Environmental News April 2009
Plenty of signs of Spring around.
First leaves on the trees, lots of early Spring flowers, birds going around in pairs, and a pleasing number of early butterflies. It cannot all be right though, and this prolonged dry spell is not doing any favours to the seedlings particularily my early lettuce.
Looking on the Dorset Bird Club website, there are a lot of exciting birds at most sites along the coast, and this last weekend a good number of migrants – swallows, wheatears, willow warblers – have arrived. Also a lone Osprey over Christchurch Harbour. Butterflies too are encouraging, with several sightings of small tortoiseshells (so scarce last year), brimstones, red admirals and a comma, seen in Broadstone. If it doesn’t turn too wet we may have a good year.
Last year the horse chestnut tree in our garden was decimated by a leaf miner, so it looked like September leaves in August. The tree has currently a good set of sticky buds, and should come back as good as new.
We also have both commom species of woodpecker very active in our little woodland, so perhaps they will nest again this year.
More guided walks this month, with three on Canford Heath from Borough of Poole (5th and 15th from Francis Ave, and 26th from gravel Hill. All 14.00 start.. Birds at Durlston (5th), and Arne (18th), reptiles at Avon Country Park (19th) and flowers Durlston (19th).
Most of the areas run practical conservation groups, and details of these and further interesting walks should be available at the numbers below, or for a wider picture ring 01305 224214 for a copy of Coast and Countryside, or try your local library.
Useful Numbers for tasks and events :-
| Local Dorset Wildlife Trust | 01202 692033 |
| Durlston Country Park | 01929 424443 |
| Avon Country Park | 01425 478470 |
| Poole Countryside | 01202 265265 |
| Moors Valley | 01425 470721 |
| NT (Studland) | 01929 450259 |
| Natural England | 01929 557450 |
Other useful wildlife web sites for wildlife news in this area are:
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"