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Look out for in:
Jan/Feb	March	April	May	Jun/Jul	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec

Interesting Features to be seen in November

November sees a marked change in the appearance of the forest as most of the trees drop their last leaves. First to go are the horse chestnuts, followed by limes, crab apples, maples, ash and sycamores. The brown leaves of oaks often hang on longer that those of other trees and can make the branches vulnerable to gales. In early November 2002, severe gales broke off the branches of many of Sulehay’s oaks. Many of these branches remain hanging from the trunks, resting on the ground, and in many cases are still alive. There are carpets of crab apples beneath the crab apple trees offering a long-term back up food for mice and birds. The shrub layer remains very colourful for a while, with bramble leaves turning red, dogwood a dark purple-red and spindle bright pink. Female spindle bushes have an extra splash of pink provided by their lobed pink fruits. Male and female robins both defend winter territories and sing throughout the winter, so any song heard during November is likely to be a robin. Bird numbers in the forest are increased by migrant birds, including tiny goldcrests which, despite weighing only five grams, cross the North Sea from Scandinavia. The first sign of their presence is often their whispering calls . They keep constantly on the move, often hovering to snatch spiders and midges. They have a yellow stripe along their crown, which in the male has an orange streak. They usually feed with flocks of tits, nuthatches and tree creepers, all moving around the canopy together. Other migrants from Scandinavia and northern Europe include song thrushes song thrushes, blackbirds, redwings, chaffinches and bramblings. Squirrels are now building dreys; bunches of leaves in forks of trees, which offer some protection from the cold. Like badgers, they remain active all winter and do not properly hibernate.