Migration
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| What to Watch for |<br />
WHAT TO WATCH FOR<br />
Birds<br />
Amphibians<br />
M<br />
Flowers<br />
Then you have the flowers. I’d almost<br />
forgotten about snowdrops, as we only<br />
get to see them for a short time each<br />
year, but recently, as I was walking<br />
through my local forest, I saw a few<br />
dotted around the entrance, reminding<br />
me of all the other beautiful things<br />
that we get to see in spring time.<br />
I’m looking forward to seeing the<br />
blackthorn start to flower, as well<br />
as my woodland favourites, wood<br />
anemones and bluebells enjoying their<br />
moment in the sun before the trees<br />
unfurl their leaves and shade them out<br />
once again.<br />
Words: Zach Haynes<br />
ARCH IS SUCH A WONDERFUL MONTH.<br />
It marks the beginning of spring, the season when we are lifted out of the darkness of winter, and everything starts to<br />
regain its colour. It’s a beautiful sight to see the bare trees suddenly bloom and the buds burst into colour.<br />
Blackthorn flowers<br />
Images: Zach Haynes<br />
In March, many species will be getting<br />
ready to breed. Birds will gather<br />
nesting material, and you’ll start to<br />
see more garden birds - sparrows,<br />
robins and blackbirds - darting about<br />
collecting sticks and moss to make<br />
cosy cushions for their eggs. One of<br />
my favourite things to do this month<br />
is simply go into my garden for a few<br />
minutes, or sit at my window, watching<br />
the activity around the bird table when<br />
we put out bundles of nesting material<br />
for our feathered friends. You always<br />
see something interesting. March is<br />
also the time when we get some of<br />
our first summer visitors returning.<br />
I always love to hear the call of the<br />
chiffchaff, not only because it reminds<br />
me of spring and all the wonders set to<br />
return, but also as it reminds me just<br />
how amazing it is that such a tiny little<br />
creature can travel all the way from<br />
Africa, or Southern Europe, to come<br />
here to breed.<br />
Mammals<br />
Come March, amphibians will be<br />
thinking of breeding too. Toads will<br />
be making their annual migrations<br />
towards their spawning grounds. If<br />
you live near a big migration site, you<br />
can help toads cross the road safely by<br />
joining a toad patrol group.<br />
Look out for frog spawn<br />
this month!<br />
Insects<br />
As the flowers appear, insects do<br />
too, including a lot of my favourite<br />
species. Creatures such as bumblebees,<br />
hoverflies and beetles; seeing them<br />
is always a wonderful experience.<br />
Likewise with butterflies; March is<br />
the perfect time to lay eyes on the first<br />
peacock, small tortoiseshell or speckled<br />
wood of the year.<br />
Have you seen your first<br />
peacock butterfly yet?<br />
Mammals too are getting active.<br />
Hedgehogs will soon be waking up<br />
and looking for food, so now is a<br />
great time to put out food and fresh<br />
water for them to help them gain the<br />
weight they’ve lost over winter, but<br />
be careful not to put out bread and<br />
milk! My favourite mammal activity<br />
though in March has to be hares. This<br />
is the month when they are mating<br />
and you’ll see them out in the fields<br />
dashing about and ‘boxing’ – this is<br />
when the females are fed up of being<br />
chased and are seeing off a persistent<br />
buck. It’s a fabulous sight to watch.<br />
Visit a bluebell wood near you this spring<br />
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