Spring 2010 March
March 2010
Snow drifts have been replaced by drifts of snowdrops. Bulbs of many sorts are forcing fresh shoots out of the moist soil. Crocuses blush on banks.
Grass is startlingly green in contrast to the colourless landscape of February, nourishing the rabbits that haven’t starved. Many will not have survived, the snow stained with their blood as they struggled against dehydration to find small morsels of food.
Heavy rains have created rich mud, to the delight of the hungry badgers and foxes that now eagerly dig and forage to feed their young. The moles have gone mad, converting playing fields and grassy plains to multitude mounds of freshly turned earth as they extend their underground dwellings.
Birds are busy, their songs clearer and more melodious, demanding our attention.
My handsome male blackcap, sleek and dapper in his grey suit and black cap has found himself a girlfriend, a gorgeous redhead who shares the fat feeders with him every day. The peanut feeders in my cornus mas are crowded with finches, tits and dunnocks. Squirrels are busily building body fat in readiness for family life.
Grey lichens glow from bare tree branches, freshened by the rain. Orange lichen gleams on roofs and gravestones.
Hedgerows are carpeted with the distinctive leaves of lesser celandine and wild cyclamen, lungwort and archangels. Comfrey leaves are above ground and will soon be ready for me to make a new batch of ointment that I find useful for soothing arthritic and athletic aches and pains.
Trees are now showing leaf buds, not yet open, but getting plumper.
Strong winds bring a bitter chill to what would otherwise be warmer weather, combing broken and dead branches from the trees.
Heavy rain pours from fields and high grounds in rivulets, eroding banks, causing flooding of flat low lands.
Wild weather makes us grateful for our log fires, for stews and toasted crumpets and for the roofs over our heads.
Geraldine Aldridge
10th West Hythe Herons are back on the nests but too far away for any decent shots, not a lot of activity.
Spotted a couple of moorhens in the field on the north side of the canal, obviously paired up and there was a lot of them in the field opposite by a pond on the south side.
Had a nice view of a male chaffinch by the path along the canal and rooks made a nice picture on wires. The alder has its catkins, the rooks are busy in the rookery and spring is in the air!
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14th Deer Park Fallow deer in the park by the keepers pond which was over flowing, the water running across the lane and the duck houses nearly submerged.
Snow drops on the edge of the wood by the lane these are very late this year because of the very cold winter, the coldest for thirty years they say!
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15th West Hythe On the way to the canal a female marsh harrier flew across the lane flying to the west towards Romney Marsh. Pulled the car over and got a few shots of it as it flew into the distance.
Got quite close to a male blackbird by the path, they are singing strongly now and there's one in my court yard garden singing for a mate.
On my way along by the canal I heard yelping and noises coming from up ahead in a field, when I got there I could see two foxes one in the middle of the field and one coming down towards me. This one then turned and went back up to the top and sat there while the other sat were it was looking a bit dejected, not sure what was going on there.
The tits are more evident now, mainly in the trees by the canal mostly great, blue and some long tailed. The great tit's call is easy to recognize, it sounds like 'teacher, teacher, teacher' and quite loud.
Saw my first butterfly by the path which was a comma butterfly, a lovely reminder that springs here and the weather is warmer which is very welcome after such a cold winter.
There were deep tracks in the mud by the weir left by herons looking for food, would have made sum good close up shots if it had still been there perhaps next time!
Found some lichen covering many branches of an alder bush, it was sulphur yellow in colour and later I found out it is Xanthoria parietina for those who want to look it up.
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17th West Hythe again, this time saw herons flying too and from the heronry all ways a great sight seeing such large birds looking like pterodactyls!
I was lucky to catch sight of a buzzard flying over Lympne wood heading in land accompanied by a crow.
Came across some more lichen on an oak trunk, this one is a greeny grey in colour and called Hypogymnia physodes.
When I got back to the car park I caught sight of a male chaffinch repetedly flying at my side mirror, it obviously thought its reflection was another male. It then did the same to a van that was parked next to me flying at its mirror! I have never seen this behaviour before.
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20th I was near the Deer Park and spotted these daffodils growing in a garden and in the foreground are some snowdrops! I don't remember snowdrops being so late, again due to the cold winter.
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21st Grove Feery and Stodmarsh Not a bad day weather wise, bright but thin cloud so made the trip.
The first thing I noticed when I got to the observation ramp not far from the entrance was the amount of shelducks and lapwings on the lagoon and the lovely sight of mute swans flying over.
Stopped at the first hide to see if there was anything of interest but it was quiet, a couple of grey lag geese on the little island.
On the way back I stopped again at the ramp and saw a little egret and a reed bunting.
From here I went to the other end of Stodmarsh, this was quiet as well but I was lucky at one point to see four marsh harriers male and female doing some courtship displays.
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