WILDLIFE TO WATCH: MARCH

Last month we saw some spring-like weather followed by more frosts and snow. As we move into March, it is certainly starting to feel a bit more like spring. Mudchute is looking much greener and we have been watching the first flowers of the season. Cherries, plums and their relatives are bursting into blossom and bulbs including snowdrops, daffodils and crocuses are breaking free from the once frozen ground with their flowers and foliage. Animals who hibernated through the winter are beginning to stir as well.

On warm days, butterflies and bees can be spotted taking advantage of the early blooms. We haven’t spotted any amphibians yet, but frogs, toads and newts will soon be making their way to our ponds to spawn, and they aren’t the only ones that will have mating in mind. For many local bird species it is time to start planning for the upcoming breeding season. The mornings are increasingly filled with song as blue tits, great tits, robins, thrushes and other songbirds establish their territories, fend off rivals, attract mates and explore prospective nest sites (we hope a few will move into the lovely new bird boxes that have gone up around the park and farm!).