At last things have started happening. Early birds and butterflies, lots of flowers and warm enough to venture forth, to see what is there.

Certainly seen first blackcaps, heard but not spotted a chiff chaff, and when the sun is shining there are brimstone butterflies and I have also seen commas.

I went to have a look at our very burnt Canford Heath earlier this week, and it certainly is a large area that has been burnt, but much of it looks just to be surface damage and should recover quickly. Whilst there, among a stand of burnt gorse, I saw a small bird that I can best describe as a yellow wren in both size and behaviour. I did not recognise it, but reference to my ‘bird books’ suggests it could be a serin . Quite a rarity if it was. Other birds were active even over the burnt areas, and several pied wagtails were around.

Back to my favourite golf course, and on Thursday there were several lizards to be seen and a slow worm. Definitely Spring.

Not many events, as my 'bible' the Dorset Coast and Countryside is late, but Poole are doing some activities

• Litter Pick around Alderney Recreation ground – Morning April 8th
• Walk on Canford Heath –afternoon April 16th
• Birds of Luscombe Valley – Dawn April 25th

Friends of Broadstone LNR are involved in a planting session on April 15th – Fontmell Road entrance 10.00 AM.

Useful Numbers of organisations running tasks or walks:-

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.

Say you saw it on "Broadstone NET"