If there are any plant experts out there perhaps they could explain what happened to the apparently dead hawthorn bushes which came alive again this year.
They are individual bushes spread out over a large area on Scout Scar, a limestone escarpment in South Cumbria.
For the past 10 years they have gradually been 'dying off' until last year when virtually none had any leaves or berries on them. When I snapped a twig, there was a dry cracking sound.
Miraculously they had largely recovered this year. On my first visit this year, the other day, most were covered in leaves and the whole landscape has been transformed.
I'm not sure how it affected resident bird life but fortunately it had no effect on passing migrants.
It's a Common Redstart stopping off point for this species in particular. Even when the bushes were looking dead they still stopped here in late Summer/early autumn with over 40 individuals usually counted over a period of around 6 weeks.
There were 7 counted the other day- not an unusual count for this area.
They are individual bushes spread out over a large area on Scout Scar, a limestone escarpment in South Cumbria.
For the past 10 years they have gradually been 'dying off' until last year when virtually none had any leaves or berries on them. When I snapped a twig, there was a dry cracking sound.
Miraculously they had largely recovered this year. On my first visit this year, the other day, most were covered in leaves and the whole landscape has been transformed.
I'm not sure how it affected resident bird life but fortunately it had no effect on passing migrants.
It's a Common Redstart stopping off point for this species in particular. Even when the bushes were looking dead they still stopped here in late Summer/early autumn with over 40 individuals usually counted over a period of around 6 weeks.
There were 7 counted the other day- not an unusual count for this area.
