Valley Diary
Wildlife happenings to look out for in March...
- Watch out for spring flowers such as Wood Anemone, Lesser Celandine, Coltsfoot, Sweet Violet, Primrose and Wood Sorrel.
- This month should be peak frogspawn time, so if you find any
watch as the tadpoles begin to hatch.
- Pregnant vixens will be looking for suitable earths in which to raise their soon-to-be-born cubs.
- Butterflies emerge from hibernation on warm sunny days so look out for Commas, Brimstones, Peacocks, Red Admirals and Small Tortoiseshells.
- Kingfishers will have paired up and should now be digging their nest tunnels. There are several pairs in the Valley so see if you can spot them. They generally nest in the top part of vertical riverside banks so look out for the tell-tale signs of kingfisher tunnelling - a pile of fresh soil under the hole.
- Willows begin flowering so watch for Blue Tits eating the pollen. Pussy willow catkins are one of the few to be pollinated by both wind and insects.
- Early migrant birds will return from Africa.
- The white blossom of the Blackthorn will transform the hedgerows into a white frothy mass virtually overnight.
- Common garden birds will start building their nests.
- Great Crested Grebes start their courtship ‘weed’ dance
- The fist-shaped buds of the Horse Chestnut should burst open at the end of the month, revealing their woolly covered leaves.
- Warm early spring sunshine brings out queen bumblebees looking for nest sites. Listen for their lazy drone as they search out suitable locations.
More about March in the Valley >>>
Things to do this month ....
- From walks to workshops have a look at our March diary of events to see what you can do this month. More details >>>
- An event you can’t miss: Step into the Country, Saturday 20th. Full details >>>
Your sightings
Tell Us...
...about your wildlife sightings or anything else of interest that you see in the Valley.
Submissions will be included on these pages so we can build up our own monthly wildlife
diary for th Valley. We would also love to receive any pictures.
Please Email us with brief details, not forgetting to tell us where and when you made your
sighting. Thank you to everyone who has previously sent us sighting details and pictures.
Please continue sending them in.
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