{"id":19943,"date":"2022-09-01T11:06:19","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T09:06:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.discoverwildlife.com\/?p=36651"},"modified":"2022-09-01T11:26:14","modified_gmt":"2022-09-01T09:26:14","slug":"british-wildlife-in-september","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/british-wildlife-in-september\/","title":{"rendered":"British wildlife in September"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Ben Hoare\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Thursday, 01 September 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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It may be nearing the end of summer, but many animals and plants are springing into action.<\/p>\n

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Willow warblers (Phylloscopus trochilus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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A willow warbler. \u00a9 Andrew_Howe\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

The great wave of migratory warblers and chats leaving our shores in September and October is larger than in spring, since it is swelled by this year\u2019s young birds. Among them are several million willow warblers, en-route to the forests and wooded savannahs of sub-Saharan Africa.<\/p>\n

Juvenile willow warblers are really quite eye-catching: much yellower than their parents, including in the stripe over the eye. Any patch of scrub, hedgerow or woodland near the coast is likely to have a few this month. They are restless birds, flitting through vegetation to feed up for the journey ahead.<\/p>\n

Chiffchaffs are also on migration, though often leave Britain a few weeks later, and it may not be possible to tell them apart. However, they tend to have darker bills and legs than willow warblers.<\/p>\n

European wasp (Vespula germanica<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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European wasp eating a discarded apple \u00a9 Andrea Edwards\/EyEm\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Long ago, the tube-like egg-laying organ of female wasps evolved into a sting. A hundred million years later, this remarkable innovation ruins many a September picnic. But why do these insects suddenly become hell-bent on interrupting al fresco meals and venturing inside our homes at this time of year? See it from their perspective and everything starts to make sense.<\/p>\n

Queen German, or European, wasps \u2013 the main species of social wasp in the British Isles \u2013 have stopped laying eggs. And with no new larvae, the end is nigh for the squadrons of female workers, which by this stage in a successful colony\u2019s life-cycle may number several thousand. They\u2019re doomed because, unlike the carnivorous, protein-hungry grubs, adult wasps sip sugars. Earlier, these were provided by the grubs in the nest, as a sweet fluid secreted in exchange for being given meat. Now the worker wasps must fend for themselves, so in their dying days they search gardens, parks and the countryside for nectar and fruit. As these supplies dwindle, they target our food instead.<\/p>\n

Common tern (Sterna hirundo<\/span><\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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A common tern in flight. \u00a9 David Sainsbury\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Seabirds are on the move in September, with many heading to waters off Portugal or western coasts of Africa<\/a>. Common terns<\/a> go as far\u00a0as the Cape of Good Hope, fishing the Benguela Current and mingling\u00a0with southern species such as albatrosses. Uniquely among the five tern species found in Britain and Ireland, they breed at gravel pits, lakes and reservoirs (even in some cities), as well as on coastal shingle. On migration, too, they can be encountered at waterbodies inland. So keep your eyes and ears open this month for any streamlined \u2018gulls\u2019 with buoyant, superbly graceful flight and shrill cries.<\/p>\n

Common terns are famously hard to separate from Arctic terns, also migrating this month. Both species have the nickname \u2018sea-swallow\u2019 due to their long tails but while adult Arctics will still be in summer plumage, many adult commons have already moulted, so have a whitish forehead and dark bill. Juveniles of both species look similar.<\/p>\n

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Hops (Humulus lupulus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Close up of hops in flower shortly before harvesting. \u00a9 Christopher Hopefitch\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

With the explosion of interest in craft beer, frequently brewed using trendy varieties of hops from New Zealand or the north-west USA, we have rather forgotten the long tradition of growing hops in Britain. The plant has been cultivated here since the late medieval period, after flavouring beer with hops took off in what is now Holland and Belgium. Today, hops grows wild in many areas, though most commonly in southern England. It is a vine, usually seen rambling over other plants in hedgerows and thickets.<\/p>\n

Hops plants are male or female. In summer, the former produce inconspicuous white flowers, which are wind-pollinated and not hugely important for insects.<\/p>\n

The flowers on the female plants, best looked for in August and September, are rather unusual \u2013 a little like small green pine cones.<\/p>\n

Common harvestman (Phalangium opilio<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Two harvestmen on a wooden fence at the edge of woodland. \u00a9 Sandra Standbridge\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Numbers of many arachnids peak in late summer and early autumn, which is how harvestmen<\/a> got their name. Eight-legged but not spiders<\/a>, these wonderful creatures have long, spindly limbs holding up a body that always seems much too small. It is a single pea-shaped structure, whereas spiders have two body sections. Harvestmen lack venom and eat just about anything.<\/p>\n

Wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Wood mouse walking on the forest floor. \u00a9 Jean Voiculescu\/500px\/Getty<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Come September, hazelnuts are ripening fast and wood mice are hoarding as much of this bounty as they can. Any nuts they polish off now are easy to identify. Look for empty shells with a neat circular hole chiselled in one end (the work of the lower incisors) and a few longer scrapes around the outside (where the upper incisors gripped the nut).<\/p>\n

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Elder (Sambucus nigra<\/em>)<\/h3>\n
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Ripe elderberries in October. \u00a9 Richard Clark\/Getty Images<\/em><\/span><\/figcaption><\/div>\n

Think back to May and June, when elder trees were smothered in cream-coloured, deliciously sweet-scented flowers. The blossom buzzed with all manner of insects, especially hoverflies and pollen beetles \u2013 and flavoured many a refreshing cordial. Three months down the line, flowerheads pollinated in spring have become luscious clusters of shiny berries. These often appear black, but are actually dark purple.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be tempted to try a raw elderberry: they\u2019re at best unpalatable, at worst toxic. However, to a bird, they are simply irresistible! Starlings,\u00a0woodpigeons, blackbirds, thrushes, robins, tits and warblers all tuck in. Researchers have discovered that more species of bird feast on elderberries than any other native British fruit. Given elder is a compact tree, the double whammy\u00a0of blossom and fruit makes it a brilliant addition to the garden.<\/p>\n

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