Wildlife sightings in Beaumont Park
Please tell us if you spot any interesting things in the park
30 January 2012 - King Alfred's Cake Fungus on the old railway line
29 January 2012 - Bird Watch - A few people took part using the RSPB guidance of how many birds are seen at one time:
Blackbird - 2
Blue Tit - 5
Carrion Crow - 5
Chaffinch - 2
Great Tit - 2
Jay - 2
Long Tailed Tit - 6 (family of them off the woodland path)
Magpie - 5
Robin - 3
Song Thrush - 2
Tree Creeper - 1
Wood Pigeon - 5
Greater Spotted Woodpecker - 1
18 January 2012 - Jews ear fungus growing on the snake bark maple.
According to Wikipedia - "Auricularia auricula-judae, known as the Jew's ear, jelly ear or by a number of other common names, is a species of edible Auriculariales fungus found worldwide. The fruiting body is distinguished by its noticeably ear-like shape and brown colouration; it grows upon wood, especially elder. Its specific epithet is derived from the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree; the common name "Judas's ear" eventually became "Jew's ear", while today "jelly ear" or other names are sometimes used. The mushroom can be found throughout the year in temperate regions worldwide, where it grows upon both dead and living wood. Although it is not regarded as a choice edible mushroom in the west, it has long been popular in China, to the extent that Australia exported large volumes of the mushroom to China in the early twentieth century".
We will not be serving it in the tea room!
Other fungus in the woodland - Bracket Fungus January 2012
1 December 2011 - first snowdrops appear.
October 15 2011 Treecreeper on oak tree near visitor centre, robin nearby, blackbirds, great tits, magpie and rooks. Buzzard seen soaring high above the Beaumont Park area.
October 7 2011 Bat walk and talk with Glen Wilkinson. 30 people joined Glen down in the deepest part of the park in the dark. With bat detecting equipment there were bats present and Glen enlightened everyone regarding the different types and how they live.
October 3 2011 9am Pied Wagtail at the Cascade.
September 15 2011 10.45am 6 Jackdaws squabling in the rocks above the lower pond. Beautiful autumn day. Lots of bird song but not identified.
August 10th 2011 10.15pm Badger scurried across Beaumont Park Road from Westridge Drive into the park. Quite a fast mover!
June 2011 - 8 ducklings were observed on Sunday 19 June on the cascade pond. Unfortunately mother duck and her ducklings have disappeared.
June 2011 - Tadpoles in the cascade pond. Two Deer were seen week commencing 6 June down by Big Valley Garage. Blackbirds and tits nesting. Unfortunately we now have a great number of rabbits and they are making holes in the grassed areas and have devoured most of the fleshy parts of the marigolds down the main drive. Two dead young foxes have been removed from the area in early June. A Badger was seen savaging a hedgehog in a garden in Delves Wood Road - fortunately the hedgehog lived to see another day.
May 2011 - Woodpeckers have been seen nesting in the park.
8 April 2011 - Mining Bees were busy in the grass banking beyond the cascade. These bees generally nest in the ground, often in paths or lawns, and some of the lawn nesting species nest communally. The entrance to their burrows are often marked by a small mound of excavated soil. They are are good pollinators of economically important plants such as fruit trees. There are about 100 species of mining bee in Britain, most resemble honey bees, but are smaller in size. Their burrows can be 60 cm deep. The clump of pollen takes the mother bee 6 - 7 journeys to gather. And each load is around half her body weight. Once the pollen clump is the right size she lays an egg on it.
6 April 2011 - another keen birdwatcher has seen the following down in Armitage Bridge:
Grey Wagtails (pair), Swallow on the Armitage Bridge Lake, Chiff Chaff, Kingfishers on the river, pair of Goosanders and dippers. A mink was seen in the stream. The Green Woodpecker has been heard regularly but not seen!
David Bailey of Huddersfield Birdwatchers has sighted the following in the park:
15 March 2011 - Nuthatch taking up residence in a birdbox down the woodland path.
March 2011 - Sparrow Hawk being 'warned off' by crows down near the cemetery and Gold Crests
January 2011 - Jackdaws in the rocks by the lower pond and Long Tail Tits.
.
Birds are very busy at the moment with lots of blackbirds, robins, tits and Jays all around the park. Two Mallards regularly come for a swim around the cascade pond. The picture below the ducks shows fungus growing on a dead tree trunk down near the castle site.
