The leaves on the elder trees are just starting to turn yellow indicating that autumn has caught up with Stover. Horse chestnut and beech are usually the next trees to don their autumn colours. For the next month the Country Park will be laden with fruits, seeds and nuts. Blackberries are in abundance and are starting to ripen, and the red rowan berries and black elder berries in particular stand out around the Park. The consumers will start to fatten themselves up before hibernation or migration and, at the same time are dispersing the plant seeds. Foxes and badgers will take advantage of the abundance of blackberries, which show up in their droppings. Squirrels will start to bury their food and some resident birds are already making preparations for the winter. Marsh, willow and coal tits along with jays will start to store acorns and nuts in a variety of places throughout the woods, which they will eat during the winter when food sources are scarce. A single jay will store hundreds of acorns over the autumn months. They have excellent memories and are able to locate most of their stores. Some acorns however are forgotten or are not needed, and these will grow into oak trees if conditions allow.

The robins have now resumed singing after their summer break. During September the last of the young robins get their full plumage and will sing to defend their territories which they will need to survive the winter. Tawny owls are at their most vocal in September as pairs set up territories for the spring. The sparrowhawk chicks fledged in August. They stayed in the Park for the first half of the month and could be heard calling from the pines. The nightjar’s second nest as well as the first failed to be located on the heath; both adults and juveniles from the first brood have now left Stover to migrate back to Africa.

The great autumn bird migration is now underway with the swifts having already left.  Keep an eye out for flocks of swallows, house martins and sand martins as they start to mass ready to head south. Many have already left due to the abnormally wet weather. As these migrants leave, our winter residents start to arrive. The black-headed gulls started to get their winter plumage in August (they lose their black heads!). Small numbers of tufted duck have been seen on several occasions throughout August. Juvenile moorhen and coot can be seen on the lake as they move through Stover to disperse. Unfortunately the second grebe chick was predated by a pike on 7^th August, leaving just the one. A little grebe arrived on 11^th August and has remained on the lake ever since. ‘Dabchicks’, as they are otherwise known, are usually recorded singly at Stover either in April / May or August to November. Kingfishers and herons were recorded on several occasions last month. Over 30 Canada geese arrived on the lake at the end of August. They spend the day on the lake and at night feed on pastures and stubble. Crossbill were recorded on one occasion during August.

Adders basked in the sun on the heath on the hotter days of August and grass snakes were seen swimming in the lake. Young newts will start to leave the lakes and ponds this month. Now that the breeding season is over many animals are now foraging and feeding in preparation for winter. Badgers extend their setts in September and their young become independent. Young weasels will also start to disperse along with young mink. The latter rarely have territories of their own and so move around the countryside. To avoid meeting adult territory holders at night, when they are hunting, young mink will hunt during the day making them easy to spot.

There have been several seen in the marsh during August. Keep an eye out for dead shrews on the paths in the woods. Unfortunately, autumn is the peak time for adults to die as they only live for just over a year. Harvest mice are usually associated with arable farmland. However, Stover has a healthy population that make their ball-shaped nests in the reeds in the marsh and amongst the tall grasses in the meadow areas.  They continue to breed well into October and the young from these late litters that survive the winter form the majority of next years breeding population. As the vegetation dies down during the autumn the breeding nests become more visible. Hedgehog’s breed well into September and will become more visible in daylight hours as they actively feed to put on weight before the winter.

On sunny days there are still plenty of butterflies and dragonflies about. The second generation of Stover’s butterflies is now on the wing and as many species hibernate it is vital to have a late supply of nectar in order to survive. That is why the late flowering plants such as fleabane, heather, scabious, ground elder, mint and yarrow are so important for many insects. Ivy flowers in the autumn and produces berries in the Spring; providing nectar and pollen at just the right time for hibernating insects to build up their reserves.

Fleabane— a late flowering plant

Southern, common and migrant hawkers are now on the wing. The most abundant dragonfly seen during September is the common darter along with emerald and azure damselflies. Many grasshoppers and crickets are continuing to sing.

Common Darter Dragonfly

Keep an eye out for the varieties of fungi, which are starting to appear around the Park.

The Stover Volunteers Days commence again in September after the summer break. On Sunday 27^th September we will be working in the marsh, clearing the invasive willow and alder scrub to benefit next summer’s dragonflies. All are welcome – future dates along with details regarding guided walks and children’s activities can be found on the Autumn Events Programme.

Marshland Volunteers Day September 2008