March 2011

Yesterday, the weather was what most of us would call typical for a day in mid February, cold, wet, windy and generally dreary. However, what a difference a day makes! Today the wind has abated, the clouds have cleared, there is plenty of sunshine and the temperature is up, which has resulted in spring flowers almost appearing out of nowhere. There are the glistening white flowers of snowdrops - like the patches of the double variety which are garden escapes and are scattered through the newly cleared corner of Outwood Common, the yellow winter aconites with each flower backed by a calyx that looks like a small green doily, early crocuses particularly the yellow ones which always seem to be the first to flower and, in their favourite, sheltered spots under trees, can be found the pink and white flowers of the delicate but very hardy cyclamen coum. So, slowly and surely the annual cycle moves forward and by early March with daylight extending by roughly one minute each day it will not get dark until nearly 6pm.

Although reports of foxes killing chickens seem to be less frequent over the last couple of years there are regular sightings, often as they cross roads and are caught in the headlights of a car as it rounds the corner or when they are glimpsed as they cross a woodland footpath. The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) is a carnivore, member of the dog family and is the top predator in the UK. January and February are the months when foxes mate and it is at this time that their eerie and sometimes unnerving mating calls, a cross between a bark and a scream, can be heard. They usually give birth to 4 or 5 cubs in April or May and despite constant hunting, trapping and the effects of sarcoptic mange there remains a strong population estimated at in excess of 400,000 and contrary to popular opinion it is believed that there are now more foxes in urban areas than in the country. The red fox is deeply imbedded in our culture, language and folklore. It is mainly associated with slyness and deviousness exemplified by phrases such as "He's as crafty as a fox" or "As sly as a fox" or "As wily as a fox". Also, the fox crops up in poetry and songs such as D'ye ken John Peel by Johns Graves and in fairy tales such as Red Riding Hood, however, despite their sinister reputation recent research has shown that almost 70% of people like foxes and less than 10% don't.

The reference last month to the increase in sightings of roe deer led to more reports including one from Anne Morle who says she regularly sees them in her garden and that Michelann Pollard at Rookery Hill House has three that visit every morning. For those who would like to see more of our wildlife such as deer, foxes, otters, red squirrels, wild cats, pine martins and nearly forty other native species then why not visit the British Wildlife Centre on the A22 at Newchapel, near Lingfield - Tel: 01342 834658 - open every weekend and bank holiday from March to October.

Mike Johnson