Winter at Bunloit
Winter is the harshest season, where wildlife seems to disappear into hiding and the weather unleashes its full force. Despite this, there is still a lot of activity to witness during the coldest months, as Nicola, one of our rangers, explores at Bunloit.
The official winter season runs from the winter solstice, December 21st 2021, when daylight hours are the shortest of the year, until the spring equinox on March 20th 2022, when the daylight hours are equal to the hours of darkness. This is our coldest time of year, as the northern hemisphere tilts away from the sun, causing it to remain low in the sky, providing less warmth or daylight.
Hazel Catkins
Nature is triggered by these events. After the autumn equinox, the change in daylength initiates the rut in red deer, triggers the trees that produce late fruit - like rowan and hawthorns - and helps to prime our wildlife and winter migrants such as redwings, for the winter ahead.
Winter is a time for rest and recovery for deciduous trees and most other plants, choosing to remain dormant and reserve energy for when the sun returns. However, some plants do start to show signs of life as early as January. Our non-native but much-loved Snowdrops herald the end of winter, as they carpet the ground of wet woodlands, preferring the shade. A walk around Bunloit sees the buds of elder trees remaining purple/brown throughout winter, but it may only be another week until we see the flush of the new year’s green leaves. Our beautiful hazel trees are also one of the first to show signs of life with the male catkins, which look like yellow cat tails hanging in the winter breeze, starting to open up and release their pollen.
The wildlife of our seasonal islands has a few options for survival: migrate, sleep or constantly find food. I think our insect eating birds have the right idea, heading south for winter. Our resident siskins can be seen in flocks feeding on the seeds of alder and birch trees, whilst other seed eating birds fare well in the winter thanks to our culture of welcoming them to our gardens with feeders filled with peanuts and seeds. The cheeky and charismatic robin are our winter companions, quick to let you know if you are late with the breakfast on a cold morning.
Of our native mammals, we are very lucky to provide a home for many at Bunloit; including foxes, badgers, pine martin, red squirrels and wild boar. During the winter months these animals have to balance energy expenditure with food availability. For badgers this means spending a lot more time in underground setts in a state of torpor, using fat reserves built up during autumn to survive through the winter. In early February, female badgers (sows) will have prepped the den with ferns and grasses to provide bedding for the arrival of cubs, usually around 2-3. We have camera traps placed around the estate and in spring hope to capture these amazing creatures taking their first steps out of the den and into the world.
One animal that is still active during these winter months is the wild boar. These charismatic, intelligent creatures have powerful snouts which allow them to root through the soil in search of tasty tubers. In winter, once they have satiated their appetite on the bounty of acorns that fell from our oak trees, they move up into the grassland and open spaces to survive winter (read more about them here). They have done an amazing job of disturbing the ground through the grasslands, opening up bare ground and allowing other plants to seed, germinate and grow with less competition. With help from the boar it was easy to spread some locally donated yellow rattle seed across these disturbed patches. This plant has parasitic properties as its roots tap into that of vigorous grasses, suppressing their growth and allowing it to prosper and set seed - this is why it is nicknamed the ‘meadow maker’.
Crossbill - ©Scott Hendry
The winter is far from over at Bunloit as a flurry of promising snow around Christmas quickly melted away to a few unseasonably warm days. Around the same time the crossbills could be heard calling for a mate at the top of our pine and larch woods. This is their habitat, feeding on the pinecone seeds, which start to open and fall in early spring. Because of this specialised diet, their range is limited by the forest edge. Early starters to the breeding season, a successful couple will have a nest full of eggs as spring really gets under way. The question remains whether we will see winter come back for one last blast of snow and storms, usually as the first lamb is born. I will leave you with a favourite folklore story of mine about the Celtic goddess of winter, The Cailleach.
Cailleach, meaning ‘old woman, hag’, is the Celtic Queen of winter, associated with the shaping of the landscape and the weather. Legend has it that on Là Fhèill Brìghde 1st February, the halfway mark between winter and spring, if the weather is fair and sunny it means that Cailleach is out collecting firewood and she intends for winter to last a while longer. If however this day is foul and cold, she is still sleeping and will run out of firewood and therefore bring a quicker end to winter. So, think back to the weather last week and decide for yourself on what the rest of winter has in store for us. In the meantime, take a walk out in nature and look for signs that spring is on the way.
Nicola Williamson