen root masses of Scots pines, an association that probably earned pine martens their name; cairns and cliffs covered with scrub are frequently used as alternative den sites. Martens have territories that vary in size according to habitat and food availability. For males, these are about 10-25 square kilometres and for females about 5-15 square kilometres. They mark their territories with faeces (known as scats) deposited in places where they are conspicuous to other martens; they are frequently left along forestry trails.
Breeding: Young martens are born blind and hairless, in litters of 1-5, in early spring and stay with their mothers for about six weeks. Their eyes open at the end of May and by mid-June they begin to emerge from their den. Male martens play no direct part in rearing the young.
Conservation Status: Martens and their dens are fully protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981); martens must not be trapped, sold or disturbed except under licence from Scottish Natural Heritage, the Countryside Council for Wales or Natural England. Despite this legal protection, poisoned baits and traps, often set for hooded crows and foxes, still probably account for many marten deaths each year. Others are also shot at hen houses, and some are killed when mistaken for mink.
Until the 19th Century, pine martens were found throughout much of mainland Britain, the Isle of Wight and some of the Scottish islands. Habitat fragmentation, persecution by gamekeepers and martens being killed for their fur, drastically reduced this distribution. By 1926, the main pine marten population in Britain was restricted to a small area of north-west Scotland, with small numbers in N Wales and the Lake District. They have now increased their range in Scotland, and now occur throughout the Highlands, N of the Central Belt but remains one of the rarest native mammals in Great Britain, with a total population of around 3-4,000, but Ireland probably also has as many.
Red Squirrel - Sciurus Vulgaris
Highlands, Scotland.
The red squirrel is found in both coniferous forest and temperate broadleaf woodlands. The squirrel makes a drey (nest) out of twigs in a branch-fork, forming a domed structure about 25 to 30 cm in diameter. This is lined with moss, leaves, grass and bark. Tree hollows and woodpecker holes are also used. The red squirrel is a solitary animal and is shy and reluctant to share food with others. However, outside the breeding season and particularly in winter, several red squirrels may share a drey to keep warm. Social organization is based on dominance hierarchies within and between sexes; although males are not necessarily dominant to females, the dominant animals tend to be larger and older than subordinate animals, and dominant males tend to have larger home ranges than subordinate males or females.
Red squirrels that survive their first winter have a life expectancy of 3 years. Individuals may reach 7 years of age, and 10 in captivity. Survival is positively related to availability of autumn–winter tree seeds; on average, 75–85% of juveniles die during their first winter, and mortality is approximately 50% for winters following the first.
Although not thought to be under any threat worldwide, the red squirrel has nevertheless drastically reduced in number in the United Kingdom; especially after the grey squirrels were introduced from North America in the 1870s. Fewer than 140,000 individuals are thought to be left in 2013; approximately 85% of which are in Scotland, with the Isle of Wight being the largest haven in England. A local charity, the Wight Squirrel Project,[26] supports red squirrel conservation on the island, and islanders are actively recommended to report any invasive greys. The population decrease in Britain is often ascribed to the introduction of the eastern grey squirrel from North America, but the loss and fragmentation of its native woodland habitat has also played a role.
In January 1998, eradication of the non-native North American grey squirrel began on the North Wales island of Anglesey. This facilitated the natural recovery of the small remnant red squirrel population. It was followed by the successful reintroduction of the red squirrel into the pine stands of Newborough Forest. Subsequent reintroductions into broadleaved woodland followed and today the island has the single largest red squirrel population in Wales. Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour is also populated exclusively by red rather than grey squirrels (approximately 200 individuals).
Forestry Dorst is the name of a vast forest area that is located between Rijen, Oosterhout, Teteringen and Dorst. It measures 1,117 hectares and is owned by Staatsbosbeheer. The area consists mainly of coarse pine forest that was planted in the heathland at the beginning of the 19th century. This area was known as Seterse Heide. Around 1850 much forest was cut down again, because the area was used as a military training ground. Sand drifts were created, and the nearby hamlet of Seters even had to be protected from the advancing sand with an oak coppice wall. Staatsbosbeheer acquired the area in 1899. It was replanted and the soldiers moved elsewhere. Recreation As the forests, despite their size, are strongly enclosed by urbanized cores, many recreational visitors come. A well-known recreational area in the forest area was Natuurbad Surae. The open-air swimming pool was located in one of the loam pits and was founded in 1927 by the Breda sports teacher A. Kuyt ("surae" means "calf"). It was taken over by the municipality of Oosterhout in 1976, then decayed and closed in 2006. The terrain, on which quite a few buildings could be found, is given back to nature. The surrounding forests are also made more varied, so that the former one-sided orientation on wood production is broken. The forestry continues to the northeast in the De Duiventoren nature reserve.
Waldwirtschaft
February 2023 - Ferenberg-Bantigen BE, Schweiz
Mamiya 7II, 4/80 mm, Kodak Tri-X 400, D-76 (1+1)
Print auf Fomatone 132 mit Moersch ECO 4812
Selentonung MT1 1+9, 1:30 min
Nuthatch - Sitta europaea
The Eurasian nuthatch or wood nuthatch (Sitta europaea) is a small passerine bird found throughout temperate Asia and in Europe, where its name is the nuthatch. Like other nuthatches, it is a short-tailed bird with a long bill, blue-grey upperparts and a black eye-stripe. It is a vocal bird with a repeated loud dwip call. There are more than 20 subspecies in three main groups; birds in the west of the range have orange-buff underparts and a white throat, those in Russia have whitish underparts, and those in the Far East have a similar appearance to European birds, but lack the white throat.
The preferred habitat is mature deciduous or mixed woodland with large, old trees, preferably oak. Pairs hold permanent territories, and nest in tree holes, usually old woodpecker nests, but sometimes natural cavities. If the entrance to the hole is too large, the female plasters it with mud to reduce its size, and often coats the inside of the cavity too. The 6–9 red-speckled white eggs are laid on a deep base of pine or other wood chips.
The Eurasian nuthatch eats mainly insects, particularly caterpillars and beetles, although in autumn and winter its diet is supplemented with nuts and seeds. The young are fed mainly on insects, with some seeds, food items mainly being found on tree trunks and large branches. The nuthatch can forage when descending trees head first, as well as when climbing. It readily visits bird tables, eating fatty man-made food items as well as seeds. It is an inveterate hoarder, storing food year-round. Its main natural predator is the Eurasian sparrowhawk.
It breeds throughout England and Wales and has recently began to breed in southern Scotland. It is a resident, with birds seldom travelling far from the woods where they hatch.
Population:
UK breeding:
220,000 territories
A Devonshire bluebell wood looking pretty spectacular as the setting sun casts long contrasting shadows across the lilac, blue and green carpet.
#bluebells #woodland #devon #landscapephotography #24-70mm
Crested Tit - Lophophanes cristatus
Abernethy
The European crested tit, or simply crested tit (Lophophanes cristatus) (formerly Parus cristatus), is a passerine bird in the tit family Paridae. It is a widespread and common resident breeder in coniferous forests throughout central and northern Europe and in deciduous woodland in France and the Iberian peninsula.
In Great Britain, it is chiefly restricted to the ancient pinewoods of Inverness and Strathspey in Scotland, and seldom strays far from its haunts.
A few vagrant crested tits have been seen in England. It is resident, and most individuals do not migrate.
It is an easy tit to recognise, for besides its erectile crest, the tip of which is often recurved, its gorget and collar are distinctive. It is, like other tits, talkative, and birds keep up a constant zee, zee, zee ,similar to that of the coal tit.
It makes a nest in a hole in rotting stumps. This bird often feeds low down in trees, but although not shy, it is not always easily approached. It will join winter tit flocks with other species.
Like other tits it is found in pairs and it feeds on insects (including caterpillars) and seeds.
Population:
UK breeding:
1,500 pairs
UK wintering:
5,200-9,500 birds
Robin - Erithacus rubecula
Wash and Brush up!
Double Double click!
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The European robin (Erithacus rubecula), known simply as the robin or robin redbreast in the British Isles, is a small insectivorous passerine bird, specifically a chat, that was formerly classified as a member of the thrush family (Turdidae) but is now considered to be an Old World flycatcher.
The robin occurs in Eurasia east to Western Siberia, south to Algeria and on the Atlantic islands as far west as the Azores and Madeira. It is a vagrant in Iceland. In the south-east, it reaches the Caucasus range. Irish and British robins are largely resident but a small minority, usually female, migrate to southern Europe during winter, a few as far as Spain. Scandinavian and Russian robins migrate to Britain and western Europe to escape the harsher winters. These migrants can be recognised by the greyer tone of the upper parts of their bodies and duller orange breast. The European robin prefers spruce woods in northern Europe, contrasting with its preference for parks and gardens in Ireland and Britain.
Attempts to introduce the European robin into Australia and New Zealand in the latter part of the 19th century were unsuccessful. Birds were released around Melbourne, Auckland, Christchurch, Wellington and Dunedin by various local acclimatisation societies, with none becoming established. There was a similar outcome in North America as birds failed to establish after being released in Long Island, New York in 1852, Oregon in 1889–1892, and the Saanich Peninsula in British Columbia in 1908–1910.
The robin is diurnal, although has been reported to be active hunting insects on moonlit nights or near artificial light at night. Well known to British and Irish gardeners, it is relatively unafraid of people and drawn to human activities involving the digging of soil, in order to look out for earthworms and other food freshly turned up. Indeed, the robin is considered to be a gardener's friend and for various folklore reasons the robin would never be harmed. In continental Europe on the other hand, robins were hunted and killed as with most other small birds, and are more wary.
Robins also approach large wild animals, such as wild boar and other animals which disturb the ground, to look for any food that might be brought to the surface. In autumn and winter, robins will supplement their usual diet of terrestrial invertebrates, such as spiders, worms and insects, with berries and fruit. They will also eat seed mixtures placed on bird-tables.
The robin features prominently in British folklore, and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe. It was held to be a storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the god of thunder, in Norse mythology. Robins feature in the traditional children's tale, Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.
More recently, the robin has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid 19th century. The robin has appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. An old British folk tale seeks to explain the robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the robin's breast, and thereafter all robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them.
An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory.
The association with Christmas more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red jackets and were nicknamed "Robins"; the robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.
In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times, the robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK.
In 2015, the robin was again voted Britain's national bird in a poll organised by birdwatcher David Lindo, taking 34% of the final vote.
A female silver-washed fritillary at Fermyn Woods, Northamptonshire UK
When they widened the rides at Fermyn a year or two ago I must admit I thought they had ruined it - it looked awful.
This year it has grown over. It looks a picture and is excellent for butterflies and dragon flies. I believe this is a joint effort between the Forestry Commission and Butterfly Conservation.
Well done!
Mountain homeland
Neukirchen bei Altmünster, Oberösterreich
1999
Noblex Pro 6/150 UX, Kodak CN 400
Lithprint auf Kodabrome II RC
SE5 1+15, +3 f-stops, 5 min
Catechol/NH4Cl 8+10+800, 1 min
Ned Hanlan II Tug Boat with the Toronto Department of Parks, Forestry and Recreation docked at he Jack Layton Ferry Docks inner Toronto Harbour on Lake Ontario in the City of Toronto Ontario Canada
The small tug Ned Hanlan II was built in 1966 by the Erieau Shipbuilding & Drydock Company for the Toronto Department of Parks, Forestry & Recreation. She is active performing maintenance jobs around the Toronto Islands
IMO: 5248396.
Type: Single Screw Tugboat
Year Built: 1966
Builder: Erieau Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. Ltd., Erieau, ON
Horsepower: 179 bhp
Length: 41′ 06″
Breadth: 14′ 06″
Depth: 5′ 05″
Port of Registry: Toronto, ON
Official Number: 325824
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My walk this week, on a hot day! started from Wendover Woods.
Wendover Woods are owned by the Forestry Commission. They comprise a mixture of coniferous and deciduous trees. Once one day Alfred Rothschild they were heavily felled during the First World War to support the war effort. In 1919 the Air Ministry bought the site and planted conifers. When the woods passed to the Foresty Commission who planted beech, spruce, larch and pine. Today the woods are managed for recreation, preserve ancient monuments and encourage biodiversity.
A larger view of the log piles in the previous post (see below) to put it in context.
We were on a walking trail in the Symonds Yat area.
HTT!
Not mist but a controlled burn by forestry workers from a nearby conifer plantation that had been felled. An area that I'd visited numerous times over the years and from which I'd managed some lovely pictures, but nothing stays the same and I'd always known it was plantation and would be felled at some stage. Poignant all the same and although "my area" was closed due to the works this adjacent area had smoke drifting through which was backlit creating this mist-like effect and seemed to be a fitting finale.
A reworking of an earlier image. Sadly, I suspect this lovely historical relic was damaged or lost some months after the shot was taken, in the bushfires of December 2019.
A tree display at the academic building where Forestry is taught. Morning light. I always like this living creation. The trees are Planes/Sycamores, favorites for this treatment.
UC Berkeley.