Wednesday, 15 March 2017

Early Spring around the local patches - Early March 2017

 
TOAD resting on his way across the road
 
BUTTERFLIES have appeared with BRIMSTONE and PEACOCK about. Some bumblebees have also come out.

 
The resident GREYLAG flock

The resident birds have returned to their breeding haunts, with YELLOWHAMMERS and SKYLARKS now singing out in the fields.

The BLACKTHORN flowers seemed to have come out overnight
 
 
BLACKBIRD Christchurch Park
 
The warm weather had enticed this TERRAPIN out for a sunbathe. This was in the Christchurch Park Wilderness Pond.
 
In Christchurch Park there were two drumming GREAT SPOTTED WOODPECKERS, plenty of cooing STOCK DOVES, and abundant trilling MISTLE THRUSHES.


This CHESTNUT TEAL was an escapee at Needham Lake
 
On the River Gipping Lakes numbers of wildfowl had diminished slightly, but there was still plenty about. New on Pipp's Ford were a pair of SHELDUCK, which might stay and breed, as its prime nesting habitat.

By Barham Pit A there were two singing CHIFFCHAFFS about, but they were probably over wintering birds rather than genuine spring migrants.
With such a mild winter this change in season seems less marked. But seeing all these signs of new life really does warm the heart.



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