The Magic of March - Part 1

Monthly Nature Highlights

It’s that time again! Grab a cuppa and settle in, for the highlights of the month of March. Please note, as with all my monthly posts, it’s a long one. If you have any issues viewing this in your email, please do log into the app to see the full post.

It’s been a couple of weeks since my last post, but I’ve been working hard behind the scenes, planting future wildlife habitats and preparing the garden for spring. March seems to have flown by, but month end is fast becoming my favourite time, when I get to review all my favourite nature moments and share them with you.

Reviewing the month’s nature highlights is always guaranteed to leave me feeling uplifted and grateful. No matter how many life challenges the month has brought, how mundane the day to day has been, or how successful (or not) I have been in achieving my goals, it’s always a joy to see how filled with life and beauty my world really is.

The weather in March has been extremely unpredictable. The nights and early mornings are still bringing frost. Whereas the days can vary from blue skies and glorious sunshine; warm enough to not need a coat, to pale grey skies and watery sunlight, with soggy ground and slippery mud. Then in a flash it becomes a bright sunny day where the cold nips at the tips of my ears and I wish I had worn a hat, but I might just need my sunglasses.

My mood has been equally erratic; varying from extremes of feeling light and free, shaking off the weight of winter, with the urge to spring clean the house from top to bottom; to feeling sluggish and tired and even a little melancholy, wishing that winter were still here so I had an excuse to curl up in front of the fire with a good book and ignore all my responsibilities.

But the days when the sun really shines, they are perfect. One particularly glorious day, my husband Andrew and I sat outside with the parasol up to shade us from the sun, and I was lulled to sleep by the sound of gentle birdsong and the light warm breeze on my face. That was until my dog Maverick decided to drop his toy on my head. ‘This is no time for sleeping!’ he was clearly thinking. ‘We’re in the garden. It’s time for play!’ For us humans however, it’s less time to play, and more time to work. Which leads me nicely into my first monthly highlight which is: -

Hedge planting

Andrew and I did our annual pilgrimage to the local garden centre in early March, where we loaded up the car with hedging whips. We decided to plant a native hedge to surround our wildlife garden and chose to plant hornbeam, field maple, guelder rose and spindle. Hopefully something for everyone. Hedge planting is one of my favourite early spring garden jobs. It’s so satisfying to stand back and look at your work, knowing that it will eventually grow into a luscious hedge filled with birds and insects.

We were joined in our efforts by Maverick, who despite being on the other side of the fence, skilfully managed to drop his toy every few minutes right in front of where we were planting; even poking it through the fence into the planting hole on occasion. Leo however was happy to lie in the grass and enjoy the occasional patch of sun that appeared, barking every so often to remind us we needed to give him treats. We were also accompanied by the soundtrack of a cow mooing loudly ‘til late into the evening, she did not sound very happy. We later discovered that she has been separated from the rest of the herd, as she is believed to be pregnant. I foresee cute calf pictures in my notes feed in the future…

It was hard work, our soil is not the greatest, and there are many tree roots in the wildlife space. But it was well rewarded when we were finally finished. We stood at the top of the garden, admiring our handiwork, and a beautiful barn owl swooped over the garden, through the twilight, and right over the top of where we’d been planting. It felt like a lovely seal of approval from the local wildlife.

Our newly planted native hedge

Speaking of approval from local wildlife, several of our regular bird visitors have been checking out potential nesting sites this month.

Pied Wagtails

One morning I opened my curtains to a pair of pied wagtails on our balcony. We do not tend to see them in winter, but they are regular spring/summer visitors to our garden. I was happy to see them, as a pair have nested for two years running underneath the solar panels on our shed roof. Another day I heard a loud ‘peep’ and looked up to see them hanging out on our house roof. The male cheeping loudly in between drinking from the gutter, whilst the female paraded back and forth along the ridgeline like a gymnast on the balance beam.

I was delighted to see one of them, a male, a few days ago, sitting on the gutter just in front of their preferred nesting spot. This morning, I spotted the male again, just outside my bedroom window, checking out a different set of solar panels. Thanks to Andrew’s enthusiasm for energy efficiency, they have plenty of spaces to choose from on our roof. Here’s hoping they still find it to their satisfaction.

Photo by Aleksey Kuzmichev on Unsplash

Blue Tits

The blue tits have been visiting the nesting box outside our kitchen window regularly. We have been fortunate that they have nested there for two years running, and so it’s wonderful to see them back again. I had seen one bird on the box occasionally, but only briefly. Then, on the 20^th March, I saw the pair, flying in and out, and it was clear by the amount of time one bird (I’m guessing the female?) spent inside the box, that the movers were officially in.

Goldfinches

A few years ago, I got a little carried away planting Buddleia in my front garden. Now, it’s taken over most of the space. I’m not complaining as it’s such a delight when the purple blooms are covered in pollinators. I try to keep it somewhat under control, but last year, I didn’t get round to pruning the shrubs on time, and to my surprise a beautiful pair of goldfinches took full advantage. They created a rather precarious looking nest in the V of two branches.

I have deliberately waited to prune them this year, just in case they think about returning. I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t however – I can see the nesting site from my favourite spot in our living room, and last spring brought the occasional big storm. It was an incredibly tense time watching the shrub bending dramatically in the wind, almost enough to snap, buffeting the small nest from all sides. I curled up clutching a cushion, rain hurling itself against the windows, unable to tear my eyes away from the drama unfolding. ‘The baby birds can’t possibly survive that!’ I cried, close to tears.

Amazingly however, they did! A day later I saw the finches bringing food, and a while later I spotted the very first fledgling, sitting underneath the shelter of another buddlea bush.

I can’t decide if I want them to return or not, part of me would love them too, but I’m not sure my heart could take it watching another storm like that. I have since read that goldfinches will usually raise two broods in a season, sometimes three. Given I only saw the one, I’m thinking they may have thought better of it.

So far, I’ve seen the goldfinches in the same shrub a couple of times, but no sign of nesting. Then, a week ago I was disturbed from my work by something whizzing past my window. I ran to the window to see what it was, and watched an incredibly territorial goldfinch, chasing its competition away from that very bush. It then perched in the nearby birch tree to ensure its rival didn’t come back. I think I shall keep my pruning shears locked away for a few weeks longer, just in case.

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash

Wood Pigeons

As you will know if you read my post February Favourites (check) my wood pigeon pair have begun frequenting their usual spot, preening and nuzzling each other. Well, as of the beginning of March they started to hang out in the back garden, perched on the fence, or in the grass, close to their previous nest site. They are quite tame, and not easily spooked. Even Maverick will sometimes tolerate their presence, until they outstay their welcome and he chases them off.

I spotted one bird perched up on the chimney of one of our outbuildings, keeping a beady eye on the nest location, and then, on the 3^rd March I finally saw both birds on their nest. I now see at least one bird on the nest every day. Look out for a future post on the story behind the building of the epic wood pigeon nest, that just keeps growing!

Bumblebees

Early March brought the first sighting of a bumblebee queen, much to my delight, busying away in one of my crocuses.

The lovely

Kate Warner

at Dragonflies and Dandelions informed me that it was a Buff Tailed Bumblebee. These are apparently the biggest of the bumblebees and named specifically after their queen, as the worker bees tails are almost white.

Since then, I spot a queen bumblebee almost every day. Sometimes visiting the flowers, other times disappearing into potential nesting sites, like a hole underneath an old tree stump at the bottom of the garden. I would love to think that one of these wonderful creatures decides to nest on our plot.

The buzzing of a bee is a quintessential sound of a British spring and summer, and it always brings a smile to my face. When our damson blossom unexpectedly appeared (apparently its supposed to blossom in early April) it brought with it several bees and on sunny days the trees are filled with this beautiful sound.

I had been wondering where the bees will find nectar now my crocuses have finished (although I have a few flowers that I hope will fill the gap) and have been considering planting some more options for them. Then I came across this helpful article by

Kate Bradbury

, which has several suggestions for helping bumblebees. My particular favourite suggestion being to create a space for nectar rich plants inside your greenhouse. My greenhouse is pretty barren over the winter months, so I’m excited to give this a try, leave the door open and see what happens. I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

My Buff Tailed Bumblebee Queen

Spring Flowers

I absolutely adore the colour palette of spring flowers. Cheerful yellows and pretty purples make such a striking combination, a welcome riot of colour after the dull days of winter. My garden is home to several lovely spring flowers, including crocuses and daffodils (the day my first daffodil opened was a happy one).

Daisies, one of my favourite flowers, are now peppering our field with their happy little blooms, making me think of daisy chains and summer holidays. The snowdrops have sadly gone now, but in their place, another fairy flower has appeared, bringing a pop of yellow to the bottom of the hedgerow, the cowslip.

The purple theme continues with scores of violets, periwinkle (a planting by a neighbour which has kindly woven its way through our fence) and one of my favourite ‘weeds’ purple dead-nettle.

Finally, some beautiful blue grape hyacinths are just coming into flower as we approach the end of the month, leading us into next month, when I’m looking forward to the stars of the show being tulips and bluebells.

A collection of my spring favourites

Pheasants

Pheasants are a daily sight in our garden and the fields surrounding our home. It’s mating time, and male pheasants can be seen posturing, chasing one another, and wooing the females. The loud, rasping ‘kok kok’ call, followed by the flurry of wings is a common sound when out on a walk. Whenever I set foot into my garden, I know a pheasant is not far away. Look out for a post next week dedicated to these handsome colourful birds.

one of the regulars..

It’s been my absolute pleasure to share these experiences with you, thank you for joining me. Now it is time for me to let you return to your day.

I still have more to share, from toads and owls to a very special fox moment. So if you enjoyed reading, then I do hope that you will join me again tomorrow to share in the rest of my favourite March Moments.

What are your favourite moments this month? And do you have a favourite spring flower?