During December we heard birds singing at night. Do you know what they might be?
Most people associate bird song as a daytime activity, apart of course from the exceptional hoot of an owl. But when you think about it there are many birds that like to sing at night including nightingales, nightjars and corncrakes. However, these birds are only summer visitors to Britain and should now be wintering in Africa. It is likely that the birds you can hear are in fact robins. Birds will sing for two main reasons to attract a mate or to defend their territory. Robins are one of the few birds that defend their territory all year round, so continue singing when most other birds have stopped. Robins will often be triggered into singing even at very low light levels so they are often the first bird to start singing in the morning and the last to stop at night. This behaviour is further exacerbated by artificial street or garden lighting, meaning robins burst into song at just about anytime of day.
On a recent walk we noticed a number of trees in the hedgerow with bright red lobed berries, can you identify them from this picture?
Your photo appears to show the fruit of a spindle tree. The native spindle tree is most commonly seen in our hedges and copses as a smooth-leaved shrub. The leaves have very short stalks, are opposite in pairs and have minute teeth on the margin. During May and June, the spindle tree is covered in small greenish-white flowers, this followed by an abundance of fruits in autumn. The fruit - which you noticed during your walk is three or more lobed, and becomes a beautiful rose-red colour. The seed will bursts when ripe, disclosing ruddy-orange-coloured seeds. Although the fruits are poisonous to humans fortunately birds can still stomach them. In fact spindle berries are by far and away the robin's favourite. The reason for this favouritism is due to the pulp of spindle fruit having a very high nutritional value, the highest, it is believed, of any native wild fruit. But though it is rich in fats and proteins, it is only a valuable source of nourishment if the robin swiftly discards or regurgitates its poisonous seeds.
Does mistletoe still grow in the wild in Sussex?
Mistletoe does still grow wild in Sussex and although a national survey in the 1990’s suggested potential increases in mistletoe in the south, records for mistletoe in Sussex are still low. Mistletoe grows as a parasite on trees, but does them no harm. Mistletoe tends to flourishes in only certain areas of the country such as the West Midlands and Herefordshire and is most commonly associated with tree species including lime, hawthorn, poplar and apple. It’s at this time of year as National Mistletoe Day approaches on the 1st December that mistletoe is most under threat. Mistletoe used to be very common especially in orchards, hedgerows and ancient trees. However, due to its commercial value, mistletoe is “rustled” and sold to unwitting members of the public. But, it’s not only at Christmas time that mistletoe is threatened. It is also being lost through pruning from the trees where it grows, trees containing mistletoe may be cut down on development sites and the removal of hedgerows and orchards has also led to it being less widespread. So if you are out this winter and spot some mistletoe in Sussex why not make a note of where and when you saw it and let us know.
I have an elder tree in my garden and have noticed this fungi growing on it – do you know what it might be?
It appears to be Jelly Ear Fungus this particular species of fungi grows on dying branches and trunks of broad-leaf trees and is quite partial to Elder. There is a whole group of colourful, shiny fungi, known as Jelly fungi. The Jelly Ear Fungus is one such Jelly Fungi, The visible growth looks like little human ears.
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Thumbnail - David Ball
