WINTER 2024-25

JAY

©Michael Trump TQ4792 31/10/2024

Jays are notoriously shy birds and their distinctive shriek in the woods is probably heard more than they are seen. However, this winter there has been an obvious increase in numbers in Hainault Forest and they have been spotted more than usual, often in pairs. Jays are clever mimics and can make calls that sound like buzzards, owls and other animals.

GREEN WOODPECKER

©Raymond Small TQ4792 11/01/2025

This Green Woodpecker spent at least twenty minutes on this bush in the scrub on Millennium Hill. The moustache indicates whether the bird is male or female; all black indicates a female; a moustache with a red centre is a male.

SHOVELER

©Raymond Small TQ4792 13/01/2025

Shovelers are normally seen swimming in circles using their long beaks to trawl the water. When the lake froze over they stood on the ice giving a rare view of their legs.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 13/01/2025

Female Shovelers are fairly similar in appearance to Mallard females, but they have longer spade-like beaks and their  speculum, the coloured strip on the secondary flight feathers, is green.

GOOSANDER

©Michael Trump TQ4792 22/12/2024

Goosanders are occasional winter visitors. They feed on fish. Unlike most other ducks they are very wary of humans. The drake has a bulbous head and white breast. The female has a brown head. Several appeared on Hainault Lake in December, but only stayed for a few days before leaving.

TUFTED DUCK

©Raymond Small TQ4792 10/12/2024

Tufted Ducks have their legs located towards the back of their bodies. They appear awkward when walking and are better suited for an aquatic lifestyle. They normally like to stay on the water and are seldom seen leaving it.

GULLS

©Raymond Small TQ4792 13/01/2025

Black-headed Gulls are seen at Hainault lake throughout the year, but are more numerous during the winter. They have a dark spot on the side of the head which totally covers the head when the breeding plumage occurs in the summer. They are often accompanied by an occasional Common Gull or Lesser Black-backed Gull, which can usually be easily picked out from the crowd by their larger size and different coloured legs.

LITTLE EGRET

©Michael Trump TQ4792 03/11/2024

Little Egrets appeared at the back of Hainault Lake for a few days in November and this species is now becoming a regular winter visitor. It is a white bird of the Heron family that has black legs and yellow feet.

LAPWINGS

©Debi H. TQ4589 11/01/2025

Debi took this picture of Lapwings standing on a frozen lake at Fairlop Waters. It is not a species we usually find on Hainault Lake. It is also known as the 'Peewit' due to its characteristic call. This is now a Red List species due to a recent decline in numbers.

LONG-TAILED TIT

©Raymond Small TQ4793 09/01/2025

Long-tailed Tits are usually seen in small noisy groups flying around woodland trees and hedgerows. They feed on insects, sometimes switching to seeds in autumn and winter.

ROBIN

©Raymond Small TQ4792 09/12/2024

Robins sing throughout the year. They are friendly (and curious) towards humans. They feed upon seeds, fruit, insects, worms and other invertebrates.

DUNNOCK

©Raymond Small TQ4792 10/01/2025

Dunnocks are small brown and grey birds. They are shy birds usually seen alone, or in pairs, on paths or close to bushes. They feed on insects, arachnids, worms and seeds.

CANADA GOOSE

©Raymond Small TQ4792 01/01/

'Tiny' is a lone goose slightly smaller than most of the other Canada Geese at Hainault Lake. She often appears when no other geese are about. It was a surprise when she suddenly showed up in the woods because geese prefer open, grassy places near water.

PEAHENS

©Michael Trump TQ4792 29/12/2024

Peahens making their great escape from Foxburrow Farm. In captivity peacocks and peahens usually feed on seed, grain, fruit, other plant matter and insects. In the wild they have also been known to consume small mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

EARED LEAFHOPPER

©Raymond Small TQ4792 31/12/2024

This is a nymph of an Eared Leafhopper Ledra aurita resting on a beech trunk. Flat against bark on the lichen-covered tree it is well camouflaged. This is the only Ledrinae species found in Europe

GROUND BUG

©Raymond Small TQ4791 07/01/2025

Ground Bug Eremocoris podagricus (about 6mm) has reddish-brown patterned forewings. This species is associated with moss growing beneath hawthorns in chalky and sandy locations. During winter it lives under loose bark.

VAPOURER MOTH

©Raymond Small TQ4792 31/12/2024

It is often claimed that Vapourer caterpillars are seen from May until September so this young larva (1 cm long) was an unexpected find at the end of December. Moults of caterpillars have been seen at this time of year, but this one was moving meaning that this larvae was alive and kicking.

GREY SHOULDER-KNOT

©Raymond Small TQ4793 22/12/2024

Grey Shoulder-knot Lithophane ornitopus is on the wing from September to May in broad-leaved woodland. There is a bold, black, antler-like mark at the forewing base. Oak is the larval foodplant.

WINTER MOTH

©Raymond Small TQ4792 27/12/2024

Winter Moth Operophtera brumata is a common sight from November until February resting on tree trunks. Females are almost wingless, and crawl up tree-trunks waiting for males to arrive. Its larvae feed on broadleaved trees.

SPRING USHER

©Raymond Small TQ4692 14/01/2025

Not many moths fly in January and because of that less recording is done. To encourage recorders around the country to put out traps the January Moth Challenge was started. The aim of the challenge is to record 10 species of macro-moth and/or 5 species of micro-moth during the month of January. Due to strong wind and low temperatures our Hainault trap didn't record its first moth until January 14th - a Spring Usher. A full report of our results will appear on the next Journal. At the moment expectations are low that our trap will meet the challenge!

HAZEL COPPICE

©Raymond Small TQ4692 02/01/2025

This area was overgrown with bramble and difficult to walk through. When pointed out to the forest rangers that this was once a Hazel plantation they decided the area needed special attention, so with the assistance of volunteers they cleared the undergrowth and coppiced many of the trees. Coppicing is a process that dates back to Stone Age times. Trees are felled at the base to allow new shoots to grow. This was originally done to produce timber that could be used for firewood or building a dead hedge. A dead hedge has been build around this area utilising the wood produced by coppicing.

©Raymond Small TQ4692 02/01/2025

Nowadays coppicing is usually done to improve the health and biodiversity of woodland. Opening up the canopy to allow sunlight in is beneficial to species at ground level. It allows more woodland plants to thrive which in turn helps other wildlife. Trees are often cut in rotation with wood harvested in a section one year, another section the next, and so on. Hazel is normally coppiced on an eight-year cycle. Coppicing can greatly extend the life of a tree. The long, hanging, male flowers known as 'catkins' produce pollen. Female flowers are very small and often go unnoticed. Can you see the female flower in this picture?

©Raymond Small TQ4692 02/01/2025

The beautiful red styles belonging to this female flower are only about 4mm long. A hazel tree contains both male and female flowers (monoecious) but needs to cross-pollinate with another tree to produce nuts.

HOLLY

©Raymond Small TQ4793 02/01/2025

Holly has creamy-white flowers which are either male or female. Male flowers have prominent pin-like structures that produce pollen called stamen. Female flowers have four stamen that don't produce pollen.  Holly plants are dioecious, meaning they require separate male and female plants in order for pollination to take place. In the middle of a female flower there is a fat green ovary, once the flowers are pollinated they develop into bright red berries. Berries only grow on female plants. Female leaves have serrated edges, male leaves are often straighter and plainer.

EUROPEAN GORSE

©Raymond Small TQ4892 03/01/2025

European Gorse Ulex europaeus is a common spiny evergreen shrub that grows up to 2 metres high. Its yellow flowers (15-20mm) appear mainly between January and June. The green needle-like leaves are furrowed. During summer the seed pods can often be heard popping open on sunny days. European Gorse is usually found on light acid soils.

CONES

©Raymond Small TQ4791 03/01/2025

Pine trees have woody fruiting bodies called cones, which can be either male or female. Male cones usually have a relatively short existence and being small often go unnoticed. Female cones are larger and more conspicuous. Initially the cones are green later turning brown. During spring male cones appear in clusters at the tips of the branches each one loaded with pollen which is dispersed on the wind. Pollen enters the female cone and after pollination has taken place seeds develop. Seeds can take 2-3 years to form. When mature the seeds are dispersed on the wind and by the animals that eat them. Female cones open only when the weather is suitable for the seeds to be spread. They close up in wet weather to protect the seeds and open up again in drier conditions. The above picture shows a Scots Pine cone.

©Raymond Small TQ4892 02/01/2025

Cones can be conical or round-shaped. This spherical cone belongs to a Cypress tree. There are several Cypress trees on Hainault Golf Course.

©Raymond Small TQ4791 04/01/2025

A Douglas Fir cone.

©Raymond Small TQ4892 02/01/2025

Cones are not exclusive to coniferous trees. Grey Alder and Common Alder also bear cones. Alder trees are the only British native deciduous trees to have cones.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 04/01/2025

There are several pine trees in the centre of the A1112 dual carriageway. During January tiny cones could be found on the branch tips.

TRICHIA DECIPIENS

©Raymond Small TQ4792 03/01/2025

Trichia Decipiens is a fairly common slime mould found on logs in Hainault Forest. It should be noted that there is a similar species in the form of Trichia crateriformis. In contrast to this species it has a peridium that fractures cleanly around the diameter of the sporangia leaving a wine-glass shape with a candy floss top covered in yellow spores. At the sporing stage there were no clean breaks in our slime mould's peridium.

CANDY FLOSS SLIME MOULD

©Raymond Small TQ4791 04/01/2025

Arcyria denudata is a common slime mould with white plasmodium and young sporangia that look very similar to tiny white pearls. It grows on rotten hardwood logs. As the fruiting bodies develop they grow taller (2-6mm high) tapering towards the top and have a change of colour becoming pinkish-red or deep crimson. 

©Raymond Small TQ4791 04/01/2025

This species is known as the Candy Floss (or Cotton Candy) slime mould due to its appearance in the latter stages.

TRICHIA SLIME MOULD

©Raymond Small TQ4791 14/01/2025

Trichia is a genus of slime molds in the family Trichiidae. Due to similarity of several species the identity of this specimen is inconclusive. The golden-yellow sporocarps were found on a very rotten hardwood log in crowded groups. Possibly Trichia affinis, but not confirmed.

SCARLET ELFCUP

©Raymond Small TQ4792 17/01/2025

Scarlet Elfcup Sarcoscypha austriaca usually appears during winter months on dead twigs. It has a preference for damp shaded locations where it is usually found partially buried in moss.

BOARDWALK

©Raymond Small TQ4792 07/12/2024

A boardwalk is being built at the back of Hainault Lake in the area once known as the Swan Sanctuary, with new paths installed to provide access. No official date has been given for completion.

WETLAND

©Raymond Small TQ4793 28/12/2024

An area near Alice's Hedge has been cleared of Silver Birch trees to make a wetland area, one of several projects being carried out by the Conservation Team and volunteers. Work has also included planting trees in the scrub area on Hog Hill, and cutting back the willow hedgerow in Ted's Field next to the lake.

SKELETON

©Raymond Small TQ4793 03/01/2025

A near-complete skeleton of a Fallow Deer was found in the forest near Lambourne End. It appeared to have pinkish rope wrapped around an antler. Sometimes ropes are seen tied to branches that have been used as children's swings. We wondered if this poor animal had been caught up by such a rope in the past. The upper eye socket was empty, possibly pecked away by birds. The eyeball next to the ground was still in place.

A FROSTY START TO 2025

©Mike Rumble TQ4793 03/01/2025

During winter if the night sky is clear with light winds, sufficient moisture is in the air, and the temperature falls between 0 °C and 4 °C, there is a strong possibility of frost forming on the ground and outside surfaces in the morning. This type of frost is known as 'hoar frost'.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 11/01/2025

Frost crystals grow from water vapour in the air. They are formed by direct condensation of water vapour turning to ice at temperatures below freezing; going from a gas state to a solid state with no melting in between. Snow crystals form on suspended dust particles high in the clouds, unlike frost crystals that develop on surfaces near the ground. When water freezes it forms a hexagonal crystal lattice caused by bipolar molecules being attracted to each other.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 10/01/2025

Frost is not frozen dew. If the temperature of an object on which the water condenses is above the freezing point of water, the condensation is observed as dew. However, if the temperature of an object is below freezing point, the water vapour develops ice crystals and the condensation is perceived as frost.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 10/01/2025

It is not easy for ducks to waddle on a frozen lake and they often slip and slide. In winter food can be difficult to find and they will usually appreciate a visitor providing bird seed or duck pellets to help them through the leaner times.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 10/01/2025

Frost-laden ground on Hog Hill with wispy, feathery, clouds overhead. Cirrus clouds are  made entirely of ice crystals and are often the first sign of an approaching warm front.

©Raymond Small TQ4792 12/01/2025

Fog occurred several times during January. Fog is a cloud that has formed near the ground caused when water vapour condenses and molecules combine to make tiny water droplets that hang in the air. This normally happens after rain when there is lots of moisture in the air. When air cools it can't hold as much water vapour causing it to condense into cloud droplets.

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