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The Friends of Cock Road Ridge |
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In August 1995 a Management Plan was compiled for the Friends of Cock Road Ridge. The objectives of this Plan are to maintain and enhance the wildlife interest of Cock Road Ridge whilst encouraging quiet use of the area by local people. Cock Road Ridge contains a rich diversity of plants and animals. Areas of this nature are becoming increasingly rare in this type of urban area.
On Wednesday 25th February 2004 a Grey Heron was seen "fishing" in the Oak Tree Pond. It was quite happy being observed whilst it looked around. It was limited with its hunting ground as most of the pond still had a skin of ice on it, but it had a small area that the sun had melted, to wade through. It was observed for 20 minutes and then left to continue with its fishing. Unfortunately the observer did not have his camera with him at the time but said that he would look out for the Heron on future visits.The observer visited the Oak Tree Pond on the following day and the Heron was still there, the observer had his camera with him and took a photograph of the bird. Please click on the photograph to see a larger image.The Grey Heron is a regular visitor to the Ridge and has been observed on a number of occasions. The Grey Heron lives off small fish caught in shallow water, tadpoles, frogs, small mammals, small birds, reptiles, molluscs and insects.
At 1.30am on Sunday 7th September 2003 an adult Badger was seen in Grannys Lane. It was making its way to Mount Hill Road.
On Saturday 30th August 2003 two young fox cubs were observed in a private garden close to the Community Garden.
Pheasant
At mid-day on Thursday 6th November 2003 a Pheasant was observed on the Ridge near the Oak Tree pond. This Pheasant has been seen on a number of occasions during the last few weeks. It seems that it is here to stay.
Frogs and Toads visited the Oak Tree Pond and the Community Pond last year. Frogs can spawn as early as December and as late as April, depending on how warm the weather is. If the winter is mild, they'll spawn early - but if the weather gets colder later on, the spawn may stop growing. In very cold conditions, frogs spawn late and have a very short time to grow. If there's no time to grow into froglets, they remain as tadpoles through the winter and hibernate at the bottom of the pond, continuing their development next year.
The Chairman reported on the 13th May 2004 that a pair of Kestrels were nesting on the Ridge
In 2002 all the rabbits on the Ridge succumbed to Myxomatosis. In just a few days all the rabbits were wiped out. For more information about this disease click on "Rabbits" below. It now appears that a small number of rabbits are reappearing, apparently unaffected by the disease. A recent sighting of a rabbit was photographed on the edge of the orchard.
A Friend who lives in a house overlooking Cock Road Ridge was pleased to report that on the 16th December 2002 he saw, for the first time on the Ridge, a Great Spotted Woodpecker. He said that it had visited his bird table and stayed for about 10 minutes until it was chased away by two blackbirds.
Tree Creeper
In June 2003 a Tree Creeper was observed on the Ridge
A Sparrow Hawk's nest has been observed on the Ridge (2003)containing four nestlings. At our meeting on the 18th July 2003 Ian McGuire from the Hawk and Owl Trust gave a talk on the work of the Trust. He said that Sparrowhawks were not responsible for songbird decline. He said that some songbirds such as Song Thrushes, Tree Sparrows and bullfinches have declined by more than 50% over the last 25 years. Birds of prey are sometime blamed for this decline, particularly the Sparrowhawk, and there have been calls for legalised control of birds of prey to protect songbirds. However, he went on to say that research by various bodies have proved that in fact the increase in birds of prey is not a significant cause of these declines. He said that there is evidence to show that for some prey species, Sparrowhawks can appreciably reduce the autumn population peak that arises as the young of each year join the adult population. He said that the size of some such breeding populations is marginally suppressed, but none of the studies that have been undertaken show a sustained long-term decline in songbird population as a consequence of Sparrowhawk predation. His talk was well received by members and we all look forward to seeing Ian at future meetings. For further information about the Hawk and Owl Trust visit www.hawkandowl.org
While working on the Ridge on Saturday 27th September, 2003 a pair of Buzzards were observed. It does appear that they may be thinking of making their home on the Ridge because they spent most of the day in the wooded area. The Buzzards were still on the Ridge on the 5th November 2003 so it appears that they may be here to stay.
While working on the Ridge on Saturday 27th September 2003 a pair of Jays were also seen. They spent most of the day in the Oak Tree.
I was hoping to report that Hedgehogs had been seen on the Ridge but I regret that I am unable to do so. I live close to the Ridge and I have not seen a Hedgehog in my garden for some time. I have not receive any report of hedgehogs being seen in the area. Please let me know if hedgehogs have paid a visit to your garden. I have received an unconfirmed report (6th November 2003) that a neighbour in Cock Road has been feeding a hedgehog that has been visiting her garden. Another report is that a dead hedgehog was seen on the side of Cock Road.
The following plants and trees are growing on the Ridge. The birds and animals have been observed during the last 10 years. If you have any observations to report please e-mail us.
Plants |
Animals |
Birds |
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Plum |
Apple |
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