Looking at last month's article, I was commenting on an early Spring. This month it looks as if nothing has changed. Same flowers still in bloom, birds still desperate for food, no leaves on the trees. I only hope the cold spell came before most flora and fauna had started on their yearly round.

One of my Summer activities is counting butterflies and dragonflies. They are a very good indicator of the health of the Environment, and a regular patrol over the same route gives a year on year statistic that can be included in regional and national reports. We have recently had the East Dorset review meeting, with the usual results that a few species have had a better year, one or two of the very low populations look to be fading away, and some species have had a bad year.

This year though was quite surprising, in that the overall worst performers in terms of fewer than normal, and fewer than last year, were the Red Admirals, Peacocks and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies. No obvious reasons, but we shall have to see if they bounce back this year. (Cabbage Whites managed to keep their numbers up!)

The waxwings stayed around for quite a while, and at one stage there was a sizeable flock down in the middle of the Canford Heath estate.

Still struggling for local events. A cost cutting reorganisation of the Dorset Countryside diary is underway, and as yet I have not obtained a copy, which will now come from Dorchester. Hopefully by next month ???

Last (winter) Bird Boat of the year is on 20th March, and the Poole RSPB talk at Upton Community Centre is on 10th March, 7.30 pm, subject Speyside.

Durlston will certainly be taking walks in search of new migrants.

DCV are working most weekends, the nearest in March being near Rempstone Farm (near Corfe Castle) on 19th/20th. A reminder that the Great Dorset Beach Clean takes place on 10th April, and DCV traditionally work at Abbotsbury, but other organisations cover most of Dorset's beaches.

Useful numbers:

Other useful wildlife web sites for wildlife news in this area are:

• http://www.greenlink.co.uk/
• http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/dorset
• http://www.dorsetbutterflies.com

Prepared for Broadstone.net by
dudley.hull

See the Broadstone Environment main page for information on this organisation.

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