Green Woody showing again in the Cemy.

Thursday 17th November 2022.

Most of the trees have all but lost their leaves now including these Lime trees.

After yesterday's deluge of rain, this morning was much brighter and sunnier, though a bit breezy at times with westerly blowing and temperatures a little cooler of late. I didn't have time to go off any distance this morning and so I took a stroll around my local patch, Highland Road Cemetery. There were not too many dog-walkers today and I could actually say that about the birds too, with just 14 species noted this morning.

Above, Common Speedwell growing around some of the graves and below, a clump of Field Mushrooms growing in between the graves on the southern end of the Cemy.

The pick of the bunch was probably the Green Woodpecker that was obviously flushed by a dog-walker, resulting in the bird flying over my head and to a nearby tree near the Mausoleum. A couple of Jays were busy picking off acorns and burying them around the north-east corner by the big Oak Tree, which was quite entertaining. A Goldcrest was seen and heard all too briefly flying from one small tree and into a bush; but apart from that, all was relatively quiet today. There is, however, a notable absence of Collared Doves here. Normally, during the late Autumn and Winter months, there are normally double-figures of these birds here. So where are they? 

Above, there were good numbers of Wood Pigeons as usual within the Cemy and below, the Green Woodpecker put in another appearance today. 

The following birds were heard or seen this morning in the Cemetery:

• Herring Gull
• Feral Pigeon
• Wood Pigeon
• Carrion Crow
• Magpie
• Jay
• Robin
• Wren
• Goldcrest
• Blackbird
• Chaffinch
• Goldfinch
• Starling
• Green Woodpecker

Above, there were still a lot of Common Wasps on the wing and below, both Tapered Drone Fly (right) and the smaller Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii (left) were nectaring on the flowering Ivy.

Other notable sightings this morning included a good number of both Hoverflies and Common Wasps still on the wing, making the most of the late flowering Ivy Plants dotted around the gravestones and bushes. The Hoverfly species Tapered Drone Fly and Syrphus ribesii were noted among the many Common Wasps and House flies. Despite the sunny conditions, there were no butterflies on the wing today, though I did see just the one Bumble bee species on the wing.  

A pair of Jays were busy searching for and burying acorns. 

Flowering plants were few and far between today with just Smooth Sow-thistle, Common Speedwell and Common Groundsel all seen and plenty of Annual Mercury growing throughout the Cemetery. The Honey Fungus looks as though it has passed its best now though I did see a few Field Mushrooms growing in one clump in the southern half of the Cemy.  

This Plane Tree was one of the last to lose its leaves in the Cemetery.