Activelife NATURE
HAWTHORN May is the month when hedgerows are a riot of beautiful scented white blossom heralding the start of summer. The hawthorn, also known as the may flower, is a very common sight throughout the country. An ancient species, it is thought to be the predecessor of the maypole and was the source of May Day garlands.
THE BRAMBLING
A relative of the chaffinch, the brambling is a winter visitor from Scandinavia between October and March. Numbers vary each winter – high one year, scarce another. The male has a pale orange breast and shoulder patch, dark brown head and white rump. Females are like female chaffinches but also have a white rump. The flight call is a harsh ‘tsweek’. Bramblings can be spotted by searching through chaffinch flocks feeding beneath beech trees where they forage for mast. When feeding on the ground they are well camouflaged among the brown and orange leaves but are easily spotted as they fly up into the trees. Bramblings are also attracted to autumn stubble, where they mix with other finches and buntings. Game crops, grown for pheasants and partridges, also provide rich pickings. In cold weather bramblings will visit gardens to take seed scattered beneath feeders, adding a touch of colour among the house sparrows and chaffinches. As the birds prepare to migrate to Europe to breed they visit woods to feed on emerging insects. Some of the males are then assuming a black head. Terry Mitcham
The weasel A small active predator with a long slender body and short legs. They usually have red or brown coats with white bellies. Weasels are fairly common in towns or the countryside. A virulent hunter of small rodents, they are also prone to stealing eggs from ground nests.
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