Brimstone butterfly by Denis Kennedy
Top 10 wildlife sightings for March
Lesser celandine by Chris Lawrence
Wildflowers are blooming, birds are singing, and butterflies are fluttering – sure signs that spring has sprung!
Brimstones and other butterflies
Look out for brimstones, the large yellow butterflies that may have given ‘butter-flies’ their name.
They emerge from their winter hiding places on warmer days and are a sure sign that spring is on its way. Other butterflies that spend the winter as adults include peacocks and red admirals, so keep an eye out for these too.
Like queen bees, the first thing these insects will want to do is find some flowers and get a long drink of nectar to give them energy. One of the best ways to help butterflies and attract them into your garden is to plant nectar-rich flowers.
Primroses by Katrina Martin / 2020VISION
Pretty primroses
The primrose's common name comes from the Latin 'prima rosa', meaning 'first rose' and describing its early spring flowering. These pretty, creamy-yellow flowers pop up in woodlands and grasslands. Primroses are also the foodplant of the caterpillars of the rare Duke of Burgundy butterfly. Our Dancersend reserve near Aylesbury hosts a great display, in carefully managed woodland and scrub compartments.
Bob Coyle
Melodic blackbirds
March marks the start of blackbird breeding season: if you are quiet and patient you might be lucky enough to see a male performing his courtship dance including head-bowing, an open beak and a 'strangled' low-pitched song. You can also listen out for blackbirds singing their spring song which is described as 'treaclier' than their winter tune, and a sure sign that spring has arrived.
Collared doves
Easily confused with the larger woodpigeon, the collared dove is a neat, buff-coloured bird which gets its name from the black half-collar on the side of its neck. It makes a familiar 'hoo hoooo-hoo' sound, which is sometimes mistaken for an owl’s hooting!
This small pigeon is found on farmland and in woodland, parks and gardens across the country. Since breeding in the UK was first recorded in the 1950s, numbers have increased and the collared dove is now one of our commonest garden birds. Collared doves feed on seeds and grain on the ground and are usually seen singularly or in pairs, although small flocks may form where there is enough food.
Hares 'boxing' in a field. Picture: Russell Savory
Mad March hares
One of the most famous signs of spring in the British Isles is 'boxing' hares. Contrary to popular belief, 'mad March hares' is not about male posturing or machismo, but is usually a female or 'jill' fending off the attentions of a jack, either to show that she is not yet ready, or as a test of his determination!
Lesser celandine by Chris Lawrence
Celandine carpets
A humble-sounding flower, lesser celandine looks its best when large clusters in deciduous woodlands create great carpets of gold between March and May - providing a valuable source of nectar for many insects.
Taken by Henry Manisty at Waterstock Local Wildlife Site
Kingfisher courtship
With their bright amber and azure plumage, kingfishers are famous as one of the most colourful and attractive UK birds - but did you know they lay their eggs underground? Each spring they burrow into sandy riverbanks - but they also defend their territory by performing elaborate mid-air motions to scare rivals away.
Our Chimney Meadows reserve on the banks of the Thames in West Oxfordshire is just one good place to see these dazzling birds in action. The video above was captured by our friend Henry Manisty at Waterstock Local Wildlife Site.
Bee-flies
An imposter!? Bee-flies are a group of true flies (like bluebottles and house flies) that have evolved yellow and orange fur which mimics bumblebees. In March they are among the first flying insects to appear on sunny days, hovering in front of primroses and drinking nectar like tiny hummingbirds.
Listen out for the high-pitched whine produced by flapping their wings hundreds of times per second. Every spring there is a light-hearted competition to see who will be the first to see a bee-fly, part of the ‘Bee-fly Watch’ national monitoring scheme.
Yew tree flowers. Picture: Erik Agar/ Getty Images
Yew flowers
Yew trees are famous across the British Isles as the traditional tree of churchyards: more than 500 churches in England and Wales alone have yews in their grounds that are at least as old as the church itself.
One of the oldest yews in the UK is the Fortingall Yew in Scotland, estimated at somewhere between 2,000 and 9,000 years old.
In winter, these aged sentinels' bright red berries provide festive decoration and a valuable food source for a host of birds and mammals - but have you ever seen their flowers? Yew is actually dioecious, which means male and female flowers grow on different trees - and it relies on the wind to blow pollen from male trees to females. Keep a look out next time you are passing a churchyard and see if you can spot some.
A king among birds
Despite being a common and widespread bird, the goldcrest is not the easiest to locate. That may be in part due to its small size – it is the smallest bird in Europe! – and its habit of hunting for insects in the cover of conifers, flying from branch to branch with seemingly endless energy. Its spiralling, high-pitched song is a good sign that one is in the area, though as it sings at the top end of the register, not everyone will be able to hear it.
If spotted, it could also be easily mistaken for the very similar firecrest, a much rarer bird yet gaining in numbers. With its striking black-and-white eye stripes, and brighter yellow back, the firecrest has been described as a goldcrest wearing makeup!
If you do catch a glimpse of either one, savour the moment. The goldcrest is a king among birds and displays a beautiful golden crown – lending it its Latin name, Regulus regulus.
