MARCH NATURE NOTES

Winter has not yet departed, as the weather straddling March and April demonstrated. 

Another jack snipe was flushed on March 11th, and up to 17 common snipe were still present on March 26th. Possibly the last redwing of the winter was seen on the 17th, and three tufted duck remained on Tonford lake on the 26th.

But spring signs are in the ascendancy, with chiffchaff singing every morning and the first blackcap seen on March 24th. There has been a little reed bunting activity since late February, raising hopes that at least one pair will nest, and on March 26th two red kites (below) drifted over, heading languidly for Canterbury! These birds are the terrestrial equivalent of albatrosses; with their long wings and flexing tail they are able to ride the air currents with minimal flapping, enabling them to cover vast distances with little energy expended. Now nesting in Kent, it is surely just a matter of time before the breeding population builds up in the county, though many of the birds seen here in spring are believed to be migrants returning to Europe.

Photo courtesy of Dave Smith

After a bleak three-month period devoid of kingfisher records, they are now more in evidence, which is hopefully a good sign that a pair will nest on or close to the Hambrook stretch of the river. However, our lonely parakeet has now deserted us after a six months on the Marshes.

Lesser celandines (below right) are flowering in wetter areas along with a few lady’s smock, and snake’s head fritillaries (below left) are also now in bloom. Only seven fritillaries remain at the original planting site in the Boardwalk Field, but there are a healthier 65 in the hay meadow. However, this is well down on the 154 counted in 2021, and may be partly to do with the fact that only part of the area in which they were planted back in 2019 was mown in the autumn.