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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.

 

Dry Drayton Nature Notes for: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

 

 

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.

daffodil in Dry Drayton

 

Comma butterfly in Dry Drayton

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.

Seven Spot Ladybirds in Dry Drayton 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.

frog in pond in Dry Drayton

 

Photos and text by Val Perrin.


 

Dry Drayton Nature Notes for: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December

 

Species Lists for Dry Drayton: Flowering plants and ferns | Fungi | Insects and spiders | Amphibians and reptiles | Birds | Mammals

 

Nature Notes on: The Dry Drayton Environment and Change | Flora | Insects and spiders | Amphibians and reptiles | Birds | Mammals