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This morning, I
saw a greater spotted woodpecker in an oak tree and
watched it as it started drumming. This is the first
drumming that I have heard this year. The sound should
become increasingly common in the coming weeks. Nearby, a
green woodpecker was calling, with its familiar 'yaffle',
from a large ash tree, in which green woodpeckers have
nested successfully in the past. The green woodpecker did
what Now is a good time for learning to identify trees when they are without their leaves. A walk around your own 'patch' allows you to take a close look at trees which you already know the identity of. Features such as size, shape, growth habit and type of bark are all useful when identifying trees in winter but, on this page, I have concentrated on the twigs. There are also some twigs on earlier pages. Watch for clusters
of brown, scaly buds on oak trees (December 28th) and you may see various types of galls,
such as the ones shown above. Some buds make quite a
contrast with their supporting twigs, such as the black
buds on greyish green ash twigs and the green buds on the
darker |
The
expected snow and wind arrived at Ackworth last week,
with a covering of snow on the morning of the 11th and
some brief periods of high wind and heavy rain later in
the week, preceded by dramatic falls in atmospheric
pressure.
these birds often do and remained on the
far side of the tree trunk, peeping around the side of
the trunk occasionally.
twigs of sycamore. The horse chestnut
buds (
making the trees easy to recognise, even
from a distance. Some trees are showing more signs of
life than the others and one of these is the grey alder.
This is not a native tree but there are a number planted
in the grounds. The male flowers, which will become
catkins, are easy to see but a closer inspection will
also reveal the developing female flowers, which grow
upright and will develop into cones later in the year.
The female flowers on alder species and willows are worth
a closer as the bright red stigma develop. Other
distinctive buds to be seen are those on beech. These are
thin and pointed and alternate on the twigs. The
individual buds are attractive if viewed through a lens.