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| Snowdrops |
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The first few days of March are forecast to be quite cold with a chance of snow, but if we are lucky the weather should start to improve this month, and hopefully herald the start of spring.
My garden already has good numbers of snowdrops and crocus in bloom, and the daffodils are only a few days away from opening.
The birds will notice an improvement in the weather, along with the extended daylight hours, and a bright sunny day will have them singing their hearts out to attract a mate and proclaim their territories.
Many birds will by now have chosen a nest site and some may even have started breeding. Blackbirds,Thrushes and Dunnocks tend to be amongst the earliest to breed, but if the weather is good, many other species will start nest building this month too.
If you haven’t put up a nest box in your garden yet, you will need to do so soon as the birds will usually look at several sites over a few weeks before deciding which one to use.
March, as well as being the first month of Spring, is also the start of the new migration season.
Although the majority of birds will not usually arrive until April, the traditionally early arrivals should be seen during the next couple of weeks.
Look out for Wheatear at the coast or open New Forest areas, the males are a pale blue colour whilst the females are a sandy brown, and both have a very prominent white rump.
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| Sand Martin. To read further information about the Sand Martin please visit the RSPB website |
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Over inland water there might be a Sand Martin, or a Garganey, which is a small brown duck, the male has a white stripe above its eye.
At the coast look for the first Sandwich terns, and movements of sea duck like Eider, Scoter and divers. Unfortunately for us most of this action takes place on the other side of the Isle of Wight, but occasionally some birds use the "short cut" through the Solent.
Swallows will also start arriving soon too, and listen out for Chiffchaffs calling or the sweet song of a Blackcap, though these two species may not be returning birds as many of them will have stayed with us all winter. I have had a pair of Blackcaps since Christmas in my garden, and the male is still around now.
Spring migration can be less exiting than Autumn migration, because many birds fly straight over us and move directly to their breeding areas, but from time to time, if they encounter poor weather when the reach our shores they land to seek shelter and rest.
This can result in many hundreds of birds suddenly arriving at coastal locations and is known as a "fall". An early morning trip to Lepe or Calshot could prove quite exiting if this happens, with many different species recorded.
February has been quite a good month for birds with a lot of gulls congregating on the beach at Lepe. Mostly they include Common gulls and Black headed gulls, which are now getting back to their breeding plumage, of chocolate brown heads.
There are also several Mediterranean Gulls amongst them.
They are slightly larger and really do have a black head!
There is a large flock of Geese that can often be found between Inchmerey and Exbury that includes Canada, Barnacle, and Greylag Geese, possibly also a Tundra Bean goose too, and a grey male Hen Harrier has been seen over the Marsh at Lepe on several occasions.
There is a very big flock of finches on farmland at Exbury including many Bramblings and several hundered Redpolls.
Amongst these are several Mealy Redpolls which are very pale in colour and reportedly a larger, and very rare Arctic Redpoll.
The Snow buntings at Calshot were reported as still present up to about the 20th of Feb, and there were up to four Black Redstart at the Power station.
March should be an even better month with lots of returning summer visitors. Lets just hope that winter doesn’t have a sting in its tail!this
Paul Matthews |
