Dry Drayton natural history

Dry Drayton Nature Notes - March

Here we will build a collection of monthly nature notes for Dry Drayton. You can find here information about regular and more unusual sightings of Parish flora and fauna. Please send us your sightings to add to these pages or send your local wildlife queries to us.

March month of 'many weathers' wildly comes
In hail and snow and rain and threatning hums
And floods: while often at his cottage door
The shepherd stands to hear the distant roar

John Clare, The Shepherd's Calendar 1827

Birds

Blue tit in Dry Drayton

Blue Tits can now be seen prospecting for nest sites.

Unusual Dry Drayton sightings published by the Cambridgeshire Bird Club

16/3/08 - Red Kite flying West

23/3/08 - 4 Common Buzzards over fields South of village (Richard Hook)

6/3/09 - 10.10 3 Buzzards over West (Ken Hook)

22/3/09 - Red Kite East to West across the ridge (Rowena Baxter)
A rare sighting of a Mealy Redpoll was recorded in Dry Drayton on 27 Feb 2011 and 5 March 2011 (Cambridge bird Club annual report 2011)

Flora

The hosts of golden daffodils in gardens are one of the high spots of March, reflecting the early spring sunshine in their petals.

Insects and Spiders

Resting on one of last autumn's fallen leaves, the Comma butterfly is one of the earliest species of the spring, coming out of hibernation to bask in the feeble warmth. Its name comes from the white underwing mark on a black background.

Now coming out in considerable numbers is our commonest Ladybird, the Seven Spot. A foreign invader, the Harlequin Ladybird should also be looked out for from now on. For more information go to the Harlequin Ladybird Survey site

Butterflies

The following are possibilities for early sightings, depending on the weather: Peacock, Comma, Small Tortoiseshell, Speckled Wood

Amphibians and Reptiles

March is the traditional month, at least in Cambridgeshire, for frogs to spawn. Variable weather can compress spawning into just a few days.

Photos and text by Val Perrin.